The 10 Most Underrated Eric Bana Movies, Ranked (from Least to Most Underrated)

Eric Bana has moved between Australian indies, studio blockbusters, and streaming originals, working with directors like Ang Lee, Andrew Dominik, Joe Wright, Scott Derrickson, and Robert Connolly. The range is wide—true-crime portraits, legal thrillers, historical dramas, action pieces, and animation—so it’s easy to overlook how varied his filmography actually is.

Below is a straight countdown of feature films, presented from the bottom of the list to the top. Each entry notes who made it, where it was shot, what it adapts, release details, and concrete production facts that help place the project within Bana’s body of work.

‘Hulk’ (2003)

Ang Lee directed ‘Hulk’, casting Eric Bana as Bruce Banner opposite Jennifer Connelly, Nick Nolte, Sam Elliott, and Josh Lucas. Universal Pictures released the film in June after a major Super Bowl teaser campaign; it adapts Marvel’s character and uses split-screen paneling to echo comic layouts. Principal photography included locations in California and Utah, with ILM leading visual-effects work on the CG Hulk.

The production carried a reported budget in the $130–140 million range and grossed around $245 million worldwide. Danny Elfman provided the score, and the film runs roughly 138 minutes in its theatrical cut, with home-video editions documenting Lee’s on-set use of motion-capture reference for performance planning.

‘Special Correspondents’ (2016)

‘Special Correspondents’ is a Netflix original written and directed by Ricky Gervais, with Eric Bana playing a radio news reporter alongside Gervais, Vera Farmiga, Kelly Macdonald, and America Ferrera. It’s an English-language remake of the French film ‘Envoyés très spéciaux’ and relocates the premise to New York and a fabricated conflict in Ecuador. Production used Toronto and New York City for principal photography to stand in for multiple settings.

The film premiered on Netflix in April as part of the platform’s early push into star-driven features. The release strategy emphasized global day-and-date streaming access rather than a traditional theatrical rollout, and the credits highlight music supervision oriented around Latin American cues to fit the hoax-war backdrop.

‘Lucky You’ (2007)

Directed by Curtis Hanson, ‘Lucky You’ features Eric Bana as a high-stakes Las Vegas poker player opposite Drew Barrymore and Robert Duvall. The production shot extensively in real casinos and poker rooms on the Strip, integrating cameos from professional players including Doyle Brunson, Sam Farha, and Barry Greenstein. Warner Bros. distributed the film after schedule shifts that moved its release away from a crowded awards window.

The story centers on the boom-era World Series of Poker, with sequences coordinated by technical advisors to mirror contemporary tournament structure and cash-game dynamics. The soundtrack leans on Americana and roots selections, and the cinematography captures table-level perspectives with long-lens coverage to emphasize bet sizing, chip stacks, and player decision-making.

‘Deliver Us from Evil’ (2014)

Scott Derrickson directed ‘Deliver Us from Evil’, casting Eric Bana as NYPD sergeant Ralph Sarchie, with Édgar Ramírez, Olivia Munn, Joel McHale, and Sean Harris in key roles. Screen Gems released the film in July; it adapts incidents from the nonfiction book ‘Beware the Night’ by Ralph Sarchie and Lisa Collier Cool, blending police-procedural elements with possession-case set pieces. Location work in the Bronx and Queens anchors the precinct setting.

The production budget has been reported around $30 million, with worldwide grosses in the $80–90 million range. Cinematographer Scott Kevan used low light and practicals to stage nighttime raids, and the sound design layers liturgy and urban ambience in exorcism sequences. Home-video extras include featurettes that break down stunt coordination and the climactic deliverance scene.

‘Closed Circuit’ (2013)

‘Closed Circuit’ is a London-set legal thriller directed by John Crowley and written by Steven Knight. Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall lead the cast as barristers navigating a terrorism case with secret evidence, joined by Ciarán Hinds, Jim Broadbent, and Riz Ahmed. Focus Features handled the U.S. rollout following a UK release, with location shooting across the legal quarter and government districts.

The film foregrounds Special Advocates procedures used in closed-material cases in the UK, depicting how evidence can be withheld from the defense on national-security grounds. Production design recreated Crown Court interiors and secure-evidence facilities, while editor Lucia Zucchetti incorporates CCTV perspectives to mirror the surveillance theme signaled by the title.

‘Back to the Outback’ (2021)

The animated adventure ‘Back to the Outback’ was directed by Clare Knight and Harry Cripps and released globally on Netflix in December. Eric Bana voices Chaz, a celebrity wildlife handler, alongside an Australian-heavy ensemble including Isla Fisher, Tim Minchin, Guy Pearce, and Miranda Tapsell. The story follows a group of zoo animals crossing Australia to reach the outback, with character designs drawing on native species like taipans, thorny devils, and frilled-neck lizards.

Production was split across multiple studios with animation supervisors coordinating wildlife-movement studies informed by reference footage. The soundtrack features original songs and didgeridoo-accented cues, and marketing campaigns highlighted Australian fauna and conservation-minded classroom discussion guides for families.

‘The Other Boleyn Girl’ (2008)

Directed by Justin Chadwick, ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’ adapts Philippa Gregory’s historical novel, with Eric Bana as Henry VIII opposite Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson. The film reconstructs Tudor court politics around Anne and Mary Boleyn, with costumes by Sandy Powell and production design using British stately homes to stand in for royal residences. Distribution across multiple territories used a platform strategy in prestige markets before wider expansion.

The production was shot on 35mm with detailed period textures, and the wardrobe department created dozens of bespoke gowns and doublets based on museum research. Box-office returns topped $75–90 million worldwide, and home-release extras cover adapting the novel’s timeline and consolidating historical figures for narrative clarity.

‘Hanna’ (2011)

Joe Wright directed ‘Hanna’, casting Eric Bana as an off-grid operative and father to the title character, played by Saoirse Ronan, with Cate Blanchett and Tom Hollander in supporting roles. The film traveled through locations in Finland, Germany, and Morocco, premiering in the spring frame via Focus Features and Universal’s international labels. Wright and DP Alwin Küchler stage long-take action passages, including a dockside fight built around practical choreography.

The Chemical Brothers composed the original score, built on percussive motifs that sync to editing rhythms in chase sequences. Production notes detail cold-weather shooting near Kuusamo for the opening sequences and Berlin-area facilities for interiors. The release later inspired a television series set in the same narrative world, expanding the story’s espionage elements for serial storytelling.

‘The Dry’ (2020)

‘The Dry’ is an Australian crime drama directed by Robert Connolly, adapted from Jane Harper’s best-selling novel. Eric Bana plays federal agent Aaron Falk, returning to his drought-stricken hometown in rural Victoria to investigate a murder-suicide. The production filmed across regional communities—including locations in Castlemaine, Horsham, and the Wimmera—to capture parched landscapes that mirror the book’s setting.

The film ranked among the highest-grossing local titles for its release period in Australia. It prompted a follow-up adaptation from the same creative team, continuing Falk’s arc from Harper’s series. Home-release extras cover location scouting, adaptation choices that condense the novel’s dual timelines, and a score that uses sparse instrumentation to reflect the environment.

‘Chopper’ (2000)

Written and directed by Andrew Dominik, ‘Chopper’ is a biographical crime film based on the autobiographical books by Mark “Chopper” Read. Eric Bana portrays Read across prison and underworld chapters, with filming in and around Melbourne, including sequences staged in the former Pentridge Prison. The film premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival before Australian theatrical release and subsequent international festival play.

‘Chopper’ earned multiple Australian Film Institute nominations, with Eric Bana winning Best Actor. The production’s makeup and prosthetics team documented tattoos and scars from Read’s accounts, and the cinematography uses high-contrast stock to emphasize stark interiors of lock-ups and dive bars. The movie’s visibility helped launch Dominik’s feature career and widened international casting attention for Bana.

Got another title you’d add to this list? Share your picks in the comments!