The 10 Most Underrated Ana de Armas Movies, Ranked (From Least to Most Underrated)
Ana de Armas has built a filmography that moves smoothly from indie dramas to large scale franchise entries. Her roles range from intimate character portraits to high energy action parts, often in projects with notable directors and ensembles. The result is a set of films that show range in language, location, and genre.
This countdown gathers ten titles that highlight key steps in her career, from early supporting turns to pivotal leads. You will find action, biographical drama, espionage, and science fiction here, along with festival premieres, major award nominations, and projects that expanded her global profile.
‘Ghosted’ (2023)
The romantic action adventure pairs Ana de Armas with Chris Evans as a covert operative and an unsuspecting civilian who are pulled into a globe trotting mission. Dexter Fletcher directs a cast that includes Adrien Brody, Mike Moh, Amy Sedaris, and cameos from familiar action stars. The story blends undercover set pieces with a chase narrative that moves from city streets to remote outposts.
The film was released as an Apple TV Plus original and used a production schedule that combined location work and stage builds to stage lengthy fights and practical stunt gags. Ana de Armas trained extensively for close quarters sequences and handled dialogue in English and Spanish, reflecting the character’s international background.
‘Wasp Network’ (2019)
Olivier Assayas directs this espionage drama about the Cuban Five, a group of intelligence operatives who infiltrated anti Castro organizations in Miami. The ensemble includes Edgar RamÃrez, Penélope Cruz, Gael GarcÃa Bernal, and Wagner Moura, with Ana de Armas portraying a Miami based figure whose personal life is reshaped by covert operations. The narrative follows defections, double lives, and courtroom fallout tied to real events.
The film premiered on the festival circuit before reaching a global audience on Netflix. Assayas draws from the nonfiction book that chronicles the case, and the production recreates Havana and Florida settings through a mix of Caribbean and European locations. Costuming and period cars help place the story in the late Cold War era while the soundtrack uses salsa and pop cues tied to Cuban and Miami culture.
‘Sergio’ (2020)
The biographical drama centers on United Nations diplomat Sérgio Vieira de Mello and his final mission in Baghdad. Wagner Moura plays the diplomat while Ana de Armas plays Carolina Larriera, the economist and partner who frames the story’s personal side. The film portrays peacekeeping work, hostage negotiations, and the bombing that transformed the mission, drawing from interviews and archival material.
Director Greg Barker adapts his own documentary source and focuses on the relationship between field work and private life. The production filmed across multiple countries to mirror postings in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, and it debuted on Netflix following a Sundance launch. Dialogue shifts between Portuguese, Spanish, and English to reflect the characters’ international careers.
‘The Gray Man’ (2022)
The action thriller from Anthony and Joe Russo follows an off the grid CIA asset pursued by a private sector hit team. Ana de Armas plays Dani Miranda, an agency operative who becomes an essential ally during extractions and embassy confrontations. The cast features Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, and Billy Bob Thornton, with set pieces that include a tram fight and a prolonged chase through a European city center.
Backed by a large Netflix budget, the film used second unit teams for vehicle work and aerial shots, while principal photography covered Prague, Vienna, and Los Angeles backlots. The project expanded into a planned franchise with spin off development announced during release. Weapon handling and tactical movement were prepared through extensive training blocks for core cast members.
‘Hands of Stone’ (2016)
The sports biopic follows the career of Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán. Edgar RamÃrez portrays the fighter while Robert De Niro plays trainer Ray Arcel. Ana de Armas appears as Felicidad Iglesias, whose relationship and family life are crucial to understanding the athlete outside the ring. The film recreates famous bouts with Sugar Ray Leonard and shows the shifts in coaching, conditioning, and media attention.
Writer director Jonathan Jakubowicz stages period accurate arenas and training gyms with attention to ring strategy and corner work. The production split time between Panama and other locations to capture the look of Central America and major fight venues. The film screened at Cannes before theatrical release and features a soundtrack that mixes Latin music with era specific pop.
‘The Informer’ (2019)
This crime thriller follows an ex special operations soldier who agrees to infiltrate a prison drug network at the request of federal agents. Joel Kinnaman leads the cast, with Ana de Armas as the protagonist’s spouse, whose safety becomes a key motivator throughout the operation. The film also stars Rosamund Pike, Clive Owen, and Common, and tracks the shifting alliances between law enforcement and organized crime.
Andrea Di Stefano directs from a screenplay adapted from the novel ‘Three Seconds’. Production used a mix of real penitentiary spaces and constructed cell blocks to stage riots and yard confrontations. The release strategy combined limited theatrical play in select territories with on demand platforms, and the film found a larger audience through streaming after its initial rollout.
‘War Dogs’ (2016)
Todd Phillips directs this true story about two young Miami businessmen who become small scale arms dealers with a government contract. Miles Teller and Jonah Hill lead the film, and Ana de Armas plays Iz, the partner who keeps the household grounded as the business expands beyond its legal and ethical limits. The plot follows procurement hustles, travel to the Middle East, and paperwork maneuvers with federal agencies.
The production relies on location work in Southern California and the Southwest to stand in for international settings, while also incorporating footage from overseas units. The film was distributed by a major studio and performed well in its late summer slot, later building a long tail on home release. Wardrobe and hair design chart the characters’ shift from casual Miami style to boardroom attire.
‘No Time to Die’ (2021)
The James Bond entry introduces Ana de Armas as Paloma, a newly trained CIA contact who joins Bond during a mission in the Caribbean. She appears alongside Daniel Craig, Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, and Rami Malek in a story that closes the arc of this iteration of the character. Her sequence blends hand to hand fighting with firearm choreography inside a nightclub and courtyard setting.
Cary Joji Fukunaga directs with second unit teams in Italy, Norway, Jamaica, and the United Kingdom. The film combines practical stunts, underwater work, and large scale explosions, supported by long time Bond departments for gadgets, vehicles, and title design. Ana de Armas reunited with Daniel Craig on this project after sharing the screen in ‘Knives Out’, and she trained with the stunt unit to deliver rapid footwork and throws.
‘Knives Out’ (2019)
Rian Johnson’s modern whodunit follows the mysterious death of a bestselling crime novelist and the investigation led by detective Benoit Blanc. Ana de Armas plays Marta Cabrera, the nurse at the center of a complicated family dispute over inheritance and responsibility. The ensemble includes Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Christopher Plummer, with a script that layers clues across interviews and flashbacks.
The film was shot in New England mansions and on stages that replicate reading rooms, staircases, and hidden corridors. It premiered to strong festival response and earned major awards recognition, including a nomination for original screenplay and a Golden Globe nomination for Ana de Armas in the lead actress comedy category. The success led to a follow up film set within the same mystery framework.
‘Blade Runner 2049’ (2017)
Denis Villeneuve continues the world of ‘Blade Runner’ with a story about a replicant detective whose discovery threatens the balance between humans and bioengineered beings. Ana de Armas plays Joi, a holographic companion whose relationship with Ryan Gosling’s character humanizes the investigation. The cast also includes Harrison Ford, Robin Wright, and Sylvia Hoeks, and the film expands the mythology with new corporate players and memory technology.
Roger Deakins provides the visual design with large format cinematography that emphasizes neon, haze, and brutalist architecture. The production won multiple Academy Awards, including cinematography and visual effects, and it used full scale sets for police stations, tenements, and industrial fields. Ana de Armas completed performance capture and in camera effects work to align her character’s projected presence with practical lighting on set.
Share your favorites and the titles you think deserve a spot in the lineup in the comments.