The 10 Most Underrated Henry Cavill Movies, Ranked (From Least to Most Underrated)

Henry Cavill’s career stretches from comic book epics to intimate thrillers, with stops in fantasy, espionage, and historical adventure. He has led global blockbusters and also popped up early in his career in genre projects that quietly built his résumé. Looking across his films gives a clear view of how often he has taken risks, switched gears, and tried new corners of the big screen.

This countdown rounds up ten Cavill movies that show his range, from early horror to large scale action. You will find supporting turns, leading roles, and ensemble parts, along with concrete details on who made them, where they were set, and what they set out to do.

‘Hellraiser: Hellworld’ (2005)

This entry in the long running horror series was directed by Rick Bota and filmed largely in Romania. Cavill plays Mike, one of several gamers invited to a mysterious mansion after becoming obsessed with a Hellraiser themed online game. The story brings the group face to face with the world of the Lament Configuration inside a modern setting.

The cast includes Lance Henriksen, Katheryn Winnick, and Khary Payton. Released direct to video in many regions, the film arrived as the eighth installment in the franchise and continued Bota’s run after ‘Hellraiser: Hellseeker’ and ‘Hellraiser: Deader’.

‘The Cold Light of Day’ (2012)

Directed by Mabrouk El Mechri, this action thriller follows Will Shaw, a young consultant whose family is abducted during a sailing trip in Spain. Cavill leads the search as the plot uncovers a covert operation linked to his father, played by Bruce Willis, with Sigourney Weaver as a high level intelligence figure.

Production used locations in Madrid and Valencia, and the film was released by Summit Entertainment in early fall. It mixed English and Spanish settings and leaned on practical chases through city streets and ports as Will tries to recover a stolen briefcase tied to the kidnappers.

‘Blood Creek’ (2009)

Joel Schumacher directs this occult horror story originally known as ‘Town Creek’. Cavill plays Evan Marshall, who teams with his brother to confront a sinister force connected to a 1930s ritual on a rural farm. The film jumps between period sequences and a modern day rescue mission.

Michael Fassbender appears as a Nazi researcher obsessed with runes and immortality, with Dominic Purcell as Evan’s brother. The film received a limited theatrical rollout in the United States before moving to home media, and it blends creature effects with stylized flashbacks rooted in folklore.

‘Argylle’ (2024)

Matthew Vaughn’s spy caper centers on a novelist whose best selling books about a superspy begin to mirror real operations. Cavill appears as the book within a book protagonist, a slick agent seen in the pages and imagination of the author, while Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell anchor the present day storyline that pulls the writer into the field.

The ensemble includes Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, Dua Lipa, John Cena, Ariana DeBose, and Samuel L. Jackson. The film opened in cinemas through Universal Pictures and later streamed as an Apple Original Films release, with production based in the United Kingdom and sequences staged across European backdrops.

‘Night Hunter’ (2018)

This crime thriller, also released as ‘Nomis’, was written and directed by David Raymond. Cavill plays Detective Walter Marshall, who works with a former judge and a special operations team as they track a suspect connected to a string of abductions. The investigation weaves in decoys, protected witnesses, and a careful watch on multiple suspects.

Ben Kingsley, Alexandra Daddario, Stanley Tucci, and Nathan Fillion round out the cast. The film premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival and later saw a limited theatrical run with video on demand release, with principal photography taking place in Winnipeg and surrounding locations.

‘Immortals’ (2011)

Tarsem Singh directs this mythic action tale about Theseus, a mortal chosen by Zeus to lead a stand against King Hyperion. Cavill takes the role of Theseus and trains to join a smaller force that protects the Epirus Bow, a weapon sought by Hyperion to free the Titans.

The film features Mickey Rourke as Hyperion, Freida Pinto as the oracle Phaedra, and Luke Evans as Zeus. Released in stereoscopic 3D by Relativity Media, it combined stylized sets with large scale battles and earned strong worldwide box office returns on a mid range budget.

‘Sand Castle’ (2017)

Set in Iraq in 2003, this drama follows a small American unit assigned to repair a village’s water system after damage from conflict. Cavill appears as Sergeant Syverson, a Special Operations leader whose team works with the unit as the mission expands and the village’s security situation shifts.

Directed by Fernando Coimbra from a screenplay by Chris Roessner, the film stars Nicholas Hoult alongside Logan Marshall Green, Glen Powell, and Beau Knapp. It was released globally on Netflix, and it used locations in Jordan to stage convoys, patrols, and the central engineering task that drives the plot.

‘Man of Steel’ (2013)

Zack Snyder’s superhero origin story introduces Clark Kent from Krypton to Kansas and then to Metropolis. Cavill portrays Clark as he discovers his abilities and confronts General Zod, played by Michael Shannon, after a distress beacon draws Kryptonian survivors to Earth.

Amy Adams appears as Lois Lane, with Russell Crowe as Jor El, Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent, and Diane Lane as Martha Kent. The film’s story is by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer, with music by Hans Zimmer, and it launched a new screen era for the character with a wide summer release.

‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’ (2015)

Guy Ritchie brings the 1960s television series to the big screen with a Cold War heist and double agent plot set across Europe. Cavill plays Napoleon Solo, a suave CIA operative forced to partner with KGB agent Illya Kuryakin as they search for a missing scientist and a nuclear device.

Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, and Hugh Grant co star, and Daniel Pemberton provides the score. The production shot in Italy and the United Kingdom, and the film blends period costumes, vintage cars, and practical set pieces to recreate early 1960s style across Rome, Naples, and London.

‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ (2018)

Christopher McQuarrie directs this entry that follows IMF agent Ethan Hunt as a failed recovery of plutonium triggers a race against time. Cavill plays August Walker, a CIA operative assigned to monitor the mission, and he becomes central to the plot as allegiances are tested across multiple cities.

Tom Cruise leads the ensemble with Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Vanessa Kirby, and Angela Bassett. Production staged a high altitude low opening jump sequence in cooperation with crews based in the United Arab Emirates, and location work included Paris, London, and New Zealand, with the release handled worldwide by Paramount Pictures.

Share your picks for the most overlooked Henry Cavill films in the comments and tell us which roles you want to see him tackle next.