The 10 Most Underrated Jeremy Renner Movies, Ranked (From Least to Most Underrated)

Jeremy Renner’s career stretches across independent dramas and big studio thrillers, and he has played everything from real people to action leads. Along the way he has stacked up a filmography with early breakthroughs, festival favorites, and sturdy crowd pleasers that do not always get talked about as much as his biggest hits. This list looks at movies where he makes a clear impact, whether in a lead or a key supporting role.

You will see small indies that put him on the map, mid 2000s titles that kept him working, and later projects that carried his name above the title. The focus here is on concrete details like roles, stories, collaborators, and release context. The order counts down to one, and the entries avoid commentary so you can use the facts to revisit or discover these films.

‘Dahmer’ (2002)

Jeremy Renner plays Jeffrey Dahmer in this independent biographical crime drama that follows the serial killer’s adult years through a mix of present day scenes and flashbacks. The film traces Dahmer’s time in Milwaukee and his encounters that led to the crimes, and it stays close to day to day routines rather than sensational set pieces.

The production was a modestly budgeted shoot that relied on practical locations and a small crew. Renner earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Male Lead for his performance, which helped push him from character parts into more prominent roles soon after.

‘S.W.A.T.’ (2003)

Renner appears as Brian Gamble, a former officer whose choices put him on a collision course with his old teammate in this action thriller about a newly formed Los Angeles S.W.A.T. unit. The story follows a high risk prisoner transfer that attracts a public bounty and a citywide response.

The film pairs Renner with Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, and Michelle Rodriguez and uses downtown Los Angeles streets, riverbed stretches, and airport set pieces for practical action. It opened at number one in the United States and found a wide international audience that kept it in theaters through late summer.

‘The Bourne Legacy’ (2012)

Renner leads as Aaron Cross, a chemically enhanced operative whose program runs parallel to the one that produced Jason Bourne. The plot follows Cross as he tries to survive a shutdown order while teaming with a research scientist who understands the conditioning he underwent.

Filming used real locations in New York and Alberta and staged an extended chase across Metro Manila that moved through Pasay, Navotas, and Marikina before a final pursuit on EDSA. The movie expanded the franchise timeline and introduced new agencies and codenamed operations that connect back to earlier entries.

‘The Immigrant’ (2013)

Set in 1921 New York, this period drama follows a Polish newcomer who is separated from her sister at Ellis Island and pushed into a precarious life in Manhattan. Renner plays a magician named Emil who offers a different path as she navigates survival in a new city.

The film reunites director James Gray with Joaquin Phoenix and pairs them with Marion Cotillard in the lead. It premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival and uses detailed Lower East Side sets and early twentieth century costuming to recreate the era with close attention to street level textures.

’28 Weeks Later’ (2007)

Renner appears as Doyle, a United States Army sniper assigned to a security perimeter in a London that is being repopulated after the initial outbreak seen in the earlier film. The story follows a family reunion that intersects with containment protocols and an unanticipated resurgence of the rage virus.

Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo shot across recognizable London sites including Canary Wharf and Greenwich, and the production mixed handheld footage with large scale crowd control sequences. The movie continued the series with a new creative team and introduced American military oversight as a major element of the setting.

‘Kill the Messenger’ (2014)

Renner portrays investigative reporter Gary Webb as he pursues a series about drug trafficking networks and their ties to the Contra conflict. The film tracks the reporting process, the publication of the stories, and the professional fallout that followed.

Based on Webb’s book ‘Dark Alliance’ and on Nick Schou’s ‘Kill the Messenger’, the adaptation keeps newsroom timelines, named sources, and document dives central to the drama. The cast includes Rosemarie DeWitt, Oliver Platt, Michael Sheen, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Andy Garcia, and the production was released by Focus Features with a platform rollout.

‘Neo Ned’ (2005)

This independent drama centers on a young man involved with a white supremacist group who meets a woman in a psychiatric facility and begins to reassess his life. Renner plays the title character opposite Gabrielle Union, and the story confines much of its running time to shared spaces inside the institution.

The movie was produced on a microbudget with a small ensemble and an emphasis on performance driven scenes. It screened at regional festivals in the United States and built word of mouth through specialty engagements that highlighted the two leads working in close quarters.

‘North Country’ (2005)

Renner appears as Bobby Sharp, a miner whose behavior becomes part of the legal and personal conflict at the center of the story. The film dramatizes events that led to Jenson v. Eveleth Mines, which was the first major successful class action sexual harassment lawsuit in the United States.

Directed by Niki Caro, the production stars Charlize Theron and Frances McDormand and was shot in Minnesota and New Mexico to depict Iron Range worksites and community life. The movie received Academy Award nominations for Theron and McDormand and uses courtroom sequences to frame testimony drawn from the historical record.

‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (2007)

Renner plays Wood Hite, a member of the James gang whose path intersects with both the title outlaw and the man who ultimately kills him. The narrative follows the months leading up to the shooting in St. Joseph, Missouri, and pays close attention to group dynamics within the gang.

Andrew Dominik directed the film with Brad Pitt as Jesse James and Casey Affleck as Robert Ford, and Roger Deakins served as cinematographer with work that drew awards attention. Production took place in Alberta and Manitoba to recreate nineteenth century landscapes, and the release rolled out in select cities before expanding.

‘Wind River’ (2017)

Renner stars as Cory Lambert, a wildlife tracker who assists an FBI agent with a homicide investigation on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. The plot follows search patterns, forensic details, and the challenges of working in remote winter terrain while coordinating with tribal police.

Written and directed by Taylor Sheridan, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and later received a nationwide release. It was shot primarily in Utah to simulate the Wyoming setting, and it ends with an on screen note about missing and murdered Indigenous women that connects the fiction to documented realities.

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