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Movies are fantastic when they push you beyond your comfort zone and test your senses by distorting how you see the world. Expectations should always be subverted, especially when done well by a filmmaker. Great plot twists in the best movies don’t always have a large following. Many of them are underappreciated jewels that conceal a strong script that is overlooked due to inadequate studio support or subpar marketing.

The following selections are underappreciated treasures that came and went without receiving the praise they merited from critics. Some are the greatest introductions to the international film industry, while others are cherished cult favorites within specialized fandoms. There’s no doubt about it: these movies are meant to shake you from head to toe with powerful revelations that will leave you wanting more.

Enjoy our list of the best underappreciated films with the most surprising story twists.

Sisters (1972)
Sisters is one of Brian De Palma’s early masterpieces. Danielle Brenton, an aspiring actress, hooks up with Phillip. After spending the night together, she tells him about her twin sister’s coming and asks him to run errands. The film, which he wrote and directed, features the talents of Bill Finley, Jennifer Salt, Charles Durning, and Margot Kidder.

By the time Phillip gets home, an unknown attacker has fatally stabbed him. Since Phillip is a black man, the police won’t look into the case, but a reporter chooses to look into it further to learn the truth about Danielle’s sister and why we never see her. There is a lot of societal commentary in this fantastic narrative.

Angel Heart (1987)
Another fantastic psychological thriller in the neo-noir genre, with a dash of horror thrown in for good measure. Angel Heart, which was written and directed by Alan Parker, stars Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet, and Micky Rourke. The narrative starts in New York when a quirky man named Louis Cyphre hires Harry Angle, a private investigator, to find a crooner named John Liebling. Harry finds Liebling’s last known whereabouts and has to go to New Orleans.

The setting of New Orleans adds intrigue and euphoric images of sorcery and black magic, which causes the plot to abruptly shift in pace. Every time Harry approaches a lead, the individual who tells him anything is brutally murdered. He encounters Epiphany Proudfoot, a girl who could be essential to solving the murder. There is more to this allegation than we are led to believe, but the major twist that is eventually revealed is that Cyphre is the devil himself, come to take Liebling’s soul.

The Game (1997)
David Fincher is a skilled mystery writer. One of his earliest works, The Game, was written by Michael Ferris and John Bracanto and starred Deborah Kara Unger, Sean Penn, and Michael Douglas. The plot appears straightforward enough, as Nicholas Van Otto receives a present from his brother that allows him to play a game that influences his daily behavior. Nicholas, against his better judgment, agrees to attend the CRS’s alleged lodgings in order to take part in the game.

Nicholas’s entire life takes a drastic turn for the worst as soon as he signs on. While he is being hunted, his brother deserts him. He had exhausted his bank accounts. A cabbie abandons Nicholas to perish. In search of safety, he locates the waitress from the restaurant where he accepted his brother’s gift and discovers that she works for the organization running the game. Nicholas pushes himself into the organization running the game and discovers that everything that has happened to him is actually related to the game he agreed to.

The American (2010)
This superb spy thriller, directed by Anton Corbijn, was adapted by Rowan Joffé from the novel A Very Private Gentleman. Violante Placido and George Clooney are the American stars. Jack, a dormant operative, and a girl lead a quiet life in the Swedish forest. Jack swiftly eliminates the hired guns that are pursuing him, but he also murders the female he is with.

Jack quickly flees to Rome and gets in touch with Pavel, his handler. Pavel gives him his final task and sends him to Castelvecchio. Despite his reluctance, Jack accepts the offer because of the great compensation. He has to construct a specially designed weapon and teach another agent how to use it in this simple operation. Pavel is preparing for his replacement to kill Jack, but Jack is able to stay one step ahead of the game.

Moon (2009)
When mystery is present, space stories have a certain charm. Moon is an example of this. Sam Rockwell is the only cast member you should be concerned about. He plays Sam Bell, a lone employee of Lunar Industries, a business that mines a substance called helium-3 on the Moon in order to address the issue of depleted energy on Earth. Nathan Parker wrote the screenplay, and Duncan Jones directed this underrated movie.

Before something happens and he discovers a crashed rover on the lunar surface, Sam’s days are uneventful, and he follows his usual schedule. After saving the pilot, he discovers it’s him. Sam is revealed by an AI called GERTY to be a clone with a three-year lifespan (the length of his contract). A fresh one takes his place after he passes away. Sam had to flee to Earth and tell the public the truth after trying his hardest to avoid the safeguards.

(2006) Inside Man
After you get over the first setup, Inside Man is much more than your typical police heist story. One of Russell Gewirtz’s most underappreciated films is this one, which was written and directed by Spike Lee. He invites along heavyweights like Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe, Jodie Foster, and Clive Owen, as well as his constant accomplice, Denzel Washington.

Four thieves come up with the ideal scheme to rob a bank, but none of them knows a thing about what they are doing or how they will escape the place without being shot. Detective Keith Frazer determines that the man is waiting for an opportunity to strike, but Dalton Russell, the robbers’ leader, has always been one step ahead of him. It’s a fantastic movie with many gratifying endings and many twists and turns.

The Mist (2007)
The Mist cast seated in a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer automobile
The Mist, a horror movie with science fiction elements that is based on a Stephen King story, touches on a number of topics, including survival, faith, proselytization, and dread of the unknown. It all starts in a rural American convenience store. Thomas Jane, Laurie Holden, and Marcia Gay Harden are among the well-known members of the ensemble cast. Frank Darabont wrote and directed the adaptation.

As the town is enveloped in an enigmatic mist, a madman approaches the store. They must use their resources to repel the individuals within. Some decide to resist the swarm of beasts, while others decide to cling to their religious beliefs in the hopes of being saved. Following several attempts at survival, the final few members of the group choose to end their own lives rather than be killed by the invading aliens. This decision has a highly surprising result because most of them have already left this planet.

Two Sisters: A Tale (2003)
In the last 20 years, Koren cinema has become an art form, as demonstrated by A Tale of Two Sisters. Kim Jee-woon wrote and directed it in 2003, making it an early offering. It’s a traditional folktale from the nation that has been idealized and turned into a contemporary tale. After receiving treatment at a mental hospital, a girl named Su-Mi is discharged and permitted to go back to her family at the start of the novel. After they are situated, she and her sister Su-Yeon are mistreated by her obnoxious stepmother.

As her stepmother’s face is substituted for hers in the family photos, strange things start happening. Su-Yeon further asserts that his father is oblivious to her stepmother’s behavior. The father’s statement that her daughter is imagining everything is the major revelation. Her sisters and stepmother are merely figments of her imagination. However, Su-yeon’s re-institutionalization is the major twist.

(2014) Predestination
Predestination is one of those movies where you have to watch it carefully to avoid getting sucked into the story. Three distinct protagonists in this time travel tale have their fates predetermined by the Temporal Bureau. Based on Robert Heinlein’s novel All You Zombies, the film was written and directed by The Spierig Brothers and starred Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, and Noah Taylor.

The story discusses intersex persons and the subtleties of time-traveling paradoxes without getting too caught up in the plot. After the agency places the same individual in particular timeframes to meet himself and exist, the three players perform a single role. By uniting our protagonist as a mother, father, and son in one soul, it also gives a small homage to Roman Catholic mythology.

Buried (2010)
When it comes to thrilling thrillers, European talent consistently delivers. Rodrigo Cortes is the director, and Chris Sparlin is the writer of the movie Buried. The narrative, which takes place in a coffin, is intimidating. In order to create this rollercoaster, Ryan Reynolds, the only star of the movie, had to work long hours in a small environment. In the opening scene of the movie, a man named Paul is buried in the middle of nowhere in the Middle East with a few belongings in a coffin.

The story starts when a cell phone rings. A gang of terrorists has abducted Paul and is making a number of demands. Paul has to do everything in his power to make sure he survives this ordeal. The feelings expressed in this movie are frustrating. The purpose of this film is to intentionally make you feel hopeless. The story’s heartbreaking conclusion only surpasses the betrayals and double-crosses endured by someone who was already in the hot seat.

Devil (2010)
M. Even if Night Shyamalan is a one-trick pony, his writing is comparatively good. The movie Devil is set in an elevator that is trapped. Five people are confined in this claustrophobic film, which was directed by John Erick Dowdle and written by Brian Nelson. Simultaneously, a security guard watches everything through a camera feed.

As the story progresses, we learn that everyone in the elevator has a criminal history or a dubious past. As the elevator has outages, someone believes the devil is responsible for the situation. To no effect, numerous attempts are made to save the gang. Someone dies every time the lights go out. Because it’s so unexpected, the huge reveal at the conclusion will take you by surprise.

A Wellness Cure (2017)
A scene from 20th Century Fox’s 2016 film A Cure For Wellness
Gore Verbinski is the director, and Justin Haythe is the author of the psychological thriller A Cure for Wellness. Jason Isaacs, Mia Goth, and Dane DeHaan are the film’s main actors. With so many unexpected turns as the plot progresses, this slow-burning tale is sure to keep you guessing. The board of directors of the corporation he works for assigns a man named Lockhart the mission of rescuing the CEO from a wellness center in the Swiss Alps.

Lockhart travels there but observes the strange atmosphere. After failing to discover the individual he’s seeking, he experiences an accident and finds himself confined in the spa facility. Interns and others tell him the terrible tale of the spa and the atrocities carried out by the castle’s previous residents. Lockhart has to deal with a complex plot to conceal the keys to immortality and the insane desires of a parent hoping to leave a purebred offspring as a legacy.

Chinatown (1974)
Chinatown, a 1974 neo-noir thriller packed with political drama and a gut-wrenching revelation, is among the most influential movies ever created. In order to find her husband, Evelyn engages private investigator Jake Gittes at the start of the novel. The always contentious Roman Polansky directed the work, which was written by Robert Towne. Faye Dunaway and Jack Nicholson lead the all-star cast of the movie.

Jake investigates and discovers that the man is having an affair and refusing to allow him to use publicly sponsored utilities. When his results are reported by the media, Jake becomes enraged and learns that someone impersonating Evelyn has deceived him. He learns that the woman he works for is both the mother and the sister of his own children before uncovering a conspiracy involving real state moguls purchasing property at a discount and constructing gentrified urbanisms.

Identity (2003)
The cast of Identity, released by Sony Pictures in 2003
This movie is going to keep you guessing! Michael Cooney’s early work, Identity, is a mystery thriller by James Mangold that alternates between two stories that don’t seem to be connected at first. Malcolm Rivers, a prisoner, is undergoing a thorough physiological examination on one side following a mass murder case that occurred in an apartment building.

Since there is no way to leave without discovering closed roads, eleven strangers congregate at a secluded Nevada motel during a storm that keeps them all trapped. Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, Alfred Molina, and John Cusack are all members of the all-star cast. An invisible attacker kills each of the motel’s visitors one by one. You’ll be left wondering what you actually saw when the final bombshell that links the two storylines is revealed.

Coherence (2013)
The strange thriller Coherence, written and directed by James Ward Byrkit, is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. A comet traveling close to Earth’s orbit sets off an improbable scenario that would dwarf the idea of multiversal worlds being investigated by Marvel Studios at the moment. An unexpected blackout affects the neighborhood when eight individuals are having a dinner party.

Two people leave to see what has happened, but they come back with a box full of other things, including pictures of the party that were taken that night during the meal. Because of the comet’s alteration of reality through the creation of a quantum decoherence phenomenon, the group discovers they are dealing with several versions of themselves. Nobody can be trusted after that, and the group has to do everything in their power to survive.

I’m Sorry to Bother You (2018)
Given how heavily surrealism depends on images to convey its message, it is rarely explored in films. But Boots Riley’s book and film, Sorry to Bother You, depicts a story that transcends the absurd clichés. Working actors Danny Glover, Patton Oswald, Jennifer Fowler, Tessa Thompson, and Keith Stanfield are among the cast.

The narrative centers on Cassius Green, a black artist who faces financial difficulties. He is compelled to work as a telemarketer, but he doesn’t do well until a colleague advises him to start speaking in a “white voice” to close deals. He heeds the instruction to become the company’s most successful employee, which pushes him away from his grandiose aspirations and transforms him into a corporate monster until he learns the truth about the business he works for.

The Skin in Which I Live (2011)
Warner Bros., The Skin I Live In (2011). Spanish entertainment
Known for his powerful melodramas, Pedro Almodovar is taking us on an exciting journey with The Skin I Live in (also known as La Piel que Habito). The novel examines the accomplishments of a plastic surgeon named Robert Ledgard, who has used highly illicit methods to manufacture artificial grafts of human skin that are resistant to burns and insect bites. Antonio Banderas and Elena Anaya are frequent partners on the project.

We find out that he is holding a patient named Vera captive in his state after he has been reprimanded by the medical community. His mother is the most devoted servant in the surgeon’s secretive household. In contrast, Vera is not exactly what we have been told from the beginning; therefore, she is not what it seems to be. You are either horribly horrified or kept on the edge of your seat by the horrific discoveries.

Jack’s House (2018)
Matt Dillon in TrustNordisk, the Home That Jack Built
Physiological terror is nothing new to Lars Von Trier; in fact, one might argue that all of his films examine human nature. But the fact that he exclusively looks at the worst in each of us is a little concerning. It’s the same with the house Jack built. Uma Thurman, Bruno Ganz, and Matt Dillon make up the strong cast. Jack, a failing architect with obsessive-compulsive illness, is the protagonist of this slasher.

Jack obsesses with killing and gathering the best resources to construct the ideal home. By the film’s last act, their quests are intertwined. Throughout the movie, we learn more about Jack’s mentality and how he grows complacent as he continues to get away with murders. In the end, he succeeds in creating a wonderful home that brings him to the only location a person like him merits.

Frailty (2001)
Bill Paxton was a wonderful talent who left us too soon. Frailty, a mystery thriller, is one of his two directing credits. The narrative starts with Wesley Doyle, an FBI agent, killing himself after it is discovered that his brother, Adam, is the serial killer known as God’s Hand. Actors Luke Askew, Powers Boothe, and Matthew McConaughey all appear in the film.

The film reveals the events leading to the murders of several young boys and the individuals who cover up the conspiracy in a complicated blend of religious fanaticism and enigmatic visions. When we discover who is the unreliable narrator of all the events we have witnessed throughout the film, the startling twist has a greater impact.

Oldboy (2003)
A man shows East while holding out a hammer to another man.
No other movie could take the top spot in this ranking. Despite not being as well-known as it ought to be, Oldboy is arguably the most influential Korean film ever produced and the greatest way for those who are unfamiliar with Korean cinema to get started. In the film, a man is abducted unexpectedly after missing the birth of his daughter and is held in isolation for almost two decades. Park Chan-wook is the author and director of this deadly thriller.

He finds out while in custody that his wife was killed and that he is the main suspect. Every day, sleeping gas is sprayed on him, and any attempt to kill him is stopped while he is asleep. Following his rescue, he needs the assistance of a girl named MiDo to piece together the events that led to his entrapment. It’s a really good story that just gets better with time, but the twists and turns of this film keep coming at you like speeding bricks.