The most under-appreciated films of the 2000s, year by year

A look back at the most under-appreciated gems from each year of the 2000s.

2000: American Psycho

Mary Harron’s adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ novel is an absolute killer (no pun intended).

It’s a fine balance between satire, gore and violence with great cinematography by Andrzej Sekula (Tarantino’s earlier cameraman), and the best performance of Christian Bale’s career.

You won’t ever listen to Huey Lewis and the News that same way again.

I remember on a subsequent re-watch counting how many scenes Bale actually appeared in. The answer? Every scene.

2001: The Pledge

Directed by Sean Penn, it is simply one of the first true five-star films of the 21st century.

Jack Nicholson, in his best performance of his career, is a cop determined to solve a murder on his last day in the force.  Check out the supporting cast – Helen Mirren, Robin Wright Penn, Vanessa Redgrave (in a sensational brief scene), Sam Shepard and Aaron Eckhart.

A masterclass of acting in 123 minutes.

2002: One Hour Photo

Robin Williams as we had never seen before: a pretty creepy photo technician who takes far too much interest in his customers’ happy snaps. Great use of colour throughout the film.

Director Mark Romanek has had a successful career as a music video director: Johnny Cash’s Hurt, Michael and Janet Jackson’s Scream, and Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off, to name but a few.

2003: Big Fish

A film from the Tim Burton canon that isn’t often discussed. An imaginative interpretation of Daniel Wallace’s 1998 novel of Edward Bloom recalling his fanciful life on his deathbed.

A kaleidoscope of peculiar stories and characters, headlined by Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney, with support from Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, and Helena Bonham Carter.

But keep an eye out for Billy Redden, the original banjo player from Deliverance (1972), recreating his famous duelling banjo music.

2004: The Day After Tomorrow

Although it was the sixth-highest grossing film of the year, it’s often forgotten beneath the plethora of animation/fantasy films that started to come out in the middle of the decade.

I fondly recall the excitement at some of the incredible CGI shots, and the convincing action-hero performance by Jake Gyllenhaal.  Plus, the film boasts a great performance by always reliable Dennis Quaid.

2005: Good Night and Good Luck

Black and white magic with a stellar lead performance by David Strathairn in his Oscar-nominated role (he should have won).

Written, directed, and starring George Clooney, it told the story of TV journalist Edward R Murrow’s stoush with US senator Joseph McCarthy.  Clooney himself  majored in journalism, and his father, Nick, was a noted TV journalist and anchorman.

2006: United 93


One of the earliest films to be made about the 9/11 tragedy sees director Paul Greengrass adopt a documentary feel to one of history’s most terrifying days.  His focus is the United Airlines flight that crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The film is told in real time, and is a heartbreaking retelling of the tragedy, devoid of all Hollywood cliches.

2007: The Hoax

Richard Gere’s best performance; the rarely screened and under-appreciated film of Clifford Irving fooling the world with the supposed autobiography of recluse Howard Hughes.

The film is an adaptation of Irving’s own novel detailing his writing of the fake autobiography (you still following?)  The manic background to this film is perfectly encapsulated in Gere’s manic performance.

2008: Changeling

More people should talk about this Clint Eastwood’s drama that stars Angeline Jolie in one her better performances.  She portrays real-life Christine Collins – a woman who searches for her missing 9-year-old son. The story made headlines across America in 1928.

Jolie would go on to quite rightly receive an Oscar nomination.

2009: State of Play

Originally a very successful British drama series, the film adaptation has a tremendous cast of Russell Crowe, Helen Mirren, Robin Wright Penn, Rachel McAdams and Ben Affleck.

It tells the story of an investigate journalist looking into the suspicious death of a congressman.  Fans of political dramas and conspiracy theories will particularly love this. Stick through the closing credits to see how a newspaper is made.

2010: Four Lions

What a way to end out the decade with this black comedy that brought actor Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler, Rogue One) to my attention.  A group of terrorists target the London Marathon, but not everything goes to plan, mainly because of their delusions of grandeur and sheer stupidity.   It’s okay to laugh out loud.

Rhett Bartlett can be heard on ABC Radio Melbourne, and he writes obituaries for The Hollywood Reporter. You can follow him on Twitter.