10 Massively Underrated Movies From The 1990s

4. Strange Days

Strange Days Ralph Fiennes
Universal Pictures

1991's Point Break is the movie that put Kathryn Bigelow on the map, setting her on the path to winning an Oscar for helming 2008's The Hurt Locker.

But in the mid-90s, her career momentum hit a bump in the road with the release of Strange Days, a box-office flop (it made $8 million worldwide on a $42 million budget - ouch) that divided critics and audiences.

However, the film is much better than its initial reception would lead you to believe. It was written and produced by James Cameron - y'know, the guy who made Aliens, Terminator 2, Titanic, and Avatar - and stars Ralph Fiennes as Lenny Nero, a dealer of black market tech that allows people to experience memories and sensations (such as robbing a bank) they would otherwise be unable to.

It's basically a slick sci-fi thriller with conspiracy elements, with awesome performances by Fiennes (fresh off his Schindler's List Oscar nod) and co-star Angela Bassett. What's not to like?

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Contributor

Danny has been with WhatCulture for almost nine years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. He has been writing and video editing for 10+ years, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers and uploading them to YouTube (they're admittedly a bit rusty by today's standards). If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order or to tell you about the making of 1988's Remembrance of the Daleks, Danny is the person to ask.