10 Underrated Movies By Great Directors

Ask anyone to name a film director and there's a good chance that they'll namedrop Steven Spielberg. Since making his bones on 1975's Jaws, he has presided over a myriad of modern classics, from fun and family friendly adventures such as E.T, Jurassic Park and the Indiana Jones series to more hard-hitting fare in the form of Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan.

These are both set during World War II, a conflict that Spielberg also visited in 1941 (a rare dud) and Empire Of The Sun. Like several of his other 80s creations (he directed 8 films throughout the decade), Empire Of The Sun is rarely in the conversation when recalling his greatest releases, and criminally so.

A brutal depiction of life in China under Japanese occupation, the film only made just over half of its budget back from its American cinematic release. At its heart is a tremendous performance by the then-teenage Christian Bale as Jamie Graham, who evolves from a privileged pre-teen into a war-hardened individual that bears little resemblance to his former self.

Surrounding the young Bale with a mix of British thespians (Nigel Havers, Leslie Phillips and Miranda Richardson) and then up-and-coming American performers (John Malkovich and Joe Pantoliano), Spielberg succeeded in bringing to life an aspect of the conflict that is rarely shown on film, in stark contrast to the action-packed battles and political machinations that lend themselves better to depiction on the big screen.