Michael Caine is an undoubtedly celebrated, acclaimed, and popular actor, with his longevity and versatility as a film actor being particularly admirable. He first found success in both leading and supporting roles as far back as the 1960s, and worked steadily across all sorts of genres over the next 60-ish years, finally announcing a well-deserved retirement in 2023, at the age of 90.
Across those numerous decades, Michael Caine’s amassed a high number of very well-known roles, both at the start of his career (like Alfie and The Italian Job) and toward the end of it (like Children of Men and playing Alfred in The Dark Knight trilogy). On the opposite side of things, there have also been plenty of Michael Caine movies that have gone under the radar, or been somewhat lost to time. The following can count themselves in these categories, standing as underrated/lesser-seen films that fans of the legendary English actor ought to check out, if they haven’t already.
10 'Hurry Sundown' (1967)
Director: Otto Preminger
Though it feels somewhat awkwardly torn between being a grounded drama and a sprawling epic, Hurry Sundown nevertheless feels underrated on account of it having an amazing cast, yet also having fallen into relative obscurity. Said cast is led by Michael Caine, and also includes – but is not limited to – the likes of Jane Fonda, Faye Dunaway, John Phillip Law, Burgess Meredith, and George Kennedy.
Narratively, Hurry Sundown takes place shortly after the end of World War II, and involves various characters all getting wrapped up in a dispute over a large amount of valuable land in Georgia. It touches upon racial themes in a sometimes awkward way, and as a courtroom drama, it is lacking somewhat… but it’s well-presented throughout, and it’s worth watching for the acting talent involved.
9 'The Island' (1980)
Director: Michael Ritchie
Like Hurry Sundown, The Island is a Michael Caine movie that also doesn’t seem to know entirely what it wants to be genre-wise, but it’s scattershot in a way that kind of works more than it frustrates. Essentially, it’s a very dark adventure/thriller/mystery movie that involves a father and son encountering modern-day pirates, all of whom are cutthroat enough to ensure The Island feels more like a horror film in its second half.
To say much more would feel unfair, because The Island is overlooked and has the most impact for anyone who goes into it without knowing much. Caine is good in the lead role, though admittedly, David Warner probably ends up stealing the majority of the scenes he appears in, being second-billed here as the character who leads the group of pirates driving much of the film’s conflict.
8 'The Wrong Box' (1966)
Director: Bryan Forbes
A movie with a cast that also boasts the likes of Peter Sellers and Dudley Moore, The Wrong Box is one of the best Michael Caine movies made near the start of the actor’s career, and one of his more underrated ones overall. It’s a farcical sort of comedy with a plot that, broadly speaking, revolves around a family fortune that’s set to go to one of two elderly brothers: whoever survives the longest.
It’s the kind of set-up that’s tailor-made for dark comedy, and even if the humor in The Wrong Box is a little hit-and-miss, there are more than enough hits throughout to make it a fun and engaging watch. It’s a silly and old-fashioned sort of comedy movie, but works in showing a lighter side of Michael Caine, and is an early demonstration of his ability to shine in exceedingly goofy films.
7 'Secondhand Lions' (2003)
Director: Tim McCanlies
Looking at the relationship that forms between a young boy and his two oddball elderly uncles, Secondhand Lions is an effective family/comedy movie that pairs Caine with Robert Duvall. It’s a joy to see two well-established (perhaps even legendary) actors on screen together as brothers, and Haley Joel Osment – starring here as their nephew – is also worthy of praise.
Secondhand Lions, like The Wrong Box, also revolves around a family fortune tied up to some of the family’s oldest members, with Osment’s character placed temporarily in the custody of his uncles by his mother, seemingly with the goal of getting them to pass on their fortune to him. Of course, he learns to appreciate his strange uncles as people, and they do the same with him, making Secondhand Lions an overall simple yet endearing film.
Secondhand Lions
- Release Date
- September 19, 2003
- Director
- Tim McCanlies
- Cast
- Michael Caine , Robert Duvall , Haley Joel Osment , Kyra Sedgwick , Nicky Katt , Josh Lucas
- Runtime
- 111
- Main Genre
- Comedy
6 'The Last Valley' (1971)
Director: James Clavell
A flawed yet very much under-appreciated historical epic, The Last Valley is a film of great highs and, admittedly, a few lows. It has an ambitious scope and looks absolutely beautiful, all the while having an amazing orchestral score by John Barry. Accent aside, Michael Caine also makes an impression playing against type, and Omar Sharif is also very good.
However, the pacing of The Last Valley is a bit sluggish, and it’s certainly a slow-burn kind of movie, showcasing the tension that develops between a peaceful, war-avoiding village and a group of soldiers within the same area. In its best moments, The Last Valley does succeed in feeling breathtaking and quite moving, and though it can’t quite call itself one of the very best epic movies of all time, it is probably one of the more underrated ones out there.
5 'Play Dirty' (1969)
Director: André de Toth
A thrilling war/adventure movie, Play Dirty feels unique as far as World War II movies go, largely due to its setting of North Africa as opposed to taking place in more recognizable WWII locales like Europe or the Pacific. Like another 1960s war movie with “Dirty” in the title, Play Dirty generates most of its excitement from the fact that it centers on a particularly dangerous mission undertaken by a group of somewhat shady characters.
Most war movies contain their fair share of bleak moments, but Play Dirty is particularly grim and detached, especially considering its age. It might well have been too dark to ever take off and achieve widespread popularity, but those looking for some Michael Caine deep cuts ought to check it out, because he’s great here in the lead role, and the film as a whole is also very strong/striking.
4 'Funeral in Berlin' (1966)
Director: Guy Hamilton
One of the first big leading roles for Michael Caine came in 1965, with The Ipcress File. In contrast to someone like 007, the protagonist in the movie, Harry Palmer, found himself wrapped up in more grounded and less explosive espionage-related stories. The Ipcress File marked the first time Caine played Palmer, but it was a role he returned to surprisingly often; four more times, to be exact.
Of those sequels to The Ipcress File, the best is probably Funeral in Berlin, which was released one year after its predecessor. It’s a very direct spy movie, and the kind that probably won’t surprise too many people (especially anyone familiar with the genre)… but it gives Caine another opportunity to shine in one of his best early roles, and at least contains enough style and narrative intrigue to be a more than solid viewing experience.
3 'Gambit' (1966)
Director: Ronald Neame
Michael Caine starred in many great crime movies throughout his career, with Gambit being one of them. It starts out as a heist movie, with Caine playing a skilled thief who joins forces with a showgirl played by Shirley MacLaine to pull off a big score… only for things to take something of a turn surprisingly early on, with the shake-up working in Gambit’s favor overall.
There are plenty of twisty movies that are decades old where the once iconic twists don’t really hold up, either because they’ve been spoiled by pop culture or just don’t have the same weight in the modern-day. Yet Gambit somehow has the capacity to be genuinely surprising so long after its release, with that plus the fact it’s not particularly well-known or widely-discussed making it an ideal watch for anyone who wants to see an effectively subversive take on the heist genre.