10 Overlooked But Must See Steven Soderbergh Movies You've Never Heard Of
Steven Soderbergh has remained one of the most prolific filmmakers over the past three decades. Prior to becoming a major Hollywood force behind such celebrated films as the Ocean's Eleven franchise, Out of Sight, Erin Brockovich, and the Best Picture-winning Traffic, Soderbergh cut his teeth by directing small, offbeat, independent features that even some of his biggest fans have forgotten about.
Vacillating between big-budget studio fare and low-budget arthouse films alike, Soderbergh has also served as the cinematographer on nearly all of his own features, doing so under the pseudonym Peter Andrews. Up next for the cinematic jack of all trades is No Sudden Move, a period crime drama set to premiere on HBO Max on July 1, 2021.
10 Kafka (1991)
Following his acclaimed feature debut Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Soderbergh made Kafka, a surreal and nightmarish mystery thriller starring Jeremy Irons. The low-budget arthouse film was a disappointment at the box office before becoming a beloved cult classic.
Mr. Kafka (Irons) is an insurance salesman who discovers a shadowy underground organization responsible for detonating bombs across the city. Blurring reality and Kafkaesque fantasy, the film takes loose cues from the famed author's The Trial and The Castle. It's a must-see for fans of both artists.
9 King Of The Hill (1993)
In 1993, Soderbergh wrote and directed King of the Hill, based on the memoir by A.E. Hotchner. The historical drama centers on Aaron (Jesse Bradford), a young boy living a hardscrabble existence on his own in a beat-up St. Louis motel during the Great Depression.
With Aaron's father constantly away on business, his mother ill with tuberculosis, and his younger brother sent to live with his uncle, the boy struggles to survive, much less find meaning in a cruel and unforgiving world. Despite its poor box office performance, the film drew rave reviews.
8 The Underneath (1995)
Functioning as a loose remake of the classic 1949 film noir Criss Cross, Soderbergh wrote and directed The Underneath in 1995. The film stars Peter Gallagher as Michael Chambers, a self-destructive gambler who returns to his hometown for his mother's wedding.
When Michael accepts a job driving an armored car for his soon-to-be stepfather, he is forced to orchestrate the theft of the money by his ex-wife's new gangster boyfriend. As Michael tries to do right by both sides, he's caught in a major moral conundrum.
7 Gray's Anatomy (1996)
Soderbergh directed two highly overlooked and underrated movies in 1996, both of which were released less than a month apart in the spring of 1997. The first includes Gray's Anatomy, a performative ranting from famed writer and monologist Spalding Gray.
The 80-minute performance piece involves Spalding Gray's recent eye condition that requires a precarious surgical operation and his desperate attempt to circumnavigate surgery through a series of alternative remedies. The film has since been added to the Criterion Collection.
6 Schizopolis (1996)
Due to being uncredited as both writer and director, it's very easy to miss Soderbergh's 1996 feature film Schizopolis. Serving as his own cinematographer for the first of many times in his career, the nonlinear avant-garde comedy also stars Soderbergh in the lead role.
The bizarre encounter deals with Fletcher Munson (Soderbergh), a slow worker for a pseudo-scientific religion called Eventualism. Following a death in the company, Fletcher is promoted to write speeches for the religious leader while dealing with his wife's love affair with his own doppelganger.
5 The Limey (1999)
Released in between Out of Sight and Traffic, The Limey is a stylish nonlinear crime film starring Terrence Stamp and Peter Fonda. Written by Kafka scribe Lem Dobbs, the plot concerns a ruthless British gangster (Stamp) out to avenge his daughter's death in Los Angeles.
Soderbergh overcomes the tiresome revenge plotline by employing mysterious flashbacks and footage from Ken Loach's 1967 film Poor Cow, creating an exciting result that critics favored upon its release. Alas, the film performed poorly at the box office.
4 Bubble (2006)
Released in between Soderbergh's super popular Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen, and the same year as The Good German, Bubble came and went without much fanfare in 2006. Devoid of movie stars or a marketing campaign, it's one of Soderbergh's most obscure films to date.
The 73-minute feature tracks a murder mystery that takes place among a trio of midwestern doll factory employees, leading to an investigation headed by Don Taylor (Decker Moody). Soderbergh also shot the film under his cinematographic alter ego, Peter Andrews.
3 And Everything Is Going Fine (2010)
Fourteen years after he directed Spalding Gray in Gray's Anatomy, Soderbergh paid a heartfelt tribute to the late writer and iconic speaker in the 2010 documentary And Everything is Going Fine.
The documentary charts Gray's early life coming of age as a performer, to his work on Swimming With Cambodia and The Killing Fields in the 1980s. The celebration of Gray's personal and professional life comes through via Soderbergh's deft empathetic touches and use of archival footage.
2 Unsane (2018)
Soderbergh's first official foray into the horror genre came in 2018 with Unsane, a movie he shot on an iPhone in just 10 days. Despite starring Claire Foy and performing well enough at the box office, it's still one of the filmmaker's relatively unknown movies.
Foy stars as Sawyer, a troubled young woman sent to a mental institution against her wishes after being stalked by a mysterious man. While there, she grapples with her illusory fears while uncovering a dastardly plot by the hospital to keep patients hostage as an insurance scam.
1 High Flying Bird (2019)
Of the three Soderbergh projects released in 2019, the easiest one to miss was High Flying Bird. Written by Moonlight scribe Tarell Alvin McCraney, the small iPhone-shot sports drama takes place in a high-leverage 72-hour timeframe.
Andre Holland stars as Ray Burke, a bankrupt sports agent with mounting pressure to get his rookie client to agree to a streaming moneymaking ploy during the NBA's most recent lockout negotiations. With three days to close the deal, Ray also contends with his disgruntled star player, demanding boss, ex-wife, and his loyal assistant.