3 underrated movies buried on Paramount Plus right now (including Christian Bale’s darkest thriller)

While every major streaming service offers a mix of both movies and TV shows, some seem to lean more heavily on one than the other. For example, if I’m in the mood for a good movie to sit down and get absorbed into, I’ll generally turn to HBO Max first and if nothing grabs my attention there I’ll switch to Netflix. It might take me three or four other streaming services before I finally make my way to Paramount Plus, which I usually turn to for The Daily Show, South Park reruns, old Nickelodeon cartoons from the 1990s, and various incarnations of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Rarely do I turn to Paramount Plus for movies, which is ironic, since Paramount, as a movie studio, has existed since 1912 and has made countless wonderful films from The Godfather to Grease to Airplane! to Chinatown. But while The Godfather and Grease are on Paramount Plus, Airplane! and Chinatown are not, as they, along with many, many other Paramount films are tied up in other agreements with competing platforms. (Isn’t the streaming era great!?)

Coming online in 2021, Paramount Plus is still relatively young compared to other streamers, so perhaps its movie selection will expand in the future. But for now, this somewhat limited library does have some great movies if you’re willing to really dig for them, including forgotten gems with high-profile stars like Christian Bale, Tom Hanks, Robert Redford, and James Gandolfini.

3

The Machinist

If The Machinist is known for anything, it’s that this is the movie Christian Bale got crazy skinny for. And yes, Bale did lose a lot of weight for this role, so much so that you can see a frightening amount of his bones through his skin, but The Machinist is far more than just a bit of film trivia. It’s a complete mindfuck in the best way possible.

Directed by Brad Anderson, The Machinist is about a severely malnourished machine shop employee named Trevor Reznick (Bale) who hasn’t slept in a whole year. His insomnia finally catches up with him when he causes an accident at work, which results in a co-worker losing a limb. This kicks off a psychological descent for Trevor that unravels his whole life.

Rather than give us an objective viewpoint to watch Trevor’s increasing madness from, Anderson shows the entire film from its protagonist’s perspective. As he’s losing his grip on reality, we’re forced to try to make sense of things. Throughout the film, you’re constantly wondering what’s real and what isn’t, and when we finally understand what’s going on, the truth is both satisfying and devastating.

The Machinist isn’t a feel-good movie. If anything, it’s a feel-terrible movie, but it does make you feel, and for that kit deserves to be experienced

2

The Last Castle

Sadly, the late James Gandolfini is usually only ever associated with one role. And while Tony Soprano is one of the best, most interesting, most complex characters in the history of fiction, it’s still very much worth it to check out the rest of Gandolfini’s work, especially The Last Castle.

The movie, directed by Rod Lurie, stars Robert Redford as Lieutenant General Eugene Irwin, a national military hero who is sent to a military prison for disobeying a presidential order, which resulted in the deaths of eight of his men. When he enters the prison, everyone is in awe of the man, including the warden, Colonel Ed Winter (Gandolfini), who is in the unique position of having a prisoner outrank him. Winter’s admiration turns to resentment, however, when he sees the other prisoners treating Irwin with more respect than they give him (including saluting him, which is not allowed among these American soldiers turned inmates). Things get even worse as Irwin sees that Winter rules the prison with violence and cruelty, motivating Irwin to step up and lead a revolt.

The Last Castle is an interesting story about the nature of leadership. Whereas Redford’s character is a hero who earned his position as a national hero through serving in combat, Gandolfini’s character, who never saw active duty, is in charge because he has something to prove. Both men are great in their roles. Redford naturally commands respect, and manages a mix of charm and seriousness that makes him believable as a decorated general. Meanwhile Gandolfini is a peevish, insecure intellectual who, while dangerous in his own right, looks and acts vastly different from Tony Soprano.

1

Road to Perdition

Tom Hanks has done so many wonderful films that it’s inevitable some would be forgotten, but it’s a shame Road to Perdition seems to be one of them. In it, Hanks stars as Michael Sullivan, a hitman for the Irish mob whose son (Tyler Hoechlin) witnesses a hit carried out by his father and Connor Rooney (Daniel Craig), the son of the boss, John Rooney (Paul Newman). While Sullivan is sure his son won’t speak of the murder to anyone, Connor Rooney gets spooked and decides to kill Sullivan and his son, sending them on the run in depression-era America.

Road to Perdition has an excellent cast. Newman’s mob boss manages to be both grandfatherly and ruthless while Daniel Craig plays his evil, entitled son. Jude Law also comes into the mix as the deeply disturbing assassin/crime scene photographer who fetishizes death and is tasked with killing Sullivan and his son. A 13-year-old Hoechlin also earned widespread praise at the time for playing Michael Sullivan Jr. with a mix of maturity and naivete.

But it’s Hanks who carries this movie. While he might not be the first person you’d cast as a mob hitman, Hanks is flawless in the role, where he shows deep warmth for his son and utter coldness for the victims he murders as part of his job. While it’s no revelation to say that Hanks is a great actor, Road to Perdition is surprising as it shows him as a bad guy, something he almost never plays.