10 Underrated Robbie Coltrane Movies You Must See

Robbie Coltrane built a screen career that ranged from rowdy British comedy to prestige period drama and major franchise work. He trained at Glasgow School of Art, took his stage surname from the jazz legend John Coltrane, and became a familiar face on British television before moving steadily into international cinema. Audiences know him from ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Cracker’, yet his filmography hides a run of projects where he added memorable texture and detail in roles big and small.

This list focuses on screen work where he contributed clear character craft, often outside the spotlight. You will find leads, key supporting turns, and voice performances. Each entry notes what the film is about, who made it, and exactly what Coltrane did in it, so you can track down the titles that fit your mood and see how he shaped them.

‘Nuns on the Run’ (1990)

In ‘Nuns on the Run’ Coltrane stars as Charlie McManus, a London crook who hides in a convent after a botched job. The film teams him with Eric Idle as the duo attempt to dodge gangsters and the police while impersonating members of a religious order. Jonathan Lynn directs, bringing his knack for quick setups and tightly timed set pieces, and HandMade Films handled production and release.

Coltrane and Idle share the bulk of the screen time and drive the plot through a string of misunderstandings inside the convent school. The script gives Coltrane extended dialogue as he navigates new identities and tries to keep a low profile, and the role showcases his facility with physical disguise work as well as rapid wordplay.

‘The Pope Must Die’ (1991)

‘The Pope Must Die’ casts Coltrane as a parish priest who is unexpectedly elevated to the papacy due to a clerical error. Peter Richardson directs a satire of Vatican politics that traces how a supposedly pliable choice turns into an honest reformer who disrupts the plans of corrupt power brokers. Some territories released the film under the title ‘The Pope Must Diet’ to address sensitivities around the original name.

Coltrane carries the film with scenes inside conclave chambers, papal apartments, and media scrums as his character attempts to clean up church finances. The production uses Rome standing sets and studio builds to stage the corridors of power, and Coltrane’s role requires both ceremonial presence and quick timing during sequences involving security details and rival cardinals.

‘From Hell’ (2001)

In ‘From Hell’ Coltrane plays Sergeant Peter Godley of Scotland Yard, the grounded partner to Inspector Abberline. The Hughes brothers adapt the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, framing the Whitechapel murders through an investigation that moves between opium dens, royal rumors, and surgical theaters. The film shoots on detailed sets that recreate East End streets with fog and gaslight.

Coltrane’s Godley functions as a procedural anchor who gathers witness statements and tracks physical clues. He appears in briefing rooms, morgues, and alleyway searches while pushing the inquiry forward and translating forensic leads into arrests and interviews. His scenes create a steady counterpoint to the more visionary approach used by Abberline, which helps the plot assemble its timeline of events.

‘GoldenEye’ (1995)

‘GoldenEye’ introduces Coltrane as Valentin Zukovsky, a former KGB officer turned St Petersburg crime boss. Martin Campbell directs a soft reboot of the franchise that reestablishes its Cold War legacy within a newly fluid Russian landscape. Coltrane’s character controls clubs and contacts that Bond needs to access hardware and information.

Zukovsky’s scenes take place in nightspots and warehouses where loyalties are negotiated through favors and cash. Coltrane gives the fixer precise motivations tied to past operations, and the role sets up later appearances by defining a network of smugglers, arms dealers, and ex operatives who trade in routes and permits across the region.

‘The World Is Not Enough’ (1999)

In ‘The World Is Not Enough’ Coltrane returns as Valentin Zukovsky, now running a high end casino and a caviar facility on the Caspian. Michael Apted directs a story that weaves oil pipelines, security contracts, and cross border logistics into a plot about kidnapping and sabotage. Zukovsky acts as an intermediary who can unlock access to transport and heavy equipment.

The film places Coltrane in casino floors, offices, and production sites as he arranges introductions and tries to keep his operations intact. He interacts with security teams and engineers and becomes a hinge for the third act when control of specialized gear and a key vessel shifts between factions. The character’s contacts map the business side of the setting and move the mission along specific routes.

‘Ocean’s Twelve’ (2004)

In ‘Ocean’s Twelve’ Coltrane appears as Matsui, a European fixer who tests the crew before connecting them to work on the continent. Steven Soderbergh sets the sequel across Amsterdam, Rome, and the lakes of northern Italy, with Matsui providing introductions to fences who handle sensitive documents and valuable items. His screen time includes a meeting filled with coded speech that functions as a trust check.

Matsui’s role is to vet skills and open doors inside a closed circuit of specialists. Coltrane’s scenes give the plot a credible bridge between American thieves and European contacts while indicating how jobs are commissioned and priced. The character’s presence helps sketch the logistics of surveillance, customs obstacles, and museum level security that define the targets in this entry.

‘Buddy’ (1997)

‘Buddy’ features Coltrane as Dr Bill Lintz, husband and collaborator to socialite and animal keeper Gertrude Lintz. Caroline Thompson directs a period story about a household that raises a young gorilla along with other exotic animals, staging parades, training sessions, and public displays in New York settings. The film draws on accounts from Gertrude Lintz’s writings.

Coltrane’s character manages veterinary concerns and practical routines as the animal grows and the home setup becomes harder to maintain. Scenes with trainers, city officials, and curious crowds show how the couple balances publicity with safety. The role documents feeding schedules, transport arrangements, and enclosure adjustments as the story moves from novelty to responsibility.

‘The Tale of Despereaux’ (2008)

In ‘The Tale of Despereaux’ Coltrane voices Gregory the jailer, a key figure in the underground sections of the kingdom of Dor. The animated feature follows a brave mouse and a contrite rat through kitchens, dungeons, and royal halls as the realm copes with fear and forgiveness. The ensemble voice cast includes Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, and Emma Watson, with Sigourney Weaver as narrator.

Gregory’s scenes anchor the dungeon storyline where recipes, storytelling, and memory serve as tools for survival. Coltrane’s voice performance outlines the daily rhythms of the jail and explains how messages pass between the upper world and the cells. The character becomes a guide for routes under the castle, which helps the plot converge around the royal household and the kitchens.

‘Great Expectations’ (2012)

‘Great Expectations’ casts Coltrane as Mr Jaggers, the imposing London lawyer who manages Pip’s finances and instructions. Mike Newell directs the adaptation, with David Nicholls providing the screenplay and a cast led by Jeremy Irvine, Helena Bonham Carter, and Ralph Fiennes. The production builds chambers, offices, and formal rooms that reflect legal authority and social rank.

Coltrane’s Jaggers controls meetings and correspondence that change the course of Pip’s life. The film uses his chambers to deliver contracts, bills, and letters that structure the narrative, and his clerk Wemmick manages the flow of information. Coltrane’s performance sets the professional tone of the city sequences and clarifies the conditions attached to Pip’s income and expectations.

‘Perfectly Normal’ (1991)

In ‘Perfectly Normal’ Coltrane plays Alonzo Turner, an opera obsessed schemer who convinces a shy brewery worker to open a themed restaurant. Director Yves Simoneau shoots the comedy in Canada with locations that include apartments, rehearsal rooms, and an eatery where servers perform arias between courses. The film traces the business plan from pitch to build out to first service.

Coltrane’s character handles menu ideas, music cues, and staffing while navigating permits and budgets. Rehearsal scenes lay out how costumes and blocking will function in a working dining room, and delivery sequences show the logistics of outfitting a kitchen on a deadline. The role gives a clear view of how a risky concept is assembled step by step.

‘Mona Lisa’ (1986)

In ‘Mona Lisa’ Coltrane appears in a supporting role alongside Bob Hoskins, Cathy Tyson, and Michael Caine in a crime drama about a driver hired to escort a call girl through a network controlled by a London boss. Director Neil Jordan films in night streets, hotel corridors, and clubs where deals are made under surveillance and threat. The production balances character study with the mechanics of protection work.

Coltrane’s scenes intersect with the driver’s attempts to understand the client’s connections and the criminal economy that profits from them. His character provides information and access that map the city’s underworld operations, showing how drivers, doormen, and enforcers interact. Those sequences help chart the routes and risks that guide the story to its conclusion.

Share the underrated Robbie Coltrane films you would add in the comments.