10 Underrated Toby Jones Movies You Must See

Toby Jones has built a wide ranging screen career across British and international productions. He has taken on leading roles and distinctive supporting turns, moved between studio projects and independent features, and contributed voice work to animated and effects driven films. His credits span thrillers, historical dramas, literary adaptations, and period pieces, with performances that anchor key storylines and bring intricate characters to life.

This list highlights ten feature films that demonstrate the scope of his work. You will find adaptations of well known books and plays, collaborations with award winning directors, and productions that use specific craft elements such as sound design, choreography, and tightly staged dialogue scenes to tell their stories. Each entry notes Jones’s role, the creative team behind the film, and the essential setup so you can decide what to watch next.

‘Infamous’ (2006)

Toby Jones portrays author Truman Capote as the film follows the reporting and writing of ‘In Cold Blood’ after the Clutter family murders in Kansas. The story traces Capote’s research trips with friend and collaborator Harper Lee and his prison interviews with Perry Smith and Richard Hickock. The film presents New York literary circles, the Kansas investigation, and the final stages of the book’s completion as connected chapters in Capote’s process.

Directed by Douglas McGrath, the film features Sandra Bullock as Harper Lee and Daniel Craig as Perry Smith alongside a large ensemble cast. The production uses scenes in Manhattan apartments, courthouse offices, and prison visitation rooms to show how Capote gathered material and shaped his manuscript, with Jones carrying the narrative through interviews, readings, and public appearances.

‘The Painted Veil’ (2006)

Toby Jones appears as Waddington, a colonial official who helps the central couple navigate a remote Chinese outpost during a cholera outbreak. The plot centers on a doctor and his spouse who relocate for public health work and personal reasons, and Waddington provides crucial local knowledge about living conditions and community dynamics.

The film is adapted from the novel by W. Somerset Maugham and is directed by John Curran. Naomi Watts and Edward Norton lead the cast, and the production emphasizes river journeys, mission compounds, and medical stations to show how the characters respond to disease control and social pressures in the region.

‘W.’ (2008)

Toby Jones plays Karl Rove, a senior political adviser, in a biographical account of the life and presidency of George W. Bush. The storyline covers family background, early career moves, gubernatorial politics, and White House decision making, with campaign strategy and communications planning shown in detail through staff meetings and travel schedules.

The film is directed by Oliver Stone with Josh Brolin portraying George W. Bush. Scenes set on the campaign trail, inside briefing rooms, and at private residences map out the progression from state level politics to national leadership, positioning Jones’s character within the apparatus that organizes messaging and electoral tactics.

‘Frost/Nixon’ (2008)

Toby Jones appears as talent agent Swifty Lazar during preparations for the television interviews between David Frost and Richard Nixon. The film follows the negotiation of rights, the assembly of production teams, and the taping sessions that structure the multi part broadcast, focusing on how researchers and staff build the questions and verify material.

Directed by Ron Howard and based on the play by Peter Morgan, the film features Frank Langella as Richard Nixon and Michael Sheen as David Frost. Office suites, studio stages, and transcription rooms serve as primary settings, and Jones’s scenes document the business side of securing guests, scheduling segments, and managing the logistics of a high profile media project.

‘Berberian Sound Studio’ (2012)

Toby Jones leads the film as Gilderoy, a British sound engineer hired to work on an Italian horror production inside a small recording facility. The plot unfolds through Foley sessions, tape edits, and microphone setups that capture screams, footsteps, and atmospheric effects for the picture within the picture, with cue sheets and mixing boards guiding the work.

Written and directed by Peter Strickland, the film centers almost entirely on the sound department workspace. Reel to reel machines, patch bays, and dubbing stages become the locations where narrative developments occur, and Jones’s character manages equipment tests, voice sessions, and analog edits that reveal the production’s methods and constraints.

‘Serena’ (2014)

Toby Jones plays Sheriff McDowell in a drama set in the American timber industry during the Great Depression. The story focuses on a newly married couple running a logging operation and the conflicts that arise from business pressures, legal scrutiny, and personal rivalries, with the sheriff investigating events connected to the company’s activities.

Directed by Susanne Bier and adapted from Ron Rash’s novel, the film stars Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. Logging camps, rail spurs, and company offices frame the action, and Jones’s role places law enforcement procedures and regional authority at the center of several key developments related to land deals and workplace incidents.

‘Dad’s Army’ (2016)

Toby Jones takes on the role of Captain Mainwaring in a feature adaptation of the long running British sitcom ‘Dad’s Army’. The plot follows the Home Guard platoon in a seaside town carrying out training, patrolling coastal defenses, and responding to suspected espionage while coordinating with local residents and visiting personnel.

Directed by Oliver Parker, the film brings together an ensemble including Bill Nighy, Michael Gambon, and Catherine Zeta Jones. Costumes, period vehicles, and location work in coastal settings recreate wartime routines, and Jones’s portrayal leads parade ground drills, strategy briefings, and community coordination that form the unit’s day to day duties.

‘Journey’s End’ (2017)

Toby Jones appears as Mason, the company cook, in a World War I drama set in front line trenches over several tense days. The film focuses on a group of officers preparing for a major operation, with mess preparations, ration distribution, and dugout routines marking the passage of time as orders arrive and patrols return.

Directed by Saul Dibb and adapted from the play by R. C. Sherriff, the production emphasizes confined spaces and low light interiors to reflect trench conditions. The cast includes Sam Claflin, Asa Butterfield, Paul Bettany, and Stephen Graham, and Jones’s character manages supplies, serves meals, and relays practical news that affects morale and readiness.

‘Atomic Blonde’ (2017)

Toby Jones plays Eric Gray, a senior British intelligence figure who participates in a post mission debrief that structures the narrative. The film tracks a field operative navigating safe houses, dead drops, and shifting alliances around the time of major political change in Berlin, with the debrief framework organizing timelines and evidence.

Directed by David Leitch and based on the graphic novel ‘The Coldest City’, the film stars Charlize Theron and features John Goodman and James McAvoy. Interrogation rooms, audio recordings, and case files provide the framing device in which Jones’s character questions sources, reviews surveillance materials, and contextualizes operations for official records.

‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ (2018)

Toby Jones portrays Mr. Eversoll, an auctioneer who facilitates the sale of living assets at a private estate as part of the continuation of the ‘Jurassic Park’ saga. The plot begins with a rescue effort on an island with an unstable environment and shifts to a mainland facility where containment protocols and security arrangements are central to the action.

Directed by J. A. Bayona, the film features Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard and introduces new laboratory spaces and display areas alongside familiar vehicles and monitoring systems. Jones’s role documents the commercial side of the story through bidder registration, lot presentation, and transaction management that intersect with scientific and ethical conflicts.

Share your favorite lesser known Toby Jones performances in the comments and tell everyone which titles you plan to watch next.