10 Underrated Films by Domhnall Gleeson You Have to Check Out

Domhnall Gleeson’s range is wild—he can pivot from nervous techie to flinty aristocrat to brittle comic lead without breaking a sweat. Most people know him from splashier turns like ‘Ex Machina’ or ‘About Time’, but tucked through his filmography are quieter gems that showcase a subtler power: restraint, moral ambiguity, and that distinctive glint of mischief.

This list spotlights ten projects that deserve more love. Some are small indies that slipped past the zeitgeist; others are bigger releases where Gleeson’s work was overshadowed by spectacle. Together they map out a career defined less by star vehicles and more by thoughtful choices and precise, lived-in performances.

10. ‘American Made’ (2017)

As a tightly wound CIA handler in ‘American Made’, Gleeson threads a sly comic needle—smiling through red tape while nudging a reckless pilot toward ever riskier assignments. It’s a performance of poker-faced manipulation, where the laughs come from how politely power is exercised.

What makes his turn underrated is how much story he moves without ever raising his voice. He treats bureaucracy like a stage, using clipped charm and immaculate timing to hint at the moral sinkholes beneath the swaggering fun.

9. ‘Unbroken’ (2014)

In ‘Unbroken’, Gleeson plays a mariner whose decency becomes a lifeline during unthinkable hardship. He trims away theatrics, letting frailty, humor, and kindness glow at low wattage—exactly what the story needs to feel human rather than mythic.

The role isn’t showy, but it lingers. Watch the small choices: a smile offered too late, a whispered reassurance, a gaze that keeps hope tethered to reality. It’s empathy as craft.

8. ‘Anna Karenina’ (2012)

Amid the lush theatricality of ‘Anna Karenina’, Gleeson’s Levin is the film’s moral ballast. He plays sincerity without naivety, shaping a character who questions everything yet remains open to grace.

The trick here is transparency—he lets you see Levin think. In a movie of sweeping gestures, his performance is all clear eyes and honest hands, grounding the romance in ordinary goodness.

7. ‘Calvary’ (2014)

Gleeson’s brief appearance in ‘Calvary’ is a masterclass in concentrated chill. As a prisoner whose intellect cuts as sharply as his resentments, he turns a single dialogue exchange into a moral knife fight.

The impact comes from economy. He underplays menace, trusting pauses and precise phrasing to curdle the air. It’s unforgettable work, distilled to its bitter essence.

6. ‘Frank’ (2014)

In ‘Frank’, Gleeson becomes the story’s unreliable compass—a hungry musician whose ambition keeps warping the band’s fragile harmony. He’s funny, awkward, and just manipulative enough to make you wince.

What’s special is how he captures the creative itch: the mix of admiration and envy, the need to be seen. He lets entitlement creep in sideways, so the film’s sweetness never turns saccharine.

5. ‘Testament of Youth’ (2014)

As a poet-soldier in ‘Testament of Youth’, Gleeson gives romance a spine. He leans into wit and gentleness, making love feel like an intellectual pact rather than a swoon.

The performance lands because he resists easy nobility. He shows courage as a daily choice—letters, promises, small mercies—so when loss hits, it carries the weight of everything unbragged.

4. ‘Shadow Dancer’ (2012)

‘Shadow Dancer’ asks for performances that whisper, and Gleeson answers with a quietly devastating portrait of a young man caught in the gears of loyalty and fear. He conveys threat and tenderness in the same breath.

It’s all about temperature control: a glance that cools, a soft-spoken warning that scalds. He deepens the film’s moral fog, reminding you that in families—and in conflicts—love and danger often share a room.

3. ‘Crash Pad’ (2017)

As the hapless romantic lead of ‘Crash Pad’, Gleeson proves he can anchor a messy, mid-life farce with disarming sincerity. He makes bad decisions feel painfully relatable, never punching down at the character’s softness.

The comedy works because he plays it like a drama with jokes—letting embarrassment bloom naturally, turning pratfalls into character beats. It’s breezy, bruised, and sneakily sharp.

2. ‘Goodbye Christopher Robin’ (2017)

Gleeson’s take on A. A. Milne in ‘Goodbye Christopher Robin’ is all quiet fracture: a man trying to convert trauma into tenderness, and art into repair. He resists hagiography, favoring uncertainty over tidy answers.

The most affecting moments are the smallest—hesitations, a wince hidden inside a smile, a father’s hand hovering before it lands. He makes the cost of creativity visible without scolding anyone for paying it.

1. ‘The Little Stranger’ (2018)

In ‘The Little Stranger’, Gleeson delivers one of his finest turns: a doctor whose composure hides hungers he barely understands. He plays ambiguity like a melody, letting class, desire, and dread harmonize into something haunting.

The performance is mesmerizing because he never forces the mystery. Every gesture could mean comfort or control; every kindness might be a claim. It’s the rare portrayal that grows darker—and richer—the longer you sit with it.

Share your own favorite under-the-radar Domhnall Gleeson performances in the comments—what would you add to this list?