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Seeing Purple: The 25 Finest Robert Redford Films of All Time

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After 2018’s The Previous Man and the Gun, Robert Redford closed the guide on a profession that stretched throughout six a long time throughout a number of genres. Redford leaves behind a outstanding legacy, with main contributions to all the things from New Hollywood movies of the ’70s to the indie revival of the ’90s to the superhero explosion of the 2010s. He’s served as star, director, producer, and founding father of the Sundance Movie Pageant, contributing to nice movies in entrance of and behind the digital camera.

Redford’s intensive filmography could be a bit overwhelming to those that need to revisit his golden age. This listing narrows down the 25 greatest Robert Redford motion pictures, celebrating his work as a lead, a supporting actor, and a director.

1. Warfare Hunt (1962)

War HuntWar Hunt
Picture Credit score: United Artists.

Though Redford had already impressed audiences along with his stage appearances and even had an uncredited look as a basketball participant in Tall Story from 1960, his correct movie debut got here in Warfare Hunt in 1962. A morally complicated story concerning the finish of the Korean Warfare, Warfare Hunt stars John Saxon because the secretive Personal Endore, whose odd conduct helps the People but in addition threatens the Armistice. Redford’s idealistic Personal Loomis should weigh the price of reporting Endore or letting him proceed his doubtful actions.

2. Inside Daisy Clover (1965)

Inside Daisy CloverInside Daisy Clover
Picture Credit score: Warner Bros.

Warfare Hunt obtained acclaim from audiences and critics. However the Robert Mulligan-directed Inside Daisy Clover made Robert Redford a reputation to recollect, because of his Golden Globe-winning efficiency as a bisexual man who marries the titular character, performed by Natalie Wooden. Inside Daisy Clover flopped on the field workplace on the time and was drubbed by critics, however it has since grown to turn into a revered, if uneven, a part of mid-60s cinema.

3. This Property is Condemned (1966)

This Property is CondemnedThis Property is Condemned
Picture Credit score: Paramount Footage.

A yr after Inside Daisy Clover, Redford reteamed with Natalie Wooden for this Tennessee Williams adaptation. As a railroad govt who falls for Wooden’s wild teen, Redford exhibits early indicators of the simple attraction he’ll develop as his main trait. However This Property is Condemned is tempered by his position as an completely unlikable character who involves destroy a small city for the sake of his bosses. Directly alluring and repellent, Redford steals each scene he’s in.

4. Barefoot within the Park (1967)

Barefoot in the ParkBarefoot in the Park
Picture Credit score: Paramount Footage.

Redford’s early work definitely had its love plots, however he did not turn into a romantic lead till Neil Simon’s Barefoot within the Park. As a conservative lawyer who marries a free-spirited girl, performed by Jane Fonda, Redford will get to play the fuddy-duddy and foil. However even when he’s a stick-in-the-mud, Redford has sufficient charisma to make viewers aspect with him. This potential to draw and frustrate viewers will serve Redford properly throughout his heyday within the Nineteen Seventies.

5. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Child (1969)

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance KidButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Picture Credit score: twentieth Century Studios.

It’s unimaginable to overstate the significance of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Child, and never only for Redford’s profession. Not solely did the film set up him as a bonafide film star of the budding New Hollywood motion, alongside co-star Paul Newman, however it additionally supplied a novel revision of the Western style. The pleasant banter between the 2 leads units the mildew for buddy motion pictures for years to comply with, all whereas giving audiences a novel tackle the Previous West. Even at the moment, filmmakers nonetheless attempt to copy the simple attract that Redford and Newman carry to Butch and Sundance.

6. The Sizzling Rock (1972)

The Hot RockThe Hot Rock
Picture Credit score: twentieth Century Studios.

Whereas he’s performed various criminals over time, the strikingly good-looking Redford appears an unlikely alternative for a gritty crime film. And but, he’s among the best components of the Richard Westlake adaptation of The Sizzling Rock, directed by Peter Yates and written by William Goldman. As Westlake’s ne’er do properly hero John Dortmunder, Redford has a nasty streak hardly ever present in his movies, at the same time as he completely embodies the character’s genius for cons and heists.

7. Jeremiah Johnson (1972)

Jeremiah JohnsonJeremiah Johnson
Picture Credit score: Warner Bros.

Nowadays, younger folks know Jeremiah Johnson for a brief video of a bearded, burly Redford nodding with approval. They might not notice that Jeremiah Johnson is a charming portrait of the titular mountain man. Towards the revisionist fringe of his Sundance Child, Redford grounds Johnson with a world-weariness that displays his character’s disgust with fashionable society. The film’s therapy of Native peoples doesn’t maintain up, however there’s no denying the ability of Redford’s quiet efficiency.

8. The Candidate (1972)

The CandidateThe Candidate
Picture Credit score: Warner Bros.

The place Jeremiah Johnson performed its conventional frontier story comparatively straight, Redford indulged his counter-culture instincts for the satire The Candidate. The Academy-Award-winning screenplay by Jeremy Larner tells the story of a determined political specialist (Peter Boyle) who enlists the idealistic younger Invoice McKay (Redford) to run an unwinnable marketing campaign towards a strong Republican opponent. Redford’s pure attractiveness and likability make him a plausible underdog politician, however former speech author Larner undercuts what might be a feel-good story with a cynical edge.

9. The Sting (1973)

The StingThe Sting
Picture Credit score: Common Footage.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Child was an enormous hit, making over $100 million in ticket gross sales and incomes seven Oscar nominations. However when Redford rejoined with Newman and director George Roy Hill for The Sting, they skilled even better success, scoring over $150 million on the field workplace and netting ten Oscar nominations, together with Redford’s solely Finest Actor nod. With an irresistible heist plot and Redford and Newman at their greatest, it is no shock that The Sting gained over followers and critics alike.

10. The Means We Have been (1973)

The Way We WereThe Way We Were
Picture Credit score: Columbia Footage.

For such a famously good-looking actor, Redford did few brazenly romantic motion pictures throughout his prime. Maybe the closest he got here to taking part in a romantic lead occurred in The Means We Have been, reverse Barbara Streisand. As an apolitical author getting into Hollywood, Redford improves upon his Barefoot within the Park character, particularly with Streisand’s efficiency as a political activist. As we speak, the principle track has extra status than the film, however The Means We Have been deserves a re-evaluation from Redford followers.

11. The Nice Waldo Pepper (1975)

The Great Waldo PepperThe Great Waldo Pepper
Picture Credit score: Common Footage.

Though Newman didn’t be a part of Redford for a 3rd collaboration with George Roy Hill, The Nice Waldo Pepper nonetheless stands alongside Butch Cassidy and The Sting as a number of the actor’s greatest work. Not like the rapscallion he performed in his earlier collaborations with Hill, Redford’s Waldo Pepper has a chip on his shoulder, feeling despair for lacking out on World Warfare I. The pilot’s makes an attempt to get better misplaced glory forged a caustic take a look at post-war America.

12. Three Days of the Condor (1975)

Three Days of the CondorThree Days of the Condor
Picture Credit score: Paramount Footage.

Within the mid-Nineteen Seventies, the counter-culture spirit of the ’60s changed into outright hostility towards establishments, which filtered into Hollywood. Redford acquired in on the motion with one of many decade’s greatest paranoid thrillers, Three Days of the Condor. As a CIA analyst pressured on the run after barely escaping the destruction of his unit, Redford places his disarming charisma to the take a look at, pressured to depend on strangers resembling Faye Dunaway’s passerby to thwart the federal government officers searching for him.

13. All of the President’s Males (1976)

All the President’s MenAll the President’s Men
Picture Credit score: Warner Bros.

Lots of Redford’s motion pictures turned a skeptical eye in the direction of mainstream politics, none as successfully as 1976’s All of the President’s Males. As Washington Publish investigative reporter Bob Woodward, alongside Dustin Hoffman as Carl Bernstein, Redford portrays a key determine in a scandal that rocked the nation. Although not one of the film’s 4 Academy Award wins went to Redford, All of the President’s Males would have by no means occurred with out his work in entrance of or behind the digital camera.

14. A Bridge Too Far (1977)

A Bridge Too FarA Bridge Too Far
Picture Credit score: United Artists.

Redford acquired his first huge position within the film Warfare Hunt, however he didn’t return to the style till the Richard Attenborough-directed A Bridge Too Far in 1977. An epic retelling of a failed Allied operation within the Netherlands, A Bridge Too Far boasts a script by William Goldman and an all-star ensemble forged, which incorporates James Caan, Sean Connery, and Michael Caine. Redford performs a comparatively small half as Main Julian Prepare dinner, however he’s memorable as an American officer who clashes along with his English counterparts.

15. Brubaker (1980)

BrubakerBrubaker
Picture Credit score: twentieth Century Studios.

Brubaker begins with Redford on acquainted floor, taking part in a convict behind bars. However when the convict is revealed to be new Arkansas state jail warden Henry Brubaker, we notice that he’s combining his conman-type character with the social crusaders he’s performed elsewhere. The story of an activist warden attempting to reform a corrupt jail system, Brubaker places Redford with another nice actors of the period, together with Yaphet Kotto, Morgan Freeman, and M. Emmet Walsh.

16. Peculiar Individuals (1980)

Ordinary PeopleOrdinary People
Picture Credit score: Paramount Footage.

Peculiar Individuals stars Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, and Elizabeth McGovern because the troubled Jarrett household. Robert Redford by no means seems within the movie, which could make you marvel why it’s on this listing. The reply is easy: Redford made his directorial debut with Peculiar Individuals, which earned him his first Academy Award. A tragic however deeply humane movie, Peculiar Individuals showcases Redford’s sensitivity as a filmmaker, which will likely be a defining a part of his strategy as a director.

17. The Pure (1984)

The NaturalThe Natural
Picture Credit score: Tri-Star Footage.

Within the Nineteen Eighties, America moved previous the cynicism of the ’70s and embraced a extra optimistic outlook, which was mirrored in Redford’s work. Nowhere is that extra obvious than in Barry Levinson’s adaptation of the Bernard Malamud novel The Pure. Screenwriters Roger Towne and Phil Dusenberry make main adjustments to the novel’s tone, however that offers Redford extra room to work as a gifted pitcher whose profession by no means reaches the heights he anticipated.

18. Out of Africa (1985)

Out of AfricaOut of Africa
Picture Credit score: Common Footage.

With a quarter-century’s price of movie credit to his title, Robert Redford was already a favourite in 1985. However Out of Africa cemented his status as a Hollywood legend. Directed by Sydney Pollack and written by Kurt Luedtke, Out of Africa starred Redford and Merryl Streep as big-game hunter Denys Finch Hatton and Danish Baroness Karen Blixen, who fall in love in Kenya. Not one of the film’s 10 Academy Award nominations nor its seven wins went to Redford, however his participation helped the film’s status.

19. Authorized Eagles (1986)

Legal EaglesLegal Eagles
Picture Credit score: Common Footage.

It’s a little bit of a shock that Redford adopted the Tony and Oscar winner Out of Africa with the comedy thriller Authorized Eagles, however that simply exhibits the actor’s underrated vary. Alongside Debra Winger and Darryl Hannah, Redford stars as an assistant district lawyer who will get caught up in a dispute between a efficiency artist and a strong millionaire over possession of a invaluable portray. This screwball caper does get burdened by an overstuffed plot, however Redford retains issues as breezy as doable.

20. Sneakers (1992)

SneakersSneakers
Picture Credit score: Common Footage.

With the 60s properly behind him, Redford not carried the identical subversive status he as soon as had. However he nonetheless had that rebellious streak, which was put to good use within the thriller Sneakers. As former activist Martin Bishop, Redford leads a crew of thieves and hackers who get roped right into a harmful mission by a determine from his previous. Redford’s chemistry with co-stars Sydney Pointier, Mary McDonnell, and Dan Ackroyd shines, at the same time as director Phil Alden Robinson ratchets up the strain.

21. Indecent Proposal (1993)

Indecent ProposalIndecent Proposal
Picture Credit score: Paramount Footage.

It might have been one of many greatest hits of its yr, however Indecent Proposal scandalized filmgoers of the early 90s. Provocative director Adrian Lyne casts Redford as a devilish millionaire who tempts a struggling couple, performed by Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson, with a suggestion they can not refuse. Screenwriter Amy Holden Jones retains the sympathy clearly with the couple and towards the wealthy man, however Redford’s pure attraction makes it laborious to fully hate him.

22. All is Misplaced (2013)

All is LostAll is Lost
Picture Credit score: Lionsgate Movies.

Because the founding father of the Sundance Movie Pageant, Redford has all the time revered and supported unbiased cinema. So it is smart that he would join the formidable challenge All is Misplaced, from director J.C. Chandor. Redford performs the one character within the film, a sailor credited as “our man” who should marshal all of his braveness to outlive after getting misplaced at sea. With barely greater than 50 phrases spoken within the film, Redford provides a remarkably layered bodily efficiency, one of many purest examples of his expertise as an actor.

23. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Captain America The Winter SoldierCaptain America The Winter Soldier
Picture Credit score: Walt Disney Studios Movement Footage & Marvel Studios.

For some readers, the inclusion of a Marvel superhero film on this listing may appear to be an insult to Redford’s profession. In any case, superhero motion pictures are the precise reverse of the indie motion pictures he champions. However there’s no denying the sheer chemistry the 77-year-old actor delivered to Captain America: The Winter Soldier as corrupt politician Alexander Pierce. In a film that included super-assassins and laser-welding flying plane characters, Redford’s smile stays the film’s biggest impact.

24. Pete’s Dragon (2016)

Pete’s DragonPete’s Dragon
Picture Credit score: Walt Disney Studios Movement Footage.

Redford starred in a number of breezy, colourful movies in his day, however he by no means appeared like an excellent match for Disney motion pictures. However director David Lowery reimagines the minor Disney musical Pete’s Dragon as a grounded fairytale starring Bryce Dallas Howard as a forest ranger who finds a younger boy (Oakes Fegley) who has befriended an enormous inexperienced dragon. Redford provides gravitas as the daddy of Howard’s character, whose sense of marvel is restored when he remembers his relationship with the dragon.

25. The Previous Man and the Gun (2018)

The Old Man and the GunThe Old Man and the Gun
Picture Credit score: Searchlight Footage.

As this listing exhibits, Redford performed many several types of characters over his profession. However he’s by no means higher than when he’s an enthralling prison. So it’s becoming that his last movie, The Previous Man and the Gun, provides him one final likelihood to interrupt out the previous wink and smile as an escaped financial institution robber who falls for a neighborhood girl (Sissy Spacek) whereas on the run. Reteaming with David Lowery and starring alongside Donald Glover and Tom Waits, Redford will get to exit on his personal phrases in a pleasant efficiency that captures all the things nice concerning the legendary actor.

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