In case you haven't heard, actor Robert Redford passed away today at the age of 89. During those 89 years, Redford made some of the finest films ever made. Although not all of them were in my wheelhouse, there is no doubt he gave a great performance even in the movies that weren't for me. Here are this Geeky Guy's favorite Robert Redford movies.
8.Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Although not his best performance, I always thought it was cool that a 77 year old Redford would choose to be featured in a super hero movie. I really think his presence added legitimacy to a genre I love.
7.The Last Castle
His portrayal of a disgraced but very honorable General Irwin was truly inspiring. If you haven't seen this movie, James Gandolfini is actually a worse villain in this than he ever was in The Sopranos.
6.Three days of the Condor
This movie is a much better version of The Amateur where Redford plays a book worm CIA agent trying to stay alive.
5.Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
I'm sure this is many people's favorites but I wasn't that into Westerns as a kid so I think this one missed me a little bit. But even without it being my favorite genre, there is no doubt that his portrayal of the Sundance Kid was awesome. This movies also has one of the greatest endings of all time.
4.The Natural
"#9, #9 is Roy Hobbes. Welcome to the majors Mr. Hobbes." My friends and I quoted this movie every day as kids. It wasn't just because it was on HBO 12 times a day. It was because it was the perfect baseball fairy tale. Even though I was way too young to appreciate the story of love and redemption, I was plenty old to recognize an underdog story when I saw one. There may be scenes as good as the final home run scene... but none are better. I still get chills every time he he grabs "Savoy Special" from the bat boy before his final swing.
3.Brubaker
I was way too young when I saw this movie but I loved it. I have mentioned before that TV and movies were a proxy for my parents growing up. I learned a lot from movies. I truly believe this is the one where I learned that every single person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect... even prisoners. I still stand up for people's civil rights. Who knows if I would have if it weren't for the mark Redford left on me as he portrayed the warden of a prison who tries to clean up the corruption and mistreatment of the prisoners.
2.The Sting
Lots of people make fun of this incredibly long movie, but I loved it. It is still one of my favorite caper movies of all times. Redford portrays a small time con-man who goes for a big score. The twists and turns of this scheme are one of the reasons I love escape rooms and heist movies.
1.All The President's Men
Again, I was way too young to fully understand this movie when I first saw it, but even at age 10 I recognized great acting, a compelling story, and heroes who stood up to political corruption. Redford's portrayal of Bob Woodford as he and his partner Carl Bernstein risk everything to uncover political corruption is one of teh greatest performances by any actor ever. This is not only a great movie, but it is an important one. It shows that those in power are not above the law... or at least they shouldn't be.
Take a load off Mr. Redford... you earned it.