With the passing of Robert Redford, it’s inevitable that folks will begin revisiting his classics to pay tribute to one of many biggest film stars of all time. And to be honest, there are lots of fantastic movies to select from. Redford was famously picky together with his tasks, and out of doors of the occasional misfire like Havana (which, to be honest, isn’t that dangerous), he had only a few flops on his résumé.
Over the subsequent few weeks, I think about individuals will likely be watching his two legendary team-ups with Paul Newman—Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Child and The Sting—in addition to stone-cold classics like All of the President’s Males, The Pure, The Means We Had been, Out of Africa (by no means my favourite, however that rating is unforgettable), The Horse Whisperer, Indecent Proposal, and lots of extra.
Nonetheless, right here at JoBlo, we love to do issues a little bit in another way. For years, I’ve had a column known as The Best Movie You Never Saw (admittedly intermittent lately), and similar to I did when Gene Hackman passed, I need to share some underrated Robert Redford motion pictures that deserve one other look.
The Sizzling Rock
William Goldman wrote lots of Redford’s greatest movies, together with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Child, The Sting, and The Nice Waldo Pepper. Probably the most neglected is The Sizzling Rock, against the law caper that’s surprisingly exhausting to search out lately (although it pops up on Criterion Channel from time to time). Tailored from Donald Westlake’s novel, it options Redford as John Dortmunder, a thief who retains failing—time and again—to steal the identical gem. He’s paired with the late George Segal as his brother-in-law/companion in crime, and the movie options some intelligent twists and a scene-stealing flip by Zero Mostel. Exterior of Authorized Eagles, that is the closest Redford ever got here to creating a straight comedy.
Jeremiah Johnson
This Sydney Pollack-directed western might be most well-known lately for the GIF it spawned, however it’s truly a stark, delicate frontier story with Redford forged method towards sort as a bearded mountain man. When Jeremiah trespasses on sacred Fatherland, he’s marked for loss of life by the Crow tribe, who ship technology after technology of warriors to kill him—however none can defeat him. Whereas the finale leans into motion, a lot of the movie is mostly a romance, with Jeremiah constructing a life with the daughter of a Crow chief, just for tragedy to strike. Redford introduced a softness to the function that Steve McQueen or Clint Eastwood—each extra pure suits—possible would have lacked.
Three Days of the Condor
Redford wasn’t usually identified for motion, however he made an exception for this paranoid post-Watergate thriller. He performs a CIA analyst who stumbles onto a large conspiracy and finds himself hunted by his personal authorities. Whereas the setup would possibly sound acquainted now, it was groundbreaking on the time. Sydney Pollack staged a handful of fantastic suspense sequences, and Redford’s later casting in Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a direct nod to this movie.
Brubaker
Certainly one of Redford’s grittier dramas, Brubaker casts him as a crusading jail warden decided to wash up a corrupt penal system. Based mostly on a real story, the movie has a terrific first act the place Brubaker goes undercover as an inmate, with audiences unaware he’s the brand new warden till nicely into the story. It pairs properly with one other jail movie he made a long time later, The Final Fort.
Spy Recreation
Whereas I used to be tempted to incorporate Sneakers right here (although let’s face it, that’s already a basic), I’ll as an alternative spotlight Tony Scott’s Spy Recreation. This slick techno-thriller paired Redford with Brad Pitt (whom he helped uncover with A River Runs By way of It). Propulsive modifying and Scott’s kinetic fashion made it in contrast to the rest in Redford’s filmography.
And there you may have it. If you happen to’re in search of much more underrated Redford gems, take a look at All is Misplaced, The Previous Man and the Gun, The Electrical Horseman, and The Candidate.
So—what’s your favourite Robert Redford film? Tell us within the feedback under!
