Robert Redford passed away today. Our parents, the Greatest Generation had so many great actors to watch over their lifetime but for us Baby Boomers, this guy was one of ours. He starred in so many great movies and I put together my favorites.
THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR:
This is one that I feel a lot of people don’t know about. It’s a great spy thriller that is hard to find but I would highly recommend. Redford plays a CIA analyst who reads books. He returns from lunch to discover that all of his coworkers have been killed as a part of a massive government-wide conspiracy. This movie has a lot of twist in it, Redford is the show!
ALL THE PRESIDEN’T MEN:
Very rarely do good books turn into great movies, this one did! This 1976 film about The Washington Post team that unearthed the biggest political scandal in American history. Redford is simply fantastic as reporter Bob Woodward, bringing a realism to the role that ensures the viewers never forget the massive stakes of the situation.
SNEAKERS:
This another movie that flys below the radar. Redford always loved playing a good bad guy and he once again does it here as Martin Bishop/Brice, a “sneaker” who is forced to face off against his old hacking partner after the FBI discovers his shady past. Great cast in this movie, including Ben Kingsley, Sidney Portier, and River Phoenix, Redford manages to stand out.
THE WAY WE WERE:
Who doesn’t like a love story without a storybook ending. This scene is a heartbreaker!
BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID:
As westerns go, I always found this one to be a different type of western. The entire movie is pretty damn great, mostly due to fantastic performances from Paul Newman and Redford as the titular outlaws.
THE NATURAL:
One of my favorite baseball movies of all time. Redford is phenomenal as Roy Hobbs, a once-great, over-the-hill ballplayer who makes the most of his chance at a comeback in the minor leagues despite being nearly 40. My wife and I were watching this movie and when it ended, she went into labor with my oldest son, Anthony Jr. So many great scenes in this movie but I love the line “My father wanted me to be a baseball player”.
My all time favorite Redford movie is The Sting. Long before Clooney and Pitt did their act, Redford and Newman did it in The Sting. Any time this movie is on, I sit down to watch it!