5 Timeless Robert Redford Performances
I had plenty of other posts scheduled for this week, but when someone like Robert Redford has passed, I felt compelled to write about him. Yes, according to the New York Times, Robert Redford died earlier Tuesday morning at his home in Utah. He was 89. His death was announced in a statement by Cindi Berger, the chief executive of the publicity firm Rogers & Cowan PMK. She said he died peacefully in his sleep, but did not provide a specific cause.
But I’m not here to talk about the death of Robert Redford. I want to talk about his life. Some of his biggest films were Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), All the President’s Men (1976), Three Days of the Condor (1975), and The Sting (1973). Those are the movies that defined Robert Redford as a world-class actor and certified heartthrob. Redford wasn’t satisfied with only being a famous actor; he wanted to branch into directing. His first directing effort, Ordinary People (1980), won four Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture.
Even beyond the movies he started in and directed, Redford's greatest impact on motion pictures was when he founded the Sundance Institute in 1981. He would use the institute to champion independent cinema and help nurture the future of the medium, giving a voice to those who often got lost in the Hollywood system. In 1984, he would take over a struggling Utah-based film festival, rebrand it as Sundance, and the rest was history.
Many directors got their start at Sundance, like Steven Soderbergh, Quentin Tarantino, James Wan, Darren Aronofsky, Nicole Holofcener, David O. Russell, Ryan Coogler, Robert Rodriguez, Chloe Zhao, and many more. Not only was Sundance a place to unveil new talent in feature films, but documentary and short films also flourished because of Sundance. We might not have Damien Chazelle as a director had his short film, Whiplash, not won the Short Film Jury Prize in 2013.
The New York Times also posted a list of movies to stream, and I’ve opted to share them below:
- Barefoot in the Park
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
- The Candidate
- The Sting
- The Way We Were
- Three Days of the Condor
- All The President’s Men
- Ordinary People
- The Natural
- Sneakers
- Quiz Show
- The Horse Whisperer
- All is Lost
- Pete’s Dragon
- The Old Man & the Gun
I wanted to share some of my favorite Robert Redford performances and where you can watch them. Redford was an absolute legend, on screen and off, and he’ll be greatly missed.
The Sting
If I’m going to recommend you watch one Robert Redford movie, it’d probably be The Sting. Starring Paul Newman, Robert Shaw, and Robert Redford, the movie is an absolute masterclass in misdirection. Newman and Redford try to pull off the ultimate con against a ruthless mob boss. It’s set in the 1930s, so the big con is betting on horse races. And it’s an elaborate con indeed. If you want to see two actors at the top of their game, you need to watch The Sting. It absolutely still holds up today.
The Sting can be rented from VOD providers or purchased on 4K UHD disc from Universal Studios.
Three Days of the Condor
I hadn’t seen Three Days of the Condor (3 Days of the Condor) until last year, but I really enjoyed it. Redford plays a CIA researcher who finds out all of his co-workers have been murdered. He’s not sure who he can trust, but he must find out who did and why before he’s the next one on the list. Perhaps the weirdest turn this movie makes is when Redford’s Joe kidnaps Kathy (Faye Dunaway) because he needs her car. But she immediately falls in love with him, and she agrees to help him anyway she can.
Three Days of the Condor can be rented from VOD providers or purchased on 4K UHD disc from Kino.