Top Five Robert Redford Films

Robert Redford announced that he will retire from acting after the release of his upcoming film Old Man and the Gun.  I have been watching Redford films for my entire life and lately have truly appreciated that he is continues to contribute interesting material.  Redford used his star power to get some of the best films of the 1970s made.  I will leave it to others to sum up his career and discuss the overall impact of the Sundance Film Institute.  I think he is an intelligent and underrated actor who brings both a star presence and a sense of authenticity to any part he plays.  Redford has only be nominated once for an Oscar as an actor (for The Sting).  Below as a brief tribute are my top five favorite films in which he appears as an actor.  For the sake of brevity I omitted his directing career.

All is Lost (2013)

Some of my favorite films are survival stories.  A few years ago I wrote a post on Cast Away. Another film I am very fond of is The Edge.  In All is Lost, Redford plays an unnamed novice sailor on a yacht in the Indian Ocean who has to survive after his boat is damaged by a shipping container full of sneakers.  The sailor, an older man, spends the entire film alone which robs Redford of both his smooth voice and his natural charm.  As a result we further notice the sailor’s resilience and resourcefulness as he bravely works to overcome the increasing obstacles that Mother Nature (and writer director JC Chandor) throw at him, to lessening effect.  Redford, who was about 75 when he made the film, is impressively able to handle a number of physically daunting tasks, like swimming under a raft and flipping it over, getting knocked off the boat, pumping out large amounts of water, etc. 

We never learn much about the sailor’s background though it is clear from a note he drops into the ocean that he is trying to get back to his family.  I suppose he must have left after some kind of conflict. 

Chandor keeps the film moving with the sailor’s tasks.  The attention to detail is notable. For example after a storm damages the boat further, in an extended nightmarish sequence, the sailor pulls out a sextant and learns to use it to navigate a raft he is on alone.  The sailor’s face becomes very damaged throughout the film both from a cut and then looks weathered because of all the time he spends in the sun.  The sailor wears sneakers with no socks.  He probably likes the balance from the sneakers but of course socks would only get wet. 

Spoiler alert:  After discovering that his drinking water has been contaminated by salt water Redford’s character comes to accept his fate.  The final scene of the film is expertly constructed.  As the sailor sees a light at night and burns his papers which leads to his raft catching on fire hope quickly leads to horror.  When the sailor decides to let himself drown the shot of him under the water at peace is beautiful.  The remainder is open to interpretation.  Perhaps he really does see a boat with a searchlight giving him his long awaited rescue or possibly he opens his eyes and is pulled into the afterlife (this is hinted at with the fade to white instead of black).  No matter how you read it (I like the idea that he survives) is touching to see him make a true connection.  *****

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

If you watch one Redford film make it this one.  Director George Roy Hill, screenwriter William Goldman and stars Paul Newman as Butch and Redford as Sundance turn in a near perfect film about the two real life outlaws at the turn of the century whose time and luck is running out.  The interplay between the amiable Butch and the taciturn Sundance is delightful and Redford’s dark moustache helps give Sundance more of an edge.  I think the more obvious casting would have reversed the roles (Redford can be effortlessly charming and Newman’s blue eyes could help sell a more menacing figure) but this dynamic makes it more memorable.  The sound of the guns is phenomenal.  The film is loaded with incredible scenes.  A few highlights are Sundance's introduction, Harvey's challenge to Butch, the extended Superposse chase sequence, and the finale which expertly mixes action and drama as the two men confront their fates.  Spoiler alert: The final shot conveys the horror of what is occurring while both immortalizing the two men and sharing us the ugliness of it.  It does disturb me a little that in the finale Butch and Sundance kill a lot of policemen who are just doing their jobs.  Cinematographer Conrad Hall won the first of his three Oscars for this film.  His last was for Road to Perdition which also featured Newman. *****

All the President’s Men (1976)

Redford and Dustin Hoffman teamed up with Alan J. Pakula to make the gold standard film about reporting.  This film was a big influence on the more recent Best Picture winner Spotlight (which featured the character of Ben Bradlee Jr, the son of Oscar winner Jason Robards’ Ben Bradlee-who was also a big character in the recent Spielberg film, The Post).  Redford and Hoffman play Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who broke the story of the Watergate scandal in 1973.  Although Hoffman has the showier role Redford’s steadfast Woodward is the more appealing.  Pollack uses one shot for a several minute scene in which Woodward through several phone calls is able to trace the payment to one of the burglars to Nixon directly. The finale, showing the two men typing their story, is the perfect conclusion. *****

Jeremiah Johnson (1972)

Director Sydney Pollack’s film, also based on a true story, can be seen as a companion piece to All is Lost as Redford’s Johnson spends a lot of the film alone, though the setting is the Rocky Mountains in the early 19^th century.  The Utah locations, some of which were on Redford’s own property, adds to the authenticity.  Johnson, a former soldier, escaping civilian life, gradually learns to live on his own but ultimately discovers that he needs the love of others, which leads to tragedy.  The third act shows Johnson in full fight against the people he believed have wronged him.  Redford uses a lot of his Sundance moves (diving, holding his pistol in tight to his body and turning and shooting at once).  Interestingly although Johnson goes to bed with a native woman we only see it through her red face afterwards.  Since Redford had numerous love scenes with white actresses throughout his career the decision to show nothing is uncomfortable.   Nonetheless Jeremiah Johnson is a stirring adventure. ****

The Sting (1973)

This 1930s set Best Picture Oscar Winner reunites Redford, Newman, and director George Roy Hill.  Redford and Newman play con men targeting a powerful mobster who had had one of the Redford character’s friends killed.  The film is intricately plotted yet never hard to follow.  Roy Hill let us in on just enough but does not tell us how it is going to play out or where a minor character’s loyalties lie.  Paul Newman makes a very non movie star entrance.  Robert Shaw is chilling as the mark, looking fierce even when dresses for golf.  Redford was nominated for his only acting Oscar.  It is not quite as memorable as Butch and Sundance and the emphasis is not on the friendship but it is expertly made.  Redford’s character, Johnny Hooker, is constantly just barely surviving one scrape after another.  Ironically my favorite scene in the film is the poker game which is more of a showcase for Newman **** 

Honorable Mentions:

Three Days of the Condor:  An interesting thriller about a CIA analyst who is targeted by his own organization after he inadvertently exposes a secret operation. ***

Our Souls at Night: A warm look at getting older that reunited Redford with Jane Fonda.  Their joy at working together after Barefoot in the Park and Electric Horseman is evident. ***

Up Close and Personal:  Michelle Pfeiffer grows in a news organization after being given a career boost by Redford as the veteran who teaches and eventually romances her.  The film is glossy but the chemistry between the two leads is phenomenal.  ***

Last Castle:  Redford plays a general in a military prison run by an insecure warden played by the late James Gandolfini.  The film is a little heavy handed but the dynamic between the two leads is compelling. ***

Captain America Winter Soldier:  Redford plays the Secretary of Defense, Alexander Pierce in the second Captain America movie which plays like a superhero version of Three Days of the Condor, in which the hero learns he cannot trust the institute in which he has faithfully served.  In this case Redford is on the other side. ****

There are many others and I hear Old Man and the Gun is a fun ride as well.  I wish Mr. Redford a happy retirement.