One of the greatest leading men of all time, and a Hollywood legend, has died. According to a report confirmed by Variety, Robert Redford has passed away at the age of 89. His family has requested “privacy” while they mourn. For movie fans, Redford’s death is also the end of an era and presents a moment to reflect on and revisit Redford’s greatest films with a new appreciation.
Here’s a quick guide to watching the very best of Robert Redford’s movies, plus why each one of these films has held up over the years, and why each wouldn’t be even close to as good without Redford’s performance.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Easily Redford’s most famous role, and one of the most influential movies of all time, the hype on Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is very real, almost six decades later. As a Western set in 1899, Butch Cassidy stars as the Sundance Kid, a very real historical figure, who was an actual outlaw. The movie is in some ways the original buddy-team-up movie, and in other ways pure magic.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) is available to rent on Amazon, Apple TV, and elsewhere.
Barefoot in the Park (1967)
The original rom-com to end all rom-coms. In it, Redford plays Paul Bratter, who, along with his new wife, Corie (Jane Fonda), has just moved into a not-so-great apartment in Greenwich Village. The movie, from a script by Neil Simon, is both hilarious and relentlessly unflinching about relationships. Living with someone is very hard, even when you’re young, awesome, and Robert Redford.
Barefoot in the Park is available for rent on Google Play, Fandango, and elsewhere.
The Great Gatsby (1974)
While many today probably think of Leonardo DiCaprio’s take on the famous literary figure, Robert Redford’s Jay Gatsby in the 1974 film The Great Gatsby is nearly perfect. A fairly faithful adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, Redford does the impossible task of making Gatsby both likable and dangerous at the same time. And, to this day, nobody has looked better in a cream-colored suit.
The Great Gatsby is streaming to rent on YouTube, Amazon, and elsewhere.
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
In one of the most underrated spy movies of all time, Redford plays Joe Turner, a guy who works for the CIA, analyzing books, to see if anything in those pages might end up as real-world threats. Quickly, Turner, whose codename is “Condor,” finds all of his co-workers murdered, and himself on the run. Is his own government after him? Trying to frame him? Or something else? Redford is at times brutal in this movie, but also tender and raw. Most of all, Three Days of the Condor does what so many spy movies try to do, but fail: It makes it seem like what would happen if a real, ordinary person were suddenly mixed up in a massive conspiracy. Bonus points for Faye Dunaway, who, as leading lady Kathy Hale, jokes about being a “spy f*cker.”
Three Days of the Condor is streaming on MGM+.
All the President’s Men (1977)
A dramatization of the Watergate scandal of 1972, the intrigue aspect of All the President’s Men might seem tame compared to today’s super-charged political climate, but for its time, this film was groundbreaking. Redford plays journalist Bob Woodward, a real person, who, at 82, is still alive today.
All the President’s Men is streaming to rent on Amazon, Apple TV, and elsewhere.
Sneakers (1992)
Another great spy movie from Redford, this one a bit more lighthearted, Sneakers is all about a group of ragtag security agents tasked with stealing a black box. With equal parts humor and danger, Sneakers is a unique movie in the world of spy thrillers, and Redford delivers a memorable and warm performance as the leader of this strange little gang.
Sneakers is streaming to rent on YouTube, Fandango at Home, and elsewhere.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Still considered one of the best Marvel movies today, Captain America: The Winter Soldier introduced Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce, a big-deal within the agency known as SHIELD. If it’s been a while since you’ve seen The Winter Soldier, there’s no need to spoil the big twist with Pierce’s motivations, but let’s just say that Redford’s experience in other kinds of cloak-and-dagger movies paid off big time here.
In 2019, in Avengers: Endgame, Redford briefly reprised his role as Pierce. This became his last onscreen role in a feature film.
