Happy Tuesday, dear readers! Each week, we’ll rank the top 10 films in a specific category. While we aim to tie these lists to big releases, that won’t always be the case. Our goal? For you to enjoy, share your own lists, and join in on a lively, friendly debate. This is an interactive space to build community here at The Contending.
No fancy intros, no long essays – just a category and a list. Sound good?
Robert Redford’s passing at 89 today feels like the fade-out of a beloved western. He wasn’t just a star. With rugged charm and quiet depth, Redford stood as a pillar of Hollywood and an icon who shaped stories over the span of eight decades. His legacy stretches far beyond the screen through the Sundance Film Festival, which he founded in 1981 and grew into a haven for independent voices, forever changing how stories are told.
As a kid, I was captivated by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, glued to Redford’s sly outlaw sparring with Paul Newman, their rebellion electric and alive. The Natural hit even harder in my youth. That lightning-carved bat swinging for glory under bursting stadium lights, set to Randy Newman’s miraculous score, will live rent-free in my head for the rest of my life.
Redford was one of the greats.
In 2018 at Telluride, I saw one of his final films, The Old Man & the Gun, a warm road-trip tale glowing with late-career wisdom. Afterward, I was fortunate to briefly meet him and exchange a few words, a memory I’ll always cherish.
And now, he’s riding off into the sunset. Maybe he’ll meet up with his old partner Paul Newman further on down the trail.
In memory of one of the last true movie stars, here are my ten favorite Robert Redford performances.
10. Brubaker (Henry Brubaker, 1980)
9. Jeremiah Johnson (Jeremiah Johnson, 1972)
8. All Is Lost (Our Man, 2013)
7. The Natural (Roy Hobbs, 1984)
6. The Way We Were (Hubbell Gardiner, 1973)
5. Three Days of the Condor (Joseph Turner, 1975)
4. The Candidate (Bill McKay, 1972)
3. The Sting (Johnny Hooker, 1973)
2. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Sundance, 1969)
1. All the President’s Men (Bob Woodward, 1976)
