30 Must-Watch Robert Redford Movies, Ranked
30. Our Souls at Night (2017)
A gentle, late-career showcase for Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, Our Souls at Night pairs two screen legends in a story about companionship in later life. Playing widowed neighbors who form an unexpected bond, the Netflix film favors quiet warmth over melodrama. Its minimal plot becomes a strength, letting the chemistry between its leads shine. While not groundbreaking, it’s a tender meditation on love, loneliness, and connection, making it a graceful final collaboration for two Hollywood icons.
29. The Last Castle (2001)
In The Last Castle, Redford plays a disgraced general sent to a military prison run by James Gandolfini’s authoritarian colonel. What begins as tension between two men becomes an all-out prison revolt, with Redford inspiring the inmates to resist oppression. While the film sometimes stretches plausibility, its heavyweight cast—including Mark Ruffalo and Delroy Lindo—elevates the drama. A blend of action, morality play, and prison thriller, it’s solid, entertaining fare.
28. This Property Is Condemned (1966)
Based on a Tennessee Williams play, This Property Is Condemned features Redford opposite Natalie Wood in a tragic romance set in Depression-era Mississippi. The actor plays a railroad official tasked with closing down the town’s railway, only to fall for Wood’s dream-filled young woman. Their doomed relationship plays out against themes of economic decline and broken aspirations. Looking back, this early Redford role established both his dramatic presence and screen chemistry.
27. The Electric Horseman (1979)
Redford reunited with Jane Fonda in The Electric Horseman, a quirky romantic dramedy about a washed-up rodeo star who rebels against his corporate handlers. After being reduced to wearing a light-up cowboy suit to hawk breakfast cereal, he reclaims his dignity by stealing a prized horse and riding into the desert. Fonda plays the reporter chasing the story, and their chemistry sizzles. Though its premise is bonkers, Redford’s mix of vulnerability and charm makes the movie feel heartfelt and memorable.
26. Spy Game (2001)
Spy Game is a slick espionage thriller pairing Robert Redford with Brad Pitt. Redford plays veteran CIA operative Nathan Muir, who uses his final day on the job to outmaneuver the agency and rescue his protégé (Pitt) from a Chinese prison. Told through flashbacks spanning decades, it mixes political intrigue with action-packed sequences. Though narratively dense, the film thrives on Redford’s world-weary gravitas and Pitt’s intensity, offering a stylish, adrenaline-fueled look at espionage and mentorship.
25. Indecent Proposal (1993)
Few ’90s movies embodied glossy, over-the-top melodrama like Indecent Proposal. Redford plays a billionaire who offers a cash-strapped couple—Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson—a million dollars for one night with Moore’s character. The premise scandalized audiences, fueling debates about love, money, and morality. While widely panned by critics, it was a box office hit and a pop culture talking point. Redford’s charm makes his morally dubious role watchable, proving that sometimes even movie stars can have fun with trashy material.
24. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Redford brought gravitas to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with his role as Alexander Pierce, a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. official hiding sinister motives. The Winter Soldier is one of Marvel’s best, blending superhero spectacle with the taut paranoia of a 1970s thriller. Redford’s presence links the film to that screen tradition while subverting expectations by casting him as the villain. It’s a sleek, twist-filled blockbuster that shows how even late in his career, Redford could surprise audiences in unexpected ways.
23. A River Runs Through It (1992)
As director, Redford adapted Norman Maclean’s novella into a lyrical meditation on family, faith, and the passage of time. Starring Craig Sheffer and a breakout Brad Pitt as two very different brothers growing up in early 20th-century Montana, A River Runs Through It captures both the beauty of nature and the pain of loss. Its deliberate pace emphasizes character over plot, but Redford’s patient direction and Pitt’s charisma make it absorbing. The result is a deeply moving, elegiac drama.
22. The Horse Whisperer (1998)
In The Horse Whisperer, Redford directs and stars as Tom Booker, a gifted horse trainer called upon to heal both a traumatized horse and its young rider, played by Scarlett Johansson in one of her earliest roles. The nearly three-hour epic blends sweeping landscapes with intimate emotional drama, as Tom helps mend the girl’s family along with the animal. While slow-paced, the film’s grandeur and sincerity make it one of Redford’s strongest directorial outings, balancing personal healing with natural beauty.
21. Sneakers (1992)
Part heist film, part techno-thriller, Sneakers is pure ’90s cool. Redford plays the leader of a team of quirky security experts—including Dan Aykroyd, Sidney Poitier, River Phoenix, and David Strathairn—who are blackmailed into stealing a powerful decryption device. What follows is a blend of comedy, intrigue, and caper antics, all elevated by the cast’s charisma. Redford anchors the ensemble with effortless charm, making Sneakers a breezy, entertaining ride that has aged into a cult classic.
20. The Great Gatsby (1974)
Robert Redford takes on one of literature’s most enigmatic figures in this adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. As Jay Gatsby, Redford perfectly embodies the wealthy yet mysterious host whose longing for Daisy Buchanan (Mia Farrow) defines his life. The film captures the decadence and melancholy of the Roaring ’20s with a grounded, less stylized approach than Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 version. Redford’s blend of allure and fragility makes his Gatsby both magnetic and tragic, elevating this faithful, if restrained, adaptation.
19. The Great Waldo Pepper (1975)
Set in the 1920s, The Great Waldo Pepper follows Redford as a barnstorming stunt pilot chasing fame after missing the chance to fight in World War I. His obsession with glory leads to thrilling aerial stunts but also personal losses, giving the film unexpected emotional weight. While uneven in tone, it combines adventure, tragedy, and history in fascinating ways. Redford embodies both the daredevil and the dreamer, making Waldo Pepper a flawed yet compelling figure in one of his more overlooked roles.
18. The Chase (1966)
An ensemble drama directed by Arthur Penn, The Chase is a slow-burn Southern tale of corruption, prejudice, and moral decay. Redford plays an escaped convict returning to his hometown, sparking a chain reaction of paranoia and violence among the townsfolk. Sharing the screen with Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, and Robert Duvall, Redford holds his own in an initial role that hinted at his range. Though meandering, the film’s atmosphere and performances make it a grim but absorbing snapshot of 1960s cinema.
17. The Hot Rock (1972)
A clever twist on the heist genre, The Hot Rock stars Redford as Dortmunder, a thief whose crew repeatedly bungles attempts to steal a priceless gem. Each failed heist leads to another increasingly absurd scheme, making the film as much a comedy of errors as a crime caper. Redford proves adept at dry humor while still selling the tension of the heists. With a witty script and a lighthearted tone, The Hot Rock stands as one of his most underrated gems.
16. The Old Man & the Gun (2018)
Redford’s swan song (aside from a cameo in Avengers: Endgame) is a fitting career capstone. In The Old Man & the Gun, he plays Forrest Tucker, an aging but endlessly charming bank robber who can’t resist one last spree. Based on a true story, the film is both a crime caper and a reflection on aging, legacy, and joy in one’s craft. Redford’s performance radiates warmth and mischief, feeling like a nod to his impactful roles—an elegant, bittersweet farewell.
15. Quiz Show (1994)
Robert Redford’s Quiz Show is a meticulously crafted drama about the 1950s quiz-show scandal that exposed television’s corruptibility. Redford directs with cool precision, following contestants, producers, and journalists as fame, deception, and commerce collide. Ralph Fiennes and John Turturro give compelling turns, while the screenplay probes ethics, ambition, and the public’s appetite for spectacle. It’s a thoughtful, tense film that still resonates as a critique of media and celebrity today.
14. The Way We Were (1973)
Sydney Pollack’s The Way We Were remains one of the most enduring romantic dramas of its era. Redford plays Hubbell, a charming writer whose relationship with Barbra Streisand’s Katie—an outspoken political activist—burns brightly yet ultimately falters under ideological clashes. The film explores how love can be both transformative and fragile when confronted with personal ambition and political conviction. Streisand’s Oscar-nominated performance, paired with Redford’s quiet charisma, elevates the story into a timeless exploration of passion and heartbreak.
13. Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
In Jeremiah Johnson, Redford delivers one of his most rugged performances as a man who abandons civilization to survive in the Rocky Mountains. The film blends myth and realism, showcasing breathtaking landscapes while examining solitude, survival, and vengeance. Redford dominates nearly every frame, embodying both the freedom and harshness of frontier life. It’s a stripped-down Western that’s meditative as much as it is thrilling, cementing itself as a cult favorite and inspiring the now-famous “nodding Redford” meme.
12. Out of Africa (1985)
Lavish and sweeping, Out of Africa is the kind of old-school Hollywood epic rarely seen today. Redford plays Denys Finch Hatton, a free-spirited hunter who becomes entwined with Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep), a Danish baroness making a new life in Kenya. Their romance unfolds against wide African vistas. Winning Best Picture and multiple Oscars, the film thrives on Redford’s magnetic yet understated performance and Streep’s powerhouse turn. A landmark romance-drama, indeed.
11. Brubaker (1980)
Brubaker takes the prison drama in a fresh direction, focusing not on an inmate’s escape but on a warden’s crusade for justice. Redford plays Henry Brubaker, who first poses as a prisoner to experience corruption firsthand before revealing his true role. The film is gritty and unflinching, exposing systemic abuse in America’s prisons. Redford’s moral clarity anchors the story, delivering both suspense and social commentary. It’s a tense, underrated entry in his career, made more intriguing by its real-world inspiration.
10. The Natural (1984)
This is a mix of myth and Americana. The Natural tells the story of Roy Hobbs, a middle-aged baseball player with a mysterious past who rises to unexpected stardom. Redford brings both gravitas and vulnerability to the role, embodying the archetypal fallen hero seeking redemption. Bernard Malamud’s novel gets the complete Hollywood treatment here, with dramatic slow-motion, swelling music, and one of the most iconic home-run moments ever filmed. Whether you love baseball or not, The Natural resonates as a fable about second chances.
9. Downhill Racer (1969)
Downhill Racer strips sports of the usual triumphalism, focusing instead on ego, obsession, and rivalry. Redford plays David Chappellet, a hotshot skier whose talent is matched only by his arrogance. His clashes with his coach, played by Gene Hackman, highlight the tension between individual glory and team loyalty. The racing sequences, shot with exhilarating realism, remain breathtaking decades later. Redford perfectly balances charm with cold ambition, creating a complex sports antihero. It’s one of his earliest films that proved he could carry serious drama.
8. Barefoot in the Park (1967)
Lighthearted yet sharp, Barefoot in the Park showcases Redford’s comedic timing in one of his earliest screen roles. As buttoned-up lawyer Paul Bratter, he clashes hilariously with Jane Fonda’s free-spirited bride, Corie, in a cramped New York apartment. Their marital squabbles capture youthful love’s joys and frustrations with humor and charm. Though dated in gender politics, the chemistry between Redford and Fonda makes it memorable. It’s proof that Redford wasn’t just a leading man but also a deft comedian.
7. Three Days of the Condor (1975)
A paranoid thriller at its best, Three Days of the Condor finds Redford playing a low-level CIA researcher who uncovers a dangerous conspiracy, making him a target of his own agency. What follows is a taut, nerve-shredding tale of survival, deception, and mistrust in institutions. Redford’s vulnerability makes the suspense believable, while Sydney Pollack’s direction keeps the pace tight and the atmosphere claustrophobic. It’s a definitive ’70s thriller that feels eerily relevant in today’s age of surveillance and political intrigue.
6. Ordinary People (1980)
No wonder Redford’s directorial debut, Ordinary People, won Best Picture and earned him an Oscar for Best Director. The film tells the story of a suburban family unraveling after tragedy, exposing unspoken grief, guilt, and fractured relationships. Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, and Timothy Hutton deliver terrific performances under Redford’s guidance. It’s an unflinching portrayal of emotional repression and familial collapse, but never loses sight of humanity. For Redford, it proved he wasn’t just a great actor; he was also a formidable filmmaker.
5. All Is Lost (2013)
Minimalist yet gripping, All Is Lost is a survival thriller with only one actor: Robert Redford. Playing a sailor stranded at sea after disaster strikes, he carries the entire film with no dialogue and pure physical performance. Every gesture, every expression conveys struggle, determination, and despair. Director J.C. Chandor crafts an atmospheric, relentless story that never loses tension despite its simplicity. Redford’s riveting turn (at age 77) proved his stamina and artistry, reminding audiences of his enduring ability to command the screen.
4. The Candidate (1972)
The Candidate blends sharp satire with political drama, telling the story of Bill McKay, an idealistic lawyer persuaded to run for the U.S. Senate. Because he has little chance of winning, McKay campaigns freely, exposing corruption and absurdities in politics. But as his popularity grows, he faces compromises that test his integrity. Redford is magnetic in the role, playing both charm and disillusionment perfectly. The film remains one of cinema’s sharpest examinations of political theater, with a finale that still chills.
3. The Sting (1973)
A joyous con artist caper, The Sting reunited Redford with Paul Newman after Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Together, they play grifters plotting an elaborate scheme of revenge against a ruthless crime boss. With its period setting, jazzy Scott Joplin score, and clever twists, the film became an instant classic and Best Picture winner. Redford earned his only acting Oscar nomination here, and his chemistry with Newman makes the movie endlessly rewatchable. The Sting is stylish, playful, and flat-out irresistible.
2. All the President’s Men (1976)
A gripping dramatization of the Watergate scandal, All the President’s Men follows journalists Bob Woodward (Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) as they uncover one of the most infamous political scandals in U.S. history. The film captures the painstaking, often dangerous work of investigative journalism with unflinching realism. Redford’s passion for truth drives his performance, making Woodward’s dogged pursuit deeply compelling. It’s suspenseful yet restrained, a reminder of the power of a free press, and still one of the best political thrillers ever made.
1. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
The ultimate buddy Western, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid cemented Robert Redford’s stardom and his legendary partnership with Paul Newman. As the charming outlaw Sundance, Redford balances humor and grit alongside Newman’s equally iconic Butch. The film blends witty banter, thrilling action, and poignant tragedy, culminating in one of cinema’s most unforgettable finales. Of course, the movie became a cultural phenomenon. It’s Redford at his most magnetic, in a film that never loses its charm.
