The best of Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner He captivated audiences for decades as one of Hollywood’s most iconic leading men and filmmakers. The veteran actor is known for playing characters with solid personal morals as the portrayal of the quintessential “American” male that people identified with in the latter part of the 20th century. Costner’s first feature film role was in sizzle beach, usa, Which, according to the Outsider, he tried to buy from Troma Entertainment Because of an embarrassing sex scene he didn’t want to do but was afraid to say no for fear he’d never work in Hollywood again.

Updated June 27, 2023: To keep the article fresh and relevant by adding more information and entries, this article has been updated by Timothy Lindsey.

From there, he starred in some of the most iconic films of all time, which include Paul Durham, The Untouchables, And dancing with the wolves, which won two Oscars for Best Director and Producer. Since then, he has gone from major movie star to TV star as his role in the series Yellowstone made him one of the biggest shows on broadcast television. Here’s a look at the actor’s best-ranked shows.

15 The greatest joy

We’ll start with the most controversial entry on this list because Costner only gets seconds of screen time The greatest joy as a corpse in a coffin, and all flashback scenes with him were cut from the final edit. To this day, Costner’s role in this blockbuster is one of the most legendary performances left on the cutting room floor, and even without his physical presence, he plays the most important role in this 1983 classic about a group of college friends who reunite at a vacation home. In South Carolina to remember their friend who died by suicide.

It’s an incredibly difficult and uncomfortable job to face your own death and lie in a coffin for a second, not to mention the time it takes to shoot a scene, but this movie just wouldn’t happen without him or the scenes he shot. The cast acting knowing who he was and spending time with him in the scenes he filmed helped forge a bond between this tight-knit group of friends. His death serves as the central device that brings all these thirty-somethings together to examine their lives and the existential boredom that comes with staring down the crater of middle age, and none of it happens without the allegorical ghost of Costner’s character Alex looming over an entire movie.

14 Thirteen days

13 In Roger Donaldson’s 2000 political thriller, Costner portrays White House aide Kenneth B. O’Donnell. Along with President John F. Kennedy (Bruce Greenwood) and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy (Stephen Culp), O’Donnell helps find a solution to the Cuban Missile Crisis that does not involve war as tensions rise between the United States and the Soviet Union. during the cold war. For movie fans who enjoy historical dramas and political thrillersAnd Thirteen days It is one of the most underrated films of its time.

12 draft day

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In one of the best sports dramas of the past decade, draft day It gives NFL fans and movie buffs alike a glimpse into what’s going on inside the NFL’s front offices and organizations. The film depicts Cleveland Browns general manager Sonny Weaver Jr. (Costner) and the events leading up to the fictional 2014 NFL Draft.

Costner leads a loaded cast that includes the likes of Jennifer Garner, Denis Leary, Sam Elliott, Chadwick Boseman, Terry Crews, Griffin Newman, Sean Combs, and many more. according to WhatCultureAnd draft day It is ranked as the 10th best screenplay from any film in the 2000s. Despite being a box office failure, Costner’s portrayal of Weaver should make fans feel even more passionate about the NFL.

10 McFarland, USA

release McFarland, USA, 2015 marked the second year in a row that Kevin Costner starred in the lead role in a sports drama. The story is set in McFarland, California, in 1987, and Costner portrays football coach Jim White, who has recently been fired for injuring a player. After losing his new coaching assistant to pulling an injured player, he becomes a track coach after seeing the speed of some students.

In a predominantly Latino district, White helps the team overcome bigotry on its way to winning the state championship. Costner’s portrayal of White garnered strong reviews from Hollywood Reporter, which stated that “it’s Costner who holds the picture together”. This movie is a true story and a story for movie fans who enjoy sports, family, and inclusion.

9 Yellowstone

The Dutton family, led by patriarch John (Kostner), must survive as one of the largest ranches in Montana in a world that feels cowboy life must already be extinct. Costner delivers one of his most engaging performances as the patriarch of this family, who must do everything he can to survive in a world that doesn’t think his vocation in life is worth it anymore. Creator Taylor Sheridan gives him enough dramatic moments to prove Costner still knows how to show decency and a moral compass with a few words and a smirk.

Related: Yellowstone: Why is Kevin Costner at the Center of Controversy?

Made the presence of the representative Yellowstone One of the most watched shows across the country, Costner has brought a new audience that sees him as an over-the-top presence and an old-fashioned star. With the news of Costner leaving the series, all eyes are on the popular franchise as to how it will go on without him.

8 Bodyguard

Rachel Marron (Whitney Houston) is a famous singer and has received threatening letters from a stalker fan, so her team hires a bodyguard (Costner). Although she hates him at first, they end up falling in love. This is a Whitney Houston movie, both in terms of acting and singing, but it wouldn’t work without Costner’s stern, grueling performance. Bodyguard, which makes her performance shine even more. His personality gives her perfect balance and perspective, and she believes the respect they feel for each other and their act develops into something different and more intimate, culminating in an unforgettable climactic scene. The amazing soundtrack continues to resonate with anyone who listens.

7 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

Robin Hood (Costner) decides it’s time to rob the rich and give to the poor because the Mayor of Nottingham (Alan Rickman) isn’t helping anyone but himself. in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Costner plays the legendary character, a skilled archer and swordsman with a heart of gold, and explains why he was a huge movie star at the time. The actor’s performance is as athletic as it is charismatic, even if his English accent is odd and outdated.

Costner transforms a popular legend into a medieval action hero, creating an entertaining film packed with fantastic set pieces. The movie also works because there’s a great supporting cast giving it all: Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and especially Alan Rickman (who was actually Hans Gruber in Die hard) as the evil Sheriff of Nottingham.

6 dancing with the wolves

The movie that famously won Good guys for best picture in 1991, dancing with the wolves, is the most polarizing movie on this list and one that both sides have legitimate arguments for. Some say it’s a classic example of the “white savior” Hollywood trend that has been around since its inception, while others have defended the film by claiming that it was actually saved by Indigenous people.

Related: How Kevin Costner’s Career Almost Died From Two Box Office Bombs

Whichever side you agree with, Costner’s effort came from a good place, and his performance is honest, making it worth watching. It follows Union soldier Lieutenant Dunbar as he flees the horrors of the Civil War and eventually finds himself where he lives among the Sioux Native Americans.

5 Perfect world

Set in the early sixties of the last century in Texas, Perfect world It follows Butch (Costner) as he escapes from prison and takes a young boy who was raised in a family of Jehovah’s Witnesses hostage to help him escape. Along the way, they become friends as Butch provides the kid with some indulgences he’s not allowed to have or partake in due to his family’s strict faith, and Butch becomes somewhat of a father figure he never got when he was young.

It’s a shame this movie was somewhat forgotten by casual moviegoers because this is one of Clint Eastwood’s most underrated films, and the character Costner takes on is both heartbreaking and tragic and definitely worth revisiting.

4 the intangible

Brian De Palma’s 1987 film follows Eliot Ness as he assembles a team of agents to take down notorious gangster Al Capone in this crime drama set in Prohibition-era Chicago. the intangible It may be more of a romantic portrait of early 20th century America that is more of a tinsel city fantasy than historically accurate, but this love letter to classic old Hollywood gangster movies is something to be appreciated on its own terms. While Costner’s stand-off against Eliot Ness can be cheesy at times, it’s the perfect foil to Capone De Niro and a nice balance to Sean Connery’s Oscar-winning performance as veteran police officer Jimmy Malone.

3 JFK

Oliver Stone’s intense conspiracy thriller sees both Stone and Costner at the peak of their creative powers. In what may be his best performance, Costner takes on the role of Jim Garrison as the former New Orleans district attorney tasked with finding out who killed JFK. This is a typical Costner role. A character with a moral backbone who is willing to put up with the federal government for asking the questions he thinks are worth asking.

JFK Another film that, while historically inaccurate, depicts the chaos surrounding that moment in history with a passion and power that only an Oliver Stone film could do. It is also one of the best films about politics from the 20th century.

2 Paul Durham

In the land of baseball movies, Costner is king. Paul Durham There ranks as one of the greatest sports movies ever made and one of the funniest movies ever made, making it to the American Film Institute’s 100 Years of Laughter list. Costner exits the screen as Crash Davis, a small pro gamer sent to help talented but rough rookie Ebby Calvin Laroosh (played by Tim Robbins) control his wild pitching and groom him to become a true major league champion while also vying with him for Annie’s affection, It is a baseball squad that chooses one player each year to be its lover.

This film is widely regarded as one of Costner’s best performances and among the most accurate depictions of life in the minor leagues. Even Hall of Famer great Mickey Mantle had some amazing insights into the life of minor league baseball portrayed in this movie

1 Dream field

field of dreams It is more than just a movie about baseball. This is a movie about fathers and sons, the risks and the rewards, the lengths someone will go to when they lose themselves in the things that don’t matter in life and the lengths they will go to find themselves again.

This is the role Costner will likely be remembered most for his tender and soulful portrayal as Ray Kinsella, an Iowa corn farmer who’s afraid of growing old without having accomplished anything extraordinary but, through a series of trials and tribulations, finished. An epilogue to the ghosts of the talented young men responsible for one of the greatest scandals in sports history is his reconciliation with his late, estranged father.