It’s often a lot of fun to look in on the career of a person like Robert Duvall, someone who is considered old school and has been for some time since he’s been around and done a lot of stuff in his years as an actor. He was in the US Army at one point in his younger years but spent only a year in the service before being discharged as a private first class. From there he went on to try his hand in acting but did manage to hold down several jobs as he made his way onto the scene alongside greats such as Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman, and Scott Caan. His years have been filled thus far with movies that are nothing short of great no matter what critics say, and putting every great movie he’s been in on this list would take a while. So I’ll settle for a few that struck a particular note by being nothing short of impressive.
Here are some of the best movies of his career.
5. Falling Down
There’s really only so much a person can take and while a lot of people bury their feelings and frustrations just enough to get through their day, William has simply had enough. He’s divorced, his ex doesn’t want him around, and he was just laid off in the beginning of the movie. Deciding he’s had enough he abandons his car in gridlock and starts making his way across LA’s most dangerous territories, encountering all sorts of people that want to harm him or otherwise rip him off. When he acquires a satchel full of firearms after a failed drive-by attempt on his life however he becomes a real threat, and one that the cops have to find and neutralize quickly.
4. Secondhand Lions
Hub and Garth McCann are old duffers that just want to be left alone and in peace since they’re both bachelors and they want nothing to do with the world outside their home. But when Walter, their 14-year old great-nephew is unceremoniously dumped on their doorstep so to speak they come to find that they like him and want to keep him around. It’s not a perfect matchup at first, but eventually both men find that Walter is not just useful, he’s the kind of kid that grows on a person when they open themselves up. In a way the brothers save Walter just as much as he saves them.
3. The Judge
Old grudged are rarely worth it but when Hank and his father Joseph meet up after many years spent apart due to a bitter feud that lies between them it becomes something of a necessity to air their dirty laundry when Joseph is accused of a hit and run. Despite the fact that Joseph has little if any respect for Hank he does allow him to serve as his lawyer, which is ironic since Joseph was a judge for so many years and is now forced to sit in the same seat where he watched so many people try to defend themselves to men such as him. It’s a movie that proves that no matter how far away you go, home is always just a few steps away.
2. Apocalypse Now
This is one of the many movies that should send chills down a person’s spine since the horrific images it shows are something that won’t easily leave a persons’s consciousness and likely wouldn’t be great for those with severe PTSD stemming from their time in the service. The movie is something right out of a novel but at the same time it’s done so well that you can’t help but admire the attention to detail that was given and the idea that one man could create such a following that would enable him to act like a demi-god those around him. Again, this movie just kind of creepy.
1. The Godfather
Tom isn’t part of the family by blood but he’s still considered to be one of them as he’s as close as anyone can be without being directly related. He’s the man that helps to make decisions, that the Don listens to, and the guy that will carry out what Don Corleone wants at any given time. It’s easy to see how the rest of the family think about him as Sonny wants him to be more aggressive but gets along with him just fine, Fredo looks to him only when needs something, and Michael, well, Michael values his presence and his insight, but would never rely on him as much as his father did. Connie kind of just hangs about in the first two movies, never really interacting with Tom.
He’s had such a great career so far that it would seem that he just walks on set and he’s immediately appreciated.
