Like Clint Eastwood, Kevin Costner is an iconic representation of the classic Hollywood leading man. Tough and unapologetic but likable and in firm command of the audience whenever he's on-screen. Also like Eastwood, he's known for his directing work (e.g. with the Horizon trilogy) as well as his acting and has been involved with many, many films. And, as can be expected, some of them are far better than the others.
But what about the ones that haven't quite received their fair due? Those are the ones that follow, though of course everything is subjective when it comes to the arts. But, logically, there will be no outright winners such as JFK, Dances with Wolves, or Hidden Figures here. And, equally logically, but on the other side of the coin, don't expect to find the unwatchable The Postman or the utter slog that is Wyatt Earp here, either.
10 A Perfect World (1993)
A Perfect World would be the best Clint Eastwood movie of the '90s were it not for the same year's In the Line of Fire and the previous year's Unforgiven. Costner is fully in his element as a bandit on the run, while Eastwood gives an understated performance as the lead officer on his tail.
An Extremely Underappreciated Film by Clint Eastwood
But, even if those two characters do share a tumultuous past, A Perfect World is really about the developing paternal-filial bond between a man and boy who share none of the same blood. It's not one's average cops and robbers movie, and in this case that's a wonderful thing.
9 Draft Day (2014)
Like Moneyball, Ivan Reitman's Draft Day focuses on the business behind sports more than it does the sport itself. Just swap out baseball for football and add a slightly lighter tone (not that Moneyball is overtly self-serious) and that's this Costner-led film. And, per usual, the actor is right at home with this kind of material, not unlike Tin Cup, Bull Durham, and Field of Dreams.
Not Quite Moneyball, but Fun All the Same
The narrative centers on the manager of the Cleveland Browns (a real team, though Costner's character is fictional) as he tries to do what's best for the team now that they've acquired the season's number one draft pick. Draft Day is notable for being Reitman's final film and features an outstanding supporting cast including Frank Langella, Denis Leary, Sam Elliott, Ellen Burstyn, the late Chadwick Boseman, and a scene-stealing Jennifer Garner.
8 The Highwaymen (2019)
It's amazing Costner and Woody Harrelson hadn't worked together before Netflix's The Highwaymen (though Costner did have a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo in 1999's Play It to the Bone) because their chemistry is sterling. Costner and Harrelson portray, respectively, Frank Hamer and Maney Gault, the two former Texas Rangers who played a major hand in the apprehension and bloody in-vehicle execution of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.
Watch It After Bonnie and Clyde
A long-gestating project initially intended for Robert Redford and Paul Newman, The Highwaymen ended up landing on Netflix after a limited theatrical run. It's not the best original movie on the streamer, but it makes for solid afternoon viewing nonetheless.
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7 Let Him Go (2020)
Let Him Go
- Release Date
- November 5, 2020
- Runtime
- 113
Let Him Go made a respectable amount at the box office (given it was released in 2020) but seems to have slipped out of public consciousness since then. Odd, considering it's a family-focused Western released in the era of Yellowstone's pop-cultural domination. Yet, while Costner's role is prevalent in the film, and he's great in it, this is Diane Lane's movie all the way.
Don't Let This One Go Under Your Radar
In this neo-Western, Costner portrays a retired sheriff whose grandson is being held by their former daughter-in-law's abusive new boyfriend's family. He and his wife have already lost their son (in a riding accident), and if their grandchild stays with these violent people, history will just repeat itself. So, with his wife leading the charge, the duo go and put everything on the line to get the boy back in safe arms.
6 McFarland, USA (2015)
Released one year after Draft Day, McFarland, USA continued Costner's resurgent in mid-budgeted movies which primarily focused on athletics. And, like Draft Day, McFarland is a very pleasant Sunday afternoon kind of movie. Unlike Draft Day, however, it's more of a heartstring-tugging drama and less of a business-focused comedy-drama.
A Nice Companion Piece to Draft Day
This true story follows Costner as track and field coach Jim White, who leads California's McFarland High School track team to a state championship. And, as it turned out, that championship would be the first of nine between 1987 (when this film is set) and 2003.
5 No Way Out (1987)
An early star vehicle for Costner, No Way Out is also so much more. Roger Donaldson's is one of the most capable-of-legitimate-surprise films of the '80s, and as far as spy films go, it manages to be perpetually compelling without a surplus of action sequences.
It Comes with a Twist
Costner plays Tom Farrell, a Lieutenant Commander of the Office of Naval Intelligence. He has a fling with Susan Atwell (Sean Young) and subsequently learns she's engaged in a similar romance with his supervisor, Defense Secretary David Brice (Gene Hackman). When Atwell is killed, Farrell is charged with leading the investigation, but before long he's considered a suspect himself, and perhaps for good reason, as not everyone is who they appear to be on the surface.
4 Silverado (1985)
Lawrence Kasdan's Silverado deserves to be mentioned in the same conversation as Tombstone, but it hardly ever is. Star-studded and wildly entertaining, it's a breeze even for those who don't find themselves enamored with the genre. The narrative follows a group of characters each searching their own brand of revenge, but they all end up centering around the cruel sheriff of Silverado: Cobb.
His Big Break
Costner portrays the younger brother of Scott Glenn's Emmett, who is introduced in a jail cell and immediately proves why he became such a star. The actor bounces around the cell, displaying more magnetic energy than the rest of the impressive cast combined. It's not Costner's movie as much as it's Glenn and Kevin Kline's, but he steals all his scenes.
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3 Thirteen Days (2000)
Some political movies are scary because they show something that could happen. Others, like Thirteen Days, show something scary that did happen. In this case, the Cuban Missile Crisis. And, while it takes some liberties with history (Costner's character had precious little to do with the negotiations that ended the crisis), it's still an intelligent and well-written two and a half hours.
A Terrific Companion Piece to JFK
For the most part, though, what makes Thirteen Days sail instead of sink is the proficiency of the performances. Costner portrays Special Assistant to the President Kenneth O'Donnell, while Bruce Greenwood plays President John F. Kennedy and the ever-underrated Steven Culp in the role of the equally lovable but ill-fated Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. But, this film isn't about those two political titans' assassinations, it's about what they accomplished before that point, and just how they did so.
2 Tin Cup (1996)
Ron Shelton, writer-director of the utter treat that is Tin Cup, has made a career out of sports films. The Best of Times was tangentially about football, White Men Can't Jump was tangentially about basketball, Play It to the Bone was about boxing, and Cobb was about baseball. All of them bring a human touch to what could have been alienating material for non-sports fans and, like his most iconic film, Bull Durham, it's more about character than bat-swinging or layups.
One of the '90s' Best Rom-Coms
Also like Bull Durham, Tin Cup gives Costner some material he can really chew up. His work as the titular character in this golf-focused rom-com is some of his most engrossing and likable, and his chemistry with both Rene Russo and Cheech Marin is impeccable.
1 Waterworld (1995)
Waterworld
- Release Date
- July 28, 1995
- Cast
- Kevin Costner , Chaim Girafi , Rick Aviles , R.D. Call , Zitto Kazann , Leonardo Cimino
A legendary box office bomb that did some damage to Costner's bankability in the studios' eyes, Waterworld still wasn't enough to sink his career entirely. And, while it does have its problems (pacing is a big issue here), even Waterworld's most ardent detractors would have to admit it's an ambitious and creative work. Plus, Dennis Hopper always made for a terrific villain just as Costner always made for a believable hero.
At Least It's Developed a Following
There's much to like about Waterworld, even if some of the acting (including Costner as Mariner, admittedly) is spotty. As far as set design goes, it's basically unbeatable, and as cinema has become increasingly reliant on CGI, Waterworld's production, while expensive, just gets more impressive.
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