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This list was originally published on November 13, 2020.
It has been updated to includeHorizon: An American Saga.
Hes the regular Joe.
Hes the dude you wouldnt mind having a beer with.
And, for a short time, he was the biggest thing in Hollywood.
You know what happened after that:Waterworldseverely dented his standing, and thenThe Postmanmade him a punch line.
Its hard to dislike Kevin Costner.
He seems like a good fella.
In his prime, he articulated a rugged vulnerability that couldmake men weepy about his films.
Decency, idealism, common sense, a can-do spirit: Costner embodied these qualities with a no-big-deal air.
He would have been a killer candidate had he ever considered running for public office.
Hes so understated that he runs the risk of being underrated.
Costner, for all his white-guy pseudo-soulfulness, doesnt play grief well.
He mostly just seems sleepy.
Its still not clear what this was ever supposed to be.
41.The Guardian(2006)
Every dangerous profession gets its own movie.
The Postmanis, however, mostly bad.
But seriously: This is as difficult a sit as a movie gets.
You keep expecting him to put down that novel hes supposedly working on and go play some golf.
But Costner seems completely uncomfortable in the role.
He just doesnt have that killer instinct.
This is a sports movie for people who dont really like sports.
Brooks(2007)
Eventually, every nice-guy actor has to do his dark serial killer departure.Mr.
Its to his benefit that most people have forgotten this one.
(And was directed by Kenneth Branagh.)
Raimi does get credit, however, for casting John C. Reilly as a catcher.
If John C. Reilly were a baseball player, he would absolutely be a catcher.
Its notscary, necessarily, but it is jarring to watch an actor like him go blank and hulking.
The movie is junk, but there might be a great Costner aging-sociopath role out there somewhere.
28.Waterworld(1995)
Weve come to the movie that ruined Kevin Costners career.
The most expensive film of its era.
The flop that was dubbedFishtar.
Could someone else have made the Mariner a fascinating anti-hero?
Oh, possibly: Lord knows theres a Mel Gibson/Mad Maxy quality to this postapocalyptic survivor.
But its hard for Costners sincerity to ground a scenario thats this ludicrous and overwrought.
The best you might say aboutWaterworldis that its not that terrible.
Judged in a vacuum, the performance is moderately heartfelt and moving.
But in a movie that ends up being quite cringey, those honorable intentions dont add up to much.
Costner teams with Woody Harrelson as FBI agents tasked with taking down the notorious criminals Bonnie and Clyde.
Costners star presence and fundamental decency are palpable.
And look at that mustache!
The audience cheers at the right moments, and Costner has the appropriate indignant fervor.
But you sorta wish films likeHidden Figuresdidnt need these hackneyed crowd-pleasing digressions.
but Costner finds the right low-key, chilled-out vibe.
Its still pretty good though, and Costner gives a quiet, measured, confident performance.
(He also has a splendid beard.)
15.The Bodyguard(1992)
He doesnt want to work for some shallow pop star.
She thinks hes kind of a grump.
Costner is wonderfully vulnerable in the role.
(I met Kevin when I was in film school, Reynoldssaid later.
He came in and auditioned for my student film.
Fun fact: Costner did not get the part.
)Fandangoconcerns a group of college buddies in the early 1970s hitting the open road.
Mostly because they dont want to think about being drafted or having to become adults.
Costner looks poised to inherit that mantle:Let Him Gois better than you assume it will be.
And, yes, it certainly fits the description.
But its a solid piece of sentimental advocacy.
There really should be more movies like this.
8.The Untouchables(1987)
Robert De Niro and Sean Connery had the flashier roles.
AfterThe Untouchables, Costner never disappeared into a big role again in quite the same way.
But when the director approached the actor aboutTin Cup, Costner initially wasnt interested.
There is real magic going on with that performance, Glenn said.
(Costner once asked director Phil Alden Robinson why he didnt go with Williams.
It is hard to argue with that analogy.
But nowA Perfect Worldis mostly forgotten, and wrongly: Its a highlight in both of their careers.
Every day was going to be a workload.
There was nothing casual about that movie.
He makes Jim Garrison a modern Don Quixote, and the tilting at windmills is inspiring.
(The studio wanted … Anthony Michael Hall!)
And hes never been more of a movie star than he was right here.
