Known for his heavy-lidded eyes, dimpled chin, and rugged strength, Robert Mitchum was one of the greatest leading men of classic American cinema. Having first got his start on the silver screen with acclaimed performances in film noir classics like Out of the Past and The Night of the Hunter, the gifted actor went on to star alongside some of Hollywood’s finest movie stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Gregory Peck, John Wayne, and Kirk Douglas. Mitchum would go on to become a respected and prominent presence in the entertainment industry for over five decades.
The commanding performer appeared in countless cinematic masterpieces, having starred as a troubled alcoholic sheriff alongside the aforementioned John Wayne in the Western El Dorado, a low-level criminal and mob snitch in The Friends of Eddie Coyle, and the deranged predator Max Cady in Cape Fear. Mitchum is regarded as one of the most talented actors of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and largely inspired fellow stars like Clint Eastwood, Robert De Niro, and Michael Madsen. Let’s take a look at some of Robert Mitchum’s best movies.
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9 River of No Return
20th Century Fox
Silver screen icons Robert Mitchum and Marilyn Monroe teamed up to star in the 1954 Western adventure River of No Return, which follows the brooding widower Matt Calder as he attempts to reconnect with his nine-year-old son after serving a prison sentence. Matt finds himself in a precarious situation with the kindhearted saloon singer Kay Weston and child Mark after they become stranded in the rough wilderness, and must battle against the elements and other human threats to survive.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
Despite a mixed bag response upon its initial release, River of No Return was a financial success and further established its two dazzling leads as hot commodities in Hollywood, with Mitchum and Monroe’s chemistry garnering widespread praise. The film was one of the few to truly allow the great Marilyn Monroe to explore her deepest dramatic talents.
8 Ryan’s Daughter
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Academy Award-winning 1970 epic romantic drama Ryan’s Daughter takes place in 1917 and tells the tale of Irish teacher Rosy Ryan’s passionate affair with British soldier Major Randolph Doryan during World War I; Rosy finds herself deeply conflicted between her feelings for the young man, her seemingly uninterested husband, and her moral and political hostility toward the British.
Featuring Robert Mitchum, Sarah Miles, and Christopher Jones as the characters caught in the sordid love triangle, Ryan’s Daughter was a box office hit and went on to win two Oscars, though some reviewers heavily criticized director David Lean’s vision and storytelling. In recent years, the drama has since been reconsidered and has been called an overlooked masterpiece that garnered unfair vitriol, and a fitting follow-up to Lean’s classic Lawrence of Arabia.
7 The Friends of Eddie Coyle
Paramount Pictures
Robert Mitchum and Peter Boyle headlined the 1973 neo-noir crime drama The Friends of Eddie Coyle, with the former portraying the eponymous low-level criminal character who decides to snitch on the Boston Irish mob in an effort to avoid a lengthy prison sentence. During production of the gripping picture, Mitchum was very interested in meeting local gangsters to fully research his character, with the actor even wanting to meet with notorious crime boss Whitey Bulger; instead, it is alleged that he was introduced to Winter Hill Gang member Howie Winter, whom he met through co-star Alex Rocco. The Friends of Eddie Coyle is widely regarded as one of the best crime movies of the 1970s, with Mitchum being lauded for his commanding performance as Coyle and as a key ingredient to the drama’s overall success.
6 Thunder Road
United Artists
For Arthur Ripley’s 1958 crime drama Thunder Road, Robert Mitchum stars as Korean War veteran Lucas Doolin, who takes over his family’s moonshine business upon his return and must contend with both ruthless city gangsters but also the determined police hot on his heels. Not only did Mitchum headline the picture, but he also produced and came up with the story for the thrilling drama, with the plot having been loosely based on a 1952 incident in Knoxville, Tennessee in which a driver transporting moonshine died in a car accident. Thunder Road went on to become a cult classic film and fan favorite at southern drive-in theaters in the ‘70s and ‘80s, and its theme song “The Ballad of Thunder Road” was also co-written by Mitchum with Don Raye.
5 El Dorado
Cinema legends John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, and James Caan joined forces for Howard Hawks’ 1966 Western El Dorado, telling the thrilling tale of famed gunfighter Cole Thornton (Wayne) as he travels to the titular city to help its struggling alcoholic sheriff J.P. Harrah (Mitchum) defend his home from a greedy tycoon’s vicious thugs. Thornton is aided in his crusade for justice by the young and eager gunslinger Mississippi (Caan), and together the trio set out to rid El Dorado of corruption and violence.
El Dorado was a critical and commercial success, with The New York Times calling it “… a tough, laconic and amusing Western that ambles across the screen as easily as the two veteran stars. The barbed, pungent and frequently funny dialogue, plus some murderous gun forays, add up to crisp entertainment." Often considered one of the best Western movies ever made, the film is also referred to as a ‘hang out’ classic, beloved by filmmaker including Quentin Tarantino.
4 The Story of G.I. Joe
Robert Mitchum earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor when he appeared in the 1945 war drama The Story of G.I. Joe, in which the performer portrays Lieutenant Bill Walker, a hardworking leader who allows journalist and war correspondent Ernie Pyle to accompany him and his men to Europe during the liberation of Italy. Shortly after the production of the film was completed, Mitchum was drafted into the United States Army as a medic at Fort MacArthur, serving briefly for 6 months.
The picture is a tribute to the American infantryman and was based on the real life experiences of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Pyle, who was killed in 1945 during the Battle of Okinawa. The Story of G.I. Joe skyrocketed Mitchum to superstardom and established him as one of Hollywood’s most popular movie stars.
3 The Night of the Hunter
United Artists
Robert Mitchum became synonymous for his exceptional work in the film noir genre, having starred in a slew of critically-acclaimed pictures of the titillating style including the 1955 thriller The Night of the Hunter. Based on the Davis Grubb play of the same name, the plot centers on misogynistic serial killer Reverend Harry Powell (Mitchum) as he targets and murders lonely widowers for their money. Powell sets his sights on the unsuspecting wife of his former executed cellmate, who had hidden $10,000 worth of stolen bank loot.
Widely regarded as one of Mitchum’s most powerful performances to date, the actor was lauded for his role as the monstrous killer, with Roger Ebert raving about his against-type portrayal and saying he “is uncannily right for the role, with his long face, his gravel voice, and the silky tones of a snake-oil salesman.” The film remains a dreamlike, disturbingly bizarre, and ahead-of-its-time masterpiece.
2 Out of the Past
RKO Radio Pictures
Heavily regarded as one of the greatest film noirs of all time, Jacques Tourneur’s 1947 cinematic masterpiece Out of the Past stars Robert Mitchum as former private investigator-turned gas station owner Jeff Bailey, who finds his shady past catching up with him after he is forced to address his unfinished business with a gambler and femme fatale.
Lauded for its dark cinematography and fatalistic storyline, and some of the best noir dialogue ever written, the picture has gone on to achieve cult status and is Mitchum’s best-known noir role, with The New York Times declaring him “magnificently cheeky and self-assured as the tangled ‘private eye,’ consuming an astronomical number of cigarettes in displaying his nonchalance.”
1 Cape Fear
Universal Pictures
In the 1962 noir psychological thriller Cape Fear, Robert Mitchum delivered a tour de force performance as the sinister rapist Max Cady, which follows the violent criminal as he viciously targets the lawyer who sent him to prison. The great Gregory Peck appears as Sam Bowden, the man who interrupted Max’s attack on a woman and whose testimony put the unhinged man behind bars; he goes head-to-head with Max and desperately fights to protect his family from his terrifying brutality.
Cape Fear showcases Mitchum’s impeccable range as an actor and helped bring him further notoriety for his ability to portray chilling, predatory characters; the thriller was remade in 1991 by Martin Scorsese with Robert De Niro taking on the role of Cady, with both Mitchum and Peck making appearances.
