Kevin Costner has had an up and down career and the final historical judgment as an actor remains to be seen. But whatever one's opinion of him, his performance in roles of his apparently narrow range of acting as a flawed human adult male is particularly revealing and has a depth that few actors have reached in this area of human performance behavior. The following movies highlight this rather unique acting portrait:

1987 No Way Out
1988 Bull Durham
1989 Field of Dreams
1990 Dances with Wolves
1992 The Bodyguard
1993 A Perfect World
1994 Wyatt Earp
1995 Waterworld
1997 The Postman
1999 Message in a Bottle
2002 Dragon Fly

And in 2005 he returns in The Upside of Anger.

Just noticed this thread. I like Kevin Costner, and I don't care what anyone says, Waterworld was a really cool film. And (don't you dare laugh) I actually like the Postman. An original, if silly, concept that's engaging to watch. Plus, the fact that it contains numerous unintentionnally funny moments, adds to the entertainment!
Dances With Wolves, Field of Dreams and No Way Out are 3 excellent films in which Costner proved he was not only a good actor but also a fine director. You also forgot Open Range in your list, that was a good film too.
I do feel we don't see enough of him though and in not enough really good films. I mean, the critics (and many viewers) litterally annihilated The Postman, The Bodyguard (I really dont like this film) and even Dragon Fly, which I havent seen.
Overall, I believe Costner is a talented actor and filmmaker and his films are always worth a look.

I am also a Kevin Costner fan. I admit that I will see any Kevin Costner movie. I will offer my own top 10(in no particular order).

1. Bull Durham
2. Silverado
3. The Untouchables
4. No Way Out
5. JFK
6. Field of Dreams
7. Thirteen Days
8. Tin Cup
9. A Perfect World
10. Dances with Wolves
11. American Flyers - I must include this because it is a sentimental favorite. Growing up, this movie was always on HBO!
12. Fandango - See above reasoning.

I just finishing watching The Postman (1997) again. What is fascinating about this movie are the broad parallels between this movie and his much more successful Dances With Wolves (1990).

Spoilers.

The Postman seems to actually take off (begins) from where Dances with Wolves ends with Kevin Costner's character ending up in the wilderness foraging for survival and having to struggle with a woman be befriends like at the end of Dances with Wolves. By the end of The Postman, we relive the beginning of Dances with Wolves but in a very different context. Instead of Kevin Costner somewhat crazed in Dances with Wolves as he bares himself to the Confederate Army in the beginning of the movie, he again places himself at the end of The Postman in front of the enemy lines except in a much stronger position of power and confidence.

The strength of The Postman comes again in Costner's character's vulnerable where he is seen as a selfish, lying scoundrel of some account, but with a strong moral fiber somewhere hidden inside when it just comes down to it - the goodness within all of or most of us. He must also be nurtured and nagged at by a women in order to regain his health, another probably authentic ideal or at least therapuetic need for most men nowadays. The ending of The Postman is so singularly unAmerican in its simple conclusion and decisive battle of two that it's one of the few movies of its kind to attempt this (apparently with poor boxoffice results) but how noble and how insightful on Costner's part. Costner avoids the full scale brutality of massive action war and mayhem and instead focuses on the more simple scenes (a postman on horseback grabbing at home from a small boy's hand). There a important themes in this movie, a qualitative instead of quantitative movie which in the end speaks more to its integrity and substance than its popularity.

This is a guy who must have sold his soul to the devil then the bill came due because he has made stinker after stinker after stinker in recent years.

He was terrific in DePalma's THE UNTOUCHABLES, the film that propelled him to stardom after he suffered the ignominy of ended up on the cutting room floor in the magnificent BIG CHILL. Lawrence Kasden, no doubt to make up for cutting him out of BC, cast him in SILVERADO, a pretty good modern day western.

I also thought he was terrific in FIELD OF DREAMS, DANCES WITH WOLVES and BULL DURHAM.

Then came the crash and such self-indulgent films like WATERWORLD, which should have been called WATERLOGGED, and the truly awful THE POSTMAN. I remember THE POSTMAN came out the same year as TITANIC and both films were playing at my local multi-plex. The people in the audience with me in POSTMAN all had gotten shut out of a sold out TITANIC.

His films in recent years have been truly awful such as MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE & DRAGONFLY, both of which I stayed away from.

OPEN RANGE, which Costner directed, started out ok when it featured Robert Duvall in the first half-to-three-quarters of the film, but then the film fell apart when the focus in the last part shifted to Costner.

People liked Costner's role in THE UPSIDE OF ANGER. I didn't have problems with his performance, but I didn't like the film at all, which was generally well received among the film crix.

And this Holiday season Costner has popped up in the sequel to THE GRADUATE, a film I am giving a wide berth to.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ChrisFromAstoria,

quote:

ChrisFromAstoria posted:

Then came the crash and such self-indulgent films like WATERWORLD, which should have been called WATERLOGGED, and the truly awful THE POSTEMAN. I remember THE POSTMAN came out the same year as TITANIC and both films were playing at my local multi-plus. The people in the audience with me in POSTMAN all had gotten shut out of a sold out TITANIC.

I disagree with you and most people and critics on The Postman that I finished watching again the past month. I continue to be impressed with how Kevin Costner, defies customary film-making and remains a rebel, refusing to reduce himself to stereotypical Pablum. He took a simple but intriguing idea and made it heroic and noble. He continued in his imperfect, flawed male role and promoted his vision of distinction. He ended the movie not with the usual war epic but a personal battle. I think his contribution and his values and his depiction of man and his morality are impressively displayed and his integrity in his command of his almost contempt of the typical adventure film is commendable and I applaud his attempts even at his own suffering career.

Kevin Costner has an American decency which is regarded as old-fashioned now. He once said that 'Fields of dreams' is his generation's 'It's a wonderful life'. While that might not seem modest, all he is is realistically confident about his own talents- he is a charismatic, good looking actor and human being who can be very proud about his unique contribution to cinema.

From a male fan in the United Kingdom.

kevin cosner is a good actor,not great but that's ok because his films are pretty good and he doesn't overact,the worst mistake he's made was[robin hood]which should've starred pierce brosman.

quote:

jack nance Participant
Posted 18 July 2006 01:24 PM

kevin cosner is a good actor,not great but that's ok because his films are pretty good and he doesn't overact,the worst mistake he's made was[robin hood]which should've starred pierce brosman.

While I don't disagree with your comment, I can't rule out Kevin Costner's acting potential. It's possible that he himself knows his limits and therefore avoids movies that would put the notion of his abilities to rest. His character performances while I feel are quite good have been limited in range and thus never allowing to determine definitely just what he can and cannot do.

quote:

Originally posted by jack nance:
kevin cosner is a good actor,not great but that's ok because his films are pretty good and he doesn't overact,the worst mistake he's made was[robin hood]which should've starred pierce brosman.

I don't see your reasoning here. Pierce Brosnan? This movie was awful and that casting change wouldn't have made it any better. Besides this, reading one of your posts is worse than a botched root canal. Will you please try using correct grammar and spelling at least once or twice?

quote:

Originally posted by tabuno:
While I don't disagree with your comment, I can't rule out Kevin Costner's acting potential. It's possible that he himself knows his limits and therefore avoids movies that would put the notion of his abilities to rest. His character performances while I feel are quite good have been limited in range and thus never allowing to determine definitely just what he can and cannot do.

I haven't seen anything from him since Message in a Bottle and that was just OK. I really do like Kevin though but I think it's more because of who he seems to be as a person as opposed to his acting ability. I loved Tin Cup, which is still one of my top 10 favs. Bull Durham and Field of Dreams will always have their places in my movie collection as well. Much like Chris stated, I really think he has a decency that shines through his roles. I've seen him on Bill Maher and was highly impressed with his demeanor and point of view on certain topics.

My guess is that he will age much like a Paul Newman or a Henry Fonda and eventually, have a career defining role in a future classic.

first of all brosnan[happy now?]is english as is the tale of robin hood,is what i meant,secondly I HATE PERFECT PEOPLE,now root that!

quote:

Originally posted by jack nance:
first of all brosnan[happy now?]is english as is the tale of robin hood,is what i meant,secondly I HATE PERFECT PEOPLE,now root that!

Actually, I believe Brosnan is originally from Ireland, not England. That would make him Irish.

close enough,if he can play the superspy[james bond]then he can play robin hood.

quote:

Originally posted by jack nance:
close enough

Isn't that a bit like saying if an Canadian were to play a Mexican, it would be "close enough"?

I'm with P-Bo (for once eh P-Bo!), Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves was a crap hollywood take on the tale anyway. Kevin Costner was the least of its problems. There's no way Pierce Brosnan could've saved it. What it needed was a new script and a new director.

I recently watched TRUTH OR DARE that doc about Madonna that was released theatrically back in '92 and there is a devastating vignette involving KC. He comes backstage to thank Madonna for his front row tickets and said the concert was "neat." You could tell Madonna had no time for him and started parodying him after he left the room. It was all caught on film.

Meanwhile, as I expected, THE GRADUATE sequel was panned. I think Kevin's finest moment on film was in Clint Eastwood's A PERFECT WORLD. I remember seeing that one on original release and not liking it at all. I caught up with it again when it was revived at the Museum of Modern Art and really liked it. Kevin was never better and Clint was on the top of his game both in front and behind the camera on this one.

I don't know if I dreamt this or if I read it somewhere, but I thought I learned that Costner is going to star in a sequel to FIELD OF DREAMS.

Maybe by returning to one of his hits he can revive his flagging career.

Ah, Kevin Costner. His new movie THE GUARDIAN opens on Friday. He is co-starring with TV heartthrob and actor-manque Ashton Kushter or whatever his name is. Looking at the quote whores on the ad -- Internet critics, radio critics, TV critics -- his new film will probably take its place in the long line of stinkers Costner has made over the last 15 years.

Will this film break 50 on the Metacritics scorecard?