movie about lighthouse keeper robert redford

Frustrated with the hollowness of his work, he finds a new lease on life during a Las Vegas promotion with a former champion race horse named Rising Star worth millions of dollars. Here's the pitch: Redford plays a former rodeo champion who now pays the bills as a spokesman for a popular breakfast cereal brand. Still, it's fun to see Pollack's first time directing Redford, the cinematography from the famed James Wong Howe remains stylish, and Williams' seedy world of messed up people (adapted for the screen by a pre-'Godfather' Francis Ford Coppola) still holds a fair amount of dramatic appeal. Unfortunately, as with many similar films of the day, 'This Property is Condemned' feels pretty dated by today's standard, and is therefore best viewed through a lens of retro nostalgia. It's a simple but effectively melancholy drama anchored by an excellent (and Golden Globe-nominated) performance by Wood, and it received an overall positive critical reception upon release (via Rotten Tomatoes). Owen travels to Alva's hometown to lay off a number of railroad workers at the height of the American Great Depression, and things devolve into a typical Williams tangle of jealousy, longing, and vice. The story, told via flashback, follows the love affair between railroad company man Owen Legate (Redford) and small town girl Alva Starr (Wood). It doesn't ask much of its viewers, and it doesn't offer anything new, yet there is an undeniable appeal to 'An Unfinished Life.'

Redford and Freeman's onscreen friendship is the main draw here, and any scene where Mitch and Einar interact is a high point. However, the story is crafted well enough to keep fans of the genre invested, and the x-factor of the film's exceptional cast elevates it to occasional moments of greatness. The metaphors are blatantly obvious, and the messaging is heavy-handed. The problems in 'An Unfinished Life' are largely shortcomings of the genre - aggressive sentimentality that can get in the way of actual emotional nuance, a slow pace that can make the story drag at times, and a dearth of original ideas.

Josh Lucas, Camryn Manheim, Damian Lewis, and Lynda Boyd also co-star. Their quiet life is upended when Einar's daughter-in-law (Jennifer Lopez) and granddaughter (Becca Gardner) move in with them, leading to some confrontations about Einar's late son. It stars Redford and Morgan Freeman as Einar and Mitch, two lifelong friends (life partners?) who own and operate a ranch outside a small town. Gene Siskel said it best in his Chicago Tribune review: 'Is it worse as a love story or as a drama about the sorry state of television news? The answer: It's a tie.'ĭirected by Lasse Hallström, 'An Unfinished Life' is a simple human drama about family and healing. Nothing about the script or the direction make up for that core problem, leaving a hollow film with very little appeal.

Pfeiffer was in her mid-thirties at the time, while Redford was pushing sixty, and there's an incredibly uncomfortable energy to their boss/employee relationship that haunts the entirety of the film. The problem here, as many critics noted at the time, is that Redford and Pfeiffer just don't work as romantic leads. At the end of the film, Redford's character is killed while covering political unrest in Central America - a job he takes after being inspired by his partner's own professionalism. She eventually leaves his station for bigger and better things, but he remains important to her, and they continue a romantic relationship for some time. The core story here is one that almost certainly wouldn't fly today, for obvious reasons: Pfeiffer plays a young, ambitious news reporter who develops a complicated mentor/mentee relationship with her station manager, played by Redford.

Movie about lighthouse keeper robert redford