Few actors in the history of Hollywood have had the kind of career that Kevin Costner has assembled. He went from being the biggest leading man of his generation to proving that he could be a genuinely great director, earning a couple of Academy Awards along the way.
Now, Costner is back with his Horizon saga, one of the biggest bets any Hollywood personality has ever made on themselves. As we finally get to see what those movies will be like, this is also the perfect opportunity to look back on Costner’s long career. Few actors or directors have had a bigger impact on Hollywood, but we’ve selected three of his more underrated movies that are also worth your time. If you’ve already seen Field of Dreams 8,000 times, this is probably the list for you.
Draft Day (2014)
Set inside an NFL front office just days before the draft, Costner plays the general manager of the Cleveland Browns in one of the more riveting behind-the-scenes sports dramas of recent years. As you might expect, the drama isn’t confined to who the Browns might select.
Instead, Costner’s character also spends time dealing with his newly pregnant romantic partner and with a contemptuous owner who wants him fired. Although it features relatively little on-the-field action, Draft Day still manages to feel like one of the more compelling sports dramas of the 21st century.
Draft Day is streaming on Peacock.
Open Range (2003)
For all of his skills as a star, Costner’s career as a director has been a little spottier, to say the least. In Open Range, though, Costner proves that he has all the tools needed to make a truly excellent movie. Costner’s revisionist Western tells the story of a cowboy and his two loyal hands.
When one of those hands winds up kidnapped after venturing into rival territory, the other two have to formulate a plan to get him out. Open Range may not be a hugely complicated story, but it’s proof that Costner knows how to make an engaging Western with a great ensemble cast.
Open Range can rented or purchased on Amazon Prime Video.
For Love of the Game (1999)
Telling the story of a legendary pitcher at the end of his career who finds himself on the verge of pitching a perfect game, For Love of the Game is something of a send-off for Costner with the genre of baseball movies, which he made his home in for more than a decade.
Although the movie’s present takes place during the game, it also features extended flashback sequences in which Costner’s pitcher reflects on his life, and specifically on the one relationship he ever had that made him happy. Costner and Kelly Preston have rock solid chemistry as the two leads, and they are buoyed by a remarkably stacked supporting cast.
For Love of the Game is streaming on Starz.