'Apocalypse Now' and 4 Other Best Movies Starring Robert Duvall, Ranked by RT
From a cold-blooded colonel in an anti-militaristic drama, to a man who is determined to make a fresh start.
In February 2026, Robert Duvall, an actor and director who experienced three eras of Hollywood cinema, passed away. Having started his career during the golden age of the studio system, he flourished during the New Hollywood period.
His seven-decade career saw him create a gallery of characters that will forever be etched in the history of cinema.
5. 'The Judge', 2014
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 49%
Chicago attorney Hank Palmer is the epitome of professionalism – he skilfully manipulates facts and jury opinions, winning even the most hopeless cases.
However, one day, fate presents him with a challenge when his father, a respected Indiana judge played by Robert Duvall, is charged with premeditated murder. Complicating matters further, father and son have not spoken for over 20 years.
In order to avoid a guilty verdict, the Palmers must reconcile and find common ground.
4. 'Falling Down', 1993
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%
William Foster is plagued by a hot Los Angeles summer. A month ago, he was fired from his job and forced to move from his spacious apartment to his mother's house. To make matters worse, the restraining order against his daughter and ex-wife was extended.
The final straw comes when he gets stuck in a gigantic traffic jam and his temper flares up – he decides to take revenge. Destroying everything in his path, he sets off for his daughter's birthday party, but encounters a host of new obstacles along the way.
Robert Duvall plays Police Sergeant Prendergast, who, on his retirement day, is forced to pursue the deranged white-collar criminal.
3. 'Tender Mercies', 1983
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%
Mac Sledge (Robert Duvall) was once a famous country singer, but he lost everything to alcoholism. After a drinking spree, he wakes up in a run-down motel in Texas.
Realising he has no money, he offers the young motel owner, who is a widow with a child, to work off the cost of his room and board. The motel is in need of repair, and she agrees but only on one condition – Mac must quit drinking on workdays.
This musical drama about a country star earned Duvall his first and only Oscar for Best Actor.
2. 'The Apostle', 1997
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
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Texas preacher Sonny (Robert Duvall) is going through a hard time. His beloved wife is having an affair with a young pastor. In a fit of rage, Sonny beats the pastor to death with a baseball bat.
Shocked by his actions, Sonny flees the town and prays to God for forgiveness. He soon finds refuge in a small Louisiana town, where he builds a new church from scratch and calls himself The Apostle.
The Apostle was Duvall's directorial debut, in which he also produced and starred. The film earned Duvall his third Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
1. 'Apocalypse Now', 1979
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
It is the late 1960s, the height of the Vietnam War. Captain Benjamin Willard is given a mission by his superiors: to find and eliminate Colonel Walter Kurtz.
According to them, this officer, who had a brilliant service record, had gone mad. He had deserted the army and founded his own state in a neighbouring country with his followers. As Willard walks through the Cambodian jungle, he encounters manifestations of war psychosis and gradually descends into madness himself.
Duvall plays the eccentric Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore, a madman willing to sacrifice soldiers' lives for the faint chance of surfing on the Vietnamese coast.
