Kurt Russell’s 10 Best Movies And TV Shows

Kurt Russell’s best movies and shows highlight a career from one of the most legendary actors in Hollywood. Russell has been acting since he was a young boy, appearing in several early Disney movies and making a name for himself. However, it was not until the early 1980s that he redefined himself as an adult star with a variety of roles that showcased him both as a movie star and as an excellent actor.

Russell has built a persona in the Western genre, but he is an actor who refuses to be typecast in any one role. He has played sadistic and fun villains in the past while also delivering some of the most memorable movie heroes of all time. He can be hilarious in a role or powerfully stoic. He has also worked alongside some of the greatest filmmakers in the world, including Quentin Tarantino and John Carpenter. In the end, narrowing down Kurt Russell’s best work is no easy task.

10

Breakdown (1997)

As Jeff Taylor

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Breakdown

R

Crime

Drama

Mystery

Thriller

Release Date

May 2, 1997

Runtime

95 Minutes

Director

Jonathan Mostow

Writers

Jonathan Mostow, Sam Montgomery

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Kurt Russell In The Los Angeles Photo Call Of Apple TV+'s 'Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters'

    Kurt Russell

    Jeffrey Taylor

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    J.T. Walsh

    Warren Barr

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    Kathleen Quinlan

    Amy Taylor

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    M.C. Gainey

    Earl

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One of Kurt Russell’s most underrated movies also ranks as one every fan of his work needs to check out. Breakdown is a straightforward thriller that stars Russell and Kathleen Quinlan as a married couple making their way through an isolated roadside community when their truck breaks down. While seeking help, the couple splits up only for his wife to seemingly vanish. However, as he attempts to find her, he begins to realize that he has been lured into a dark conspiracy.

As great as Russell is at playing the bigger heroic characters, he is just as effective as the everyday hero. His character of Jeff Taylor is filled with fear and vulnerability, but he is relentless in his pursuit of the truth about his wife, not willing to give up. It makes for a white-knuckle thriller with a terrific central performance.

9

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

As Ego

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

PG-13

Science Fiction

Adventure

Action

ScreenRant logo

7/10

26

7.7/10

Release Date

May 5, 2017

Runtime

137 minutes

Director

James Gunn

Writers

James Gunn

Producers

Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Nik Korda, Stan Lee, Victoria Alonso

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Chris Pratt In The European Gala Event of Marvel Studios' 'Guardians of the Galaxy. Vol 3'

    Chris Pratt

    Peter Quill / Star-Lord

  • Headshot Of Zoe Saldana In The 2024 KERING Women In Motion Awards

    Zoe Saldana

    Gamora

Prequel(s)

Guardians of the Galaxy

Sequel(s)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

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Having Kurt Russell join the MCU was a huge win for the cinematic universe and made for one of its most underrated villains. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 finds Star-Lord and the other dysfunctional heroes adventuring around the galaxy with plenty of enemies on their tail. However, a new mysterious situation arises when they are introduced to the powerful celestial known as Ego the Living Planet (Russell), who claims to be Peter Quill’s real father.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 brings back so many of the elements that made the first movie a surprise hit. It is hilarious, filled with great music, and has a lot of heart in growing the relationships of these colorful characters. Russell makes a great addition to the ensemble, giving a truly committed performance as this powerful character whose true nature is gradually revealed in an effective way.

8

Big Trouble In Little China (1986)

As Jack Burton

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Big Trouble in Little China

PG-13

Action

Adventure

Comedy

Fantasy

ScreenRant logo

8/10

8.6/10

Release Date

May 30, 1986

Runtime

99 minutes

Director

John Carpenter

Writers

Gary Goldman, David Z. Weinstein, W.D. Richter

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Kurt Russell In The Los Angeles Photo Call Of Apple TV+'s 'Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters'

    Kurt Russell

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    Kim Cattrall

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Undoubtedly, the most important collaborator in Kurt Russell’s professional career has been John Carpenter. They have made several classic movies, and while most of them were rather intense, Big Trouble in Little China was a great reminder of how much fun they clearly had together. Russell stars in the movie as Jack Burton, a truck driver who finds himself mixed on in a supernatural war raging beneath Chinatown with a powerful sorcerer with evil plans.

Big Trouble in Little China wonderfully plays on Russell’s legacy as an action hero as Jack Burton is a likable yet largely ineffective hero. He hilariously spends most of the movie questioning what is going on around him, constantly confused about the fight that he is in. The movie is a bit of cartoonish fun, and while certain aspects might not have aged as well, it is still enjoyed as a hugely fun and silly cult classic.

7

The Hateful Eight (201)

As John Ruth

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The Hateful Eight

R

Mystery

Thriller

Drama

ScreenRant logo

9/10

7.7/10

Release Date

December 25, 2015

Runtime

188 Minutes

Director

Quentin Tarantino

Writers

Quentin Tarantino

Cast

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    Zoe Bell

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    Jennifer Jason Leigh

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Kurt Russell and Quentin Tarantino are two Hollywood artists closely associated with the Western, so it was a real thrill to see them team up for an original entry into the genre. The Hateful Eight is a wonderful and violent ensemble piece that follows a group of strangers traveling through the snowy mountains when they are forced to take shelter together in a small cabin. As the tensions rise, it becomes clear that some of the people in that cabin are not who they claim to be.

Russell has a standout role as John Ruth, a bounty hunter transporting a dangerous criminal (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and is dedicated to delivering her alive. Russell joins a stellar cast that also includes Samuel L. Jackson, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth, and others. It is a fun mix of a dark and bloody Western as well as a whodunnit-style mystery.

6

Death Proof (2007)

As Stuntman Mike

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Death Proof

R

Action

Thriller

ScreenRant logo

6/10

8.7/10

Release Date

May 22, 2007

Runtime

113 minutes

Director

Quentin Tarantino

Writers

Quentin Tarantino

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Kurt Russell In The Los Angeles Photo Call Of Apple TV+'s 'Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters'

    Kurt Russell

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    Rosario Dawson

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Kurt Russell’s first movie with Quentin Tarantino resulted in something very unexpected from the two artists. Death Proof was Tarantino’s addition to the two-part horror collection Grindhouse, but it works even better on its own. Russell stars in the movie as Stuntman Mike, a former Hollywood stunt performer who moonlights as a serial killer targeting women with his souped-up killer car. The movie follows him as he stalks two different groups of young women, with two very different results.

Not surprisingly, Tarantino is directly tuned into the throwback exploitation horror movie vibes of this movie. However, he also makes it his own with elevated dialogue, characters, and some great action sequences. Russell delivers one of his best-ever performances, effectively selling the menace of the character. However, he is even better in the climax where the movie takes a very unexpected swerve.

5

Miracle (2004)

As Herb Brooks

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Miracle

PG

Family

Sport

Drama

Release Date

February 6, 2004

Runtime

135 minutes

Director

Gavin O’Connor

Writers

Eric Guggenheim

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Kurt Russell In The Los Angeles Photo Call Of Apple TV+'s 'Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters'

    Kurt Russell

    Herb Brooks

  • Headshot Of Patricia Clarkson

    Patricia Clarkson

    Patty Brooks

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Nathan West

    Rob McClanahan

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    Noah Emmerich

    Craig Patrick

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Kurt Russell helped bring one of the most inspiring true sports stories to the big screen in the uplifting Miracle. The hockey movie tells the story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, who faced seemingly impossible odds and ended up beating the Soviet team in the Gold Medal game. Russell leads the team as player-turned-coach Herb Brooks.

Miracle is a true underdog sports movie but does not have to lean into cliché and sentimentality in order to be entertaining. It is a grounded yet uplifting story of determination and hard work. Russell elevates the entire movie as Brooks. He plays the character as someone who is not afraid to seem harsh to his players, pushing them hard and demanding nothing but their best. His performance helps make Miracle the greatest hockey movie ever made.

4

Bone Tomahawk (2015)

As Sheriff Hunt

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Bone Tomahawk

Not Rated

Western

Adventure

Documentary

Horror

Thriller

32

8.6/10

Release Date

October 23, 2015

Runtime

132 minutes

Director

S. Craig Zahler

Writers

S. Craig Zahler

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Patrick Wilson

    Patrick Wilson

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    Kurt Russell

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Kurt Russell has made some great Westerns in his career but one of his best also serves as a great horror movie. Bone Tomahawk stars Russell as Sheriff Hunt, the protective and brave lawman of a small town. When several of the citizens are taken by mysterious enemies, Hunt assembles a posse to head out into the barren lands to rescue them. However, they find themselves confronted with the unspeakable horrors and brutality of a group of cannibals lurking in the mountains.

Bone Tomahawk is a gruesome and shocking horror movie that is certainly not for the faint of heart. There are moments that rival the most unsettling things I have ever seen in a movie. However, it is also a sharply written thriller with no time to waste on clichés or exposition, slamming the audience with unexpected developments. Russell leads a talented cast with his effective performance as an aging hero who wants to save the people he swore to protect.

3

Escape From New York (1981)

As Snake Plissken

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Escape From New York

R

Sci-Fi

Action

Adventure

ScreenRant logo

9/10

19

9.1/10

Release Date

July 10, 1981

Runtime

99 minutes

Director

John Carpenter

Writers

Nick Castle, John Carpenter

Sequel(s)

Escape from LA

Cast

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  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Isaac Hayes

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Donald Pleasance

Franchise(s)

Escape from New York

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Kurt Russell and John Carpenter helped create the most iconic character from their collaborations together in the action thriller Escape from New York. Set in the future in which Manhattan has been abandoned and transformed into an island prison, Russell stars as Snake Plissken, a famed criminal who is implanted with an explosive and forced to enter New York in order to rescue the President of the United States of America whose plane crashed in the lawless city.

It is a fun premise with a terrific dystopian world that feels akin to what George Miller created in the Mad Max movies. However, the real special element of the movie is Russell as Snake. He creates a truly unforgettable action hero who is unafraid, highly capable, and cares nothing for society as a whole. Russell seems to relish the chance to play this lone gunslinger role in such a cool sci-fi setting.

2

Tombstone (1993)

As Wyatt Earp

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Tombstone

R

Western

Biography

Drama

ScreenRant logo

8/10

275

9.4/10

Release Date

December 25, 1993

Runtime

130 minutes

Director

George P. Cosmatos, Kevin Jarre

Writers

Kevin Jarre

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Bill Paxton

    Bill Paxton

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    Charlton Heston

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Given all of Kurt Russell’s Western movies, the fact that Tombstone stands out as his best should impress you. The movie also sees Russell taking on one of the most iconic real-life figures of the Old West, Wyatt Earp. The movie depicts Earp and his brothers arriving in the town of Tombstone to make a new life for themselves. However, their heroic ways eventually lead them to take on lawman roles in the fight against the violent and criminal cowboys.

Russell brings his perfect stoic leading man performance to the role, delivering some epic one-liners that rank among the best Tombstone quotes. He is also backed up by a wonderful cast that includes Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, and Val Kilmer in a scene-stealing role as Doc Holliday. Tombstone not only stands as Russell’s best Western but also one of the best movies in the genre ever.

1

The Thing (1982)

As MacReady

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The Thing

R

Horror

Sci-Fi

Mystery

ScreenRant logo

10/10

15

9.5/10

Release Date

June 25, 1982

Runtime

109 minutes

Director

John Carpenter

Writers

Bill Lancaster

Prequel(s)

The Thing

Cast

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  • Cast Placeholder Image

    T.K. Carter

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    David Clennon

Franchise(s)

The Thing

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Yet another collaboration with John Carpenter, the master filmmaker chose his favorite leading man to lead the ensemble of what many call the greatest horror movie ever made. The Thing follows a group working at an isolated research facility in Antarctica who encounter an alien species that has the ability to take on the form of any biological thing it comes in contact with. As the workers are picked off one by one and have no hope of rescue coming, they realize that the creature could be any one of them.

Amid the tension and thrills, Kurt Russell delivers a terrific performance as R.J. MacReady, the facility’s pilot. While he has Russell’s typical take-charge heroic energy, MacReady is also a harsher hero than audiences might be expecting. Carpenter elevates the fear of the unknown and the paranoia of the characters while also delivering gruesome gore in the form of the movie’s iconic monster designs.

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