Robert Redford Only Said 51 Words In This Terrifying Survival Thriller

Sadly, Robert Redford died on September 16 at the age of 89. People will undoubtedly look back fondly on his filmography and rewatch some of his classic films, like "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "All the President's Men," and "The Natural," to honor the actor's legacy. But for every iconic hit, Redford had plenty of hidden gems that flew under the radar, especially in the back half of his career in the 21st century. As the world remembers Redford, don't let the 2013 survival film "All is Lost" pass you by. 

It's the rare class of film that primarily stars a single actor, in this case Redford. He plays a man adrift at sea with a damaged boat and equipment who must contend with the elements to survive. It's a classic man versus nature story, with Redford largely by himself the entire time, and he only has 51 words of spoken English dialogue. However, it's worth noting the film opens with Redford's character reading a letter in voiceover that's over 100 words not counting toward that total. Still, it's impressive. 

"All is Lost" is a testament to Redford's abilities as an actor. He made a name for himself playing deeply flawed heroes, and he consistently challenged himself and took roles one might not expect to see him in. "All is Lost" certainly fits within that wheelhouse, as Redford plays a man who has no one to save him other than himself. His power to communicate complex emotions through facial expressions alone is admirable, so it should be no surprised he received a standing ovation for his performance when "All is Lost" premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. 

"All is Lost" brought Robert Redford some of the biggest praise of his career. The film stands at an astonishing 95% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and virtually everyone commended Redford's powerhouse yet minimalistic performance, like Kimberly Jones for the Austin Chronicle, who wrote, "Five minutes alone with him in 'All Is Lost' will make you feel like a chump for ever suspecting he was done for. The charisma never went away; it's only aged into a very fine vintage, indeed."

Redford proved that even decades into his career — and after going more into directing, producing, and founding the Sundance Film Festival  – he still had the chops to compete with more modern film stars. But in 2016, Redford announced his intent to retire from acting. At 80 years old at the time, he was ready to be done with showing up on set and doing take after take, which is completely understandable. His final roles were intended to be "Our Souls at Night" and "The Old Man & the Gun," but a performer of Redford's caliber can never truly be done. He had an incredibly brief role after both of those films, in "Avengers: Endgame" no less, reprising Alexander Pierce from "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." 

His final role was an understated one. Redford pops up for an uncredited appearance playing chess (with George R.R. Martin) in the AMC series "Dark Winds," for which he was also an executive producer for. Redford may have slowed down in his later years, but he continued ensuring the art he wanted to make got made. Just when you think you know what your favorite Redford performance is, there's another one you always need to consider.