Robert Redford's Iconic '70s Heist Movie Is A Must-Watch For Netflix Subscribers
When Robert Redford retired from acting in 2016, he left behind the kind of filmography that few other actors have, or will ever have again. The sheer number of indisputable classic films that are in Redford's filmography are staggering, to the point where five different people could each have a completely different top five best Robert Redford movies and each list would still be wall-to-wall masterpieces. That being said, in Looper's ranking of every Robert Redford movie, we gave his 1973 caper classic "The Sting" the top spot — and you can check it out yourself on Netflix right now to see if you agree with that assessment.
Redford plays Johnny Hooker, who teams up with partner in crime Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) in an elaborate scheme to avenge a mutual friend's death by robbing the man responsible. The charming, action packed, twisted-filled heist flick would go on to clean up at the Academy Awards, taking home Oscars for best picture, director, screenplay, art direction, costume design, editing, and score. Redford himself was nominated for best actor, though the bar was extremely high that year and he ultimately lost out to Jack Lemmon for "Save the Tiger." Regardless, his turn as Hooker is widely considered to be among his very best.
Fans have debated about which Redford and Newman movie is better for decades
"The Sting" was the second time that Robert Redford and Paul Newman would co-lead an all-time great buddy action film. They first proved to be a towering cinematic duo four years earlier by way of the Western classic "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," which was also helmed by "The Sting" director George Roy Hill. Because the two movies came out in such close proximity, share main co-stars and a director, and are both about the two stars playing criminals who team up to scheme up, "The Sting" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," have long been the subject of debate as to which is the better film.
In our aforementioned ranking of Redford's movies, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" came in a close second to "The Sting." It also failed to clinch the top spot on our list of the greatest Paul Newman movies, so it's pretty clear where we here at Looper stand on the issue. For what it's worth, "Butch Cassidy" took home less Oscars than "The Sting," scooping the statuette for best screenplay but notably losing the best picture and best director prizes. Neither Redford nor Newman were nominated for their performances.
Ultimately, both movies are excellent. While we side with "The Sting," there really is no definitive winner in this match up, with it all coming down to personal opinion swayed in part by preference for each film's specific subgenre and tone. But "Butch Cassidy" isn't currently available on Netflix, so no dice on a double feature at the moment. The film world is still reeling from Robert Redford's death in 2025, and watching "The Sting" will remind you of just how great he really was.