With the sad news that the legendary Donald Sutherland has passed away, we look at eight essential Sutherland movies that you must see…
Donald Sutherland was a fixture on the big screen for 60 years, remaining prolific even in recent years. The iconic actor left us at 88 years old and given his constant presence and active career even at such a ripe old age, it still feels unexpected. During that impressive career, Sutherland starred in countless iconic movies, classics and cult favourites. He also starred in some powerful films which redefined cinema.
To younger audiences, he’ll be most synonymous with his appearances as the chief antagonist, President Snow in the Hunger Games franchise, but the range of cinema he appeared in, especially during an incredible peak run in the 70s, and playing unconventional leads are where his most impressive works lie.
In honour of a master of the craft with such a unique and inimitable style, here are the essential Donald Sutherland films.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
When you find yourself becoming a viral meme, you know you must have starred in something memorable. There have been several adaptations of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, from the classic science fiction novel by Jack Finney, but the 1978 version with Donald Sutherland is certainly one of the best of the bunch (second only to the 1956 version). It’s certainly got a refined quality and dark edge synonymous with 70s cinema.
It’s a deceptively simple but effective premise where alien pods replicate human citizens one by one, creating a scenario that breeds tension and paranoia. Philip Kaufman’s film is headed up by Sutherland and features sci-fi classic alums like Jeff Goldblum, Nancy Cartwright and Leonard Nimoy. It all builds nicely with Matthew (Sutherland) always on edge, unsure who he can trust as the aliens spread. One of the all-time great sci-fi concepts, done very well.
Klute
Alan J. Pakula’s classic neo-noir is a pitch-dark and intense psychological thriller. With incredible cinematography and a great sense of foreboding and paranoia throughout, Klute brilliantly reels you into John Klute’s investigations into the disappearance of his friend, all whilst a potentially key witness is being stalked by an unknown assailant. Inevitably he begins dropping his guard and falls for the prostitute, who may know more than she lets on about the whereabouts of his friend.
Opposite Sutherland is Jane Fonda who gives an incredible performance in a role that is so well and roundly written (rare for female characters back then). Sutherland plays a laconic and stoic P.I who is almost an antithesis to more atypical noir heroes/antiheroes who are often pure hard-boiled charisma. Pakula was an expert in tense slow burn thrillers and Klute is the pick of the bunch. It’s a sorely underseen classic that needs to be rediscovered by the modern generation of cinephiles. It’s also a perfect example of great, unconventional noir heroes of the decade, best personified by leading men like Sutherland and Elliot Gould.
SEE ALSO: Revisiting Klute: An Overlooked Masterpiece of Paranoia Cinema
M*A*S*H
Speaking of Gould, he’s Sutherland’s co-star in Robert Altman’s M*A*S*H, the Korean war camp comedy that’s dark and goofy but under Altman’s deft touch, manages to nail the inherent drama that comes with war movies too. An eclectic and likeable cast is also rounded out with Sally Kellerman, Robert Duvall, Fred Williamson and Tom Skeritt.
The TV series it spawned is almost as famous, if not more than the original movie but it goes without saying that with Altman at the helm and such an incredible and charismatic cast, well led by Sutherland and Gould, this is unmissable.
Don’t Look Now
The late 60s and early 70s were a great era as American studios seemed to have a fixation with quirky-looking leading men. The dashingly handsome likes of Cary Grant and their perfect movie star looks were being overlooked in favour of more distinct-looking actors like Sutherland and the aforementioned Gould who oozed a unique kind of swaggering appeal. Sutherland’s tall, gangly presence made him stand out, as well as his unique voice and delivery.
Don’t Look Now was also a prime example of genre-redefining cinema, with Nicolas Roeg dancing a line between mystery, horror and thriller with something that felt so unique. The lingering pace and focus on two characters dealing with soul-crushing grief, guilt and repression still feels powerful, and the sprinkling of mystery and spirituality in the film leads nicely to the unforgettable final act. Much has been made of the notorious sex scene between Sutherland and Julie Christie. What’s more clear, however, is how exceptional both are on screen both individually and as a pairing. Roeg’s masterpiece grabs you and doesn’t let go, even long after you’ve finished watching. If there’s one pick from all the essentials, it’s this one.
Lock Up
We’re going left field with this choice, which is effectively a slightly schlockier Rocky, set in a prison and starring Sylvester Stallone. In the Stallion’s career, Lock Up often gets overlooked. It’s not one of his big successes, nor one of his legit best and nor is it one of his unforgettable Turkeys.
There’s still a lot to enjoy in Lock Up and the biggest reason is Donald Sutherland. As I’ve probably said a few times on site about this film, Sutherland completely and utterly devours the scenery and waltzes off into the sunset with the film in his pocket. He’s an all-consuming, personification of inhuman evil here and one of the great ‘Sadistic Prison Warden’ archetypes. Sutherland doesn’t so much nail his scenes, as elevate them and the entire picture into being well worth a watch. His role in lesser hands would probably leave Lock Up found wanting.
Sutherland was one of those great pros who made a lot of average films inherently better. See also, the Italian Job remake, The Mechanic and any number of the straight-to-video films he popped up in that he was way too good to be in.
SEE ALSO: A Forgotten Sylvester Stallone Gem: Lock Up
Eye of the Needle
Coming toward the tail end of a great period of spy films, Eye of the Needle marks one of the better espionage films of the 80s. They were being made in abundance with some solid entries, but this one, headed up by Sutherland and directed by Return of the Jedi’s Richard Marquand stands well above most of that decade.
The isolated intimacy of the setting works well against the slow build-up and simmering tension as Sutherland’s German spy tries to ingratiate himself with a wife and her crippled husband in their remote cottage. You’ve got espionage, forbidden romance with a war raging across the pond but always seeping into the lives of these characters.
Sutherland’s cold steely eyes are effective in portraying his duplicitous character and he dances beautifully between being chilling, detestable and oddly charismatic. Sutherland wills us to even feel a shred of sympathy for a man in his own desperate situation to perform his duties for his country.
Ordinary People
Despite winning four Oscars, Ordinary People (directed by Robert Redford) has been a little unfairly forgotten in time. It’s a brilliantly acted family dram. After the death of the oldest son causes rifts and tension within the family, they struggle to deal with the grief and repair broken relationships.
Redford’s gifts as a director match those of his acting prowess and Ordinary People still remains one of his best works behind the camera. All four of the principal cast are incredible, making this utterly compelling throughout, with Mary Tyler Moore shining as well as Timothy Hutton (who won an Oscar) and Judd Hirsch who might just steal the show. Sutherland as the star name of the picture provides his atypical gravitas.
Kelly’s Heroes
A rogue group of expendable US soldiers find themselves behind enemy lines and on the hunt for a stash of Nazi treasure. The ragtag group is an eclectic mix of characters with a great cast, headed by Clint Eastwood, Don Rickles, Telly Savalas and of course, Donald Sutherland. The film is a lot of fun, a rousing action caper with endearing characters during an era when Eastwood was beginning to soften his stoic Spaghetti Western (and more serious war films) image. Sure, he still did the likes of Dirty Harry, which still had a certain sardonic charm but we also saw films like Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.
Kelly’s Heroes is the kind of exciting escapism with a great cast riffing well off each other that Stallone’s Expendables always seemed to fail at. It should have been Kelly’s Heroes meets The Wild Bunch by way of Predator, but they never got the formula right. As for Kelly’s Heroes, well the cast makes this one well worth the trip into enemy territory and Sutherland steals the show as the aptly named, ‘Oddball.’ The film almost took Sutherland’s life after he fell gravely ill, to the point his wife had to travel out to see him, told she’d probably not make it in time. Thankfully Sutherland pulled through and delivered countless more cinematic delights and great supporting roles aside from the aforementioned. The word unique can be overused but in Donald’s case, he really was a one-of-a-kind actor. He will be sorely missed.
What’s your favourite Donald Sutherland film? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Tom Jolliffe
