Along with his crooked smile and imposing demeanor, anybody can see how James Caan bought solid as Sonny Corleone, although he’s not Italian. The actor tasks toughness, qualities that bought him common work in crime and mafia motion pictures all through his six-decade profession. However Caan had little interest in resting on what got here straightforward. As a substitute, the actor starred in all kinds of flicks, from child’s movies and Westerns to musicals and comedies. These very completely different movies confirmed off the spectacular vary of one in every of New Hollywood’s best abilities, as demonstrated in these twenty-five motion pictures.
1. The Godfather (1972)
It is likely to be tempting to say that James Caan has the best half in The Godfather, taking part in the hotheaded oldest Corleone boy, Sonny. In any case, his indignant, violent tendencies greatest match the favored notion of gangsters, the kind in motion pictures a lot much less bold than in Francis Ford Coppola’s movie. However Caan finds methods of humanizing the would-be godfather, as when he bites his knuckle after seeing his abused sister Connie (Talia Shire) or gnawing the fingers of his brother-in-law Carlo (Gianni Russo). In these moments, Caan reveals Sonny’s childishness, attempting to behave like a giant man within the shadow of his father.
2. Thief (1981) James Caan
Michael Mann’s debut movie Thief begins with an exciting sequence {of professional} financial institution robbers breaking right into a protected. The group works with precision, their stoic professionalism contrasting the neon imagery and psychedelic rating from Tangerine Dream. As well-constructed as these moments definitely are, probably the most memorable scene in Thief includes a easy dialog between safecracker Frank (Caan) and his girlfriend Jessie (Tuesday Weld). In that mundane setting, the couple reveals their vulnerabilities to at least one one other, one thing way more courageous and harmful than even probably the most sophisticated heist.
3. Distress (1990)
Few would confuse James Caan with Stephen King, however the famously gruff actor turned in one in every of his greatest performances as a surrogate for the horror creator within the Rob Reiner film Distress. Based mostly on the King novel by the identical identify, and from a screenplay by William Goldman, Distress finds romance creator Paul Sheldon rescued from a automotive accident by crazed fan Annie (Kathy Bates). Past the story’s insights in regards to the nature of fandom and the perils of the inventive course of, Distress stands out for the appearing feat achieved by Caan, who spends nearly your complete movie confined to a mattress and nonetheless creates a fancy character.
4. Brian’s Track (1971)
TV motion pictures hardly ever match the standard of cinematic releases, particularly within the Nineteen Seventies. However any record of Caan’s greatest work ought to embrace Brian’s Track, the inspirational soccer movie co-starring Billy Dee Williams. The true story of soccer participant Brian Piccolo, who befriends Black teammate Gale Sayers (Williams) and battles most cancers, threatens to devolve into lazy schmaltz. However even when taking part in a deathbed scene, Caan drags the movie again to actuality, grounding his character with a quiet confidence that doesn’t go for straightforward viewers manipulation.
5. The Rain Individuals (1969)
After the disastrous musical Finian’s Rainbow, director Francis Ford Coppola needed to make a smaller, extra sensible film. That movie was The Rain Individuals, the story of a pregnant housewife (Shirley Knight) who goes on a highway journey to flee her mundane existence. Alongside the best way, she picks up former faculty soccer star “Killer” Killgannon (Caan), whose college and his household deserted him after he sustained a brain-damaging harm. That setup seems like a recipe for condescending schlock, however Coppola and particularly Caan preserve a gentle hand on the character, making a completely rounded human being, an individual who’s a lot greater than their harm.
6. The Gambler (1974)
Few screenwriting choices are extra fraught than the selection to make the protagonist an educational. Moderately than present the story’s themes by motion, a screenwriter can simply let the professor lecture about large concepts, making certain that the viewers makes the connection. James Toback’s screenplay for The Gambler does veer on this path, as scholar Axel Freed’s (Caan) descent into playing habit mirrors the self-conscious malaise Russian creator Fyodor Dostoevsky describes within the novels the professor research. However with the assistance of director Karel Reisz, Caan retains Free of turning into a plot mechanic, taking part in up the susceptible desperation of a person whose troubles are excess of mere academia.
7. Cloudy With a Probability of Meatballs (2009)
The person voiced by Caan within the animated movie Cloudy With a Probability of Meatballs doesn’t look something just like the actor and but looks like an ideal illustration of his persona. Stocky, strong, his eyes buried between a completely lowered forehead and a push-broom mustache, Caan’s fisherman Tim Lockwood looks as if a gruff man, fully misplaced in Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s splendidly surreal tackle the kids’s ebook by Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett. And but, when Tim cracks his stoic facade to precise satisfaction in his son, oddball inventor Flint Lockwood (Invoice Hader), Caan lets his hardened voice stumble, shading what may have been a easy sentimental second.
8. Rollerball (1975)
Let’s be clear: Rollerball is a very foolish film. Set within the (then) far-off way forward for 2018, Rollerball focuses on the titular sport, a mixture of curler derby, soccer, and basketball. The game rewards violence, and as growing older star Jonathan E., Caan has greater than sufficient grizzled toughness. However director Norman Jewison and author William Harrison use the game as a focus for what turns into a condemnation of capitalism, reframing Jonathan’s battle to reclaim his former glory as an indignant shout towards the firms who flip everybody into grist for his or her equipment.
9. The Killer Elite (1976)
The primary response of anybody watching The Killer Elite will probably contain the film’s portrayal of ninjas, the primary time the favored Japanese warriors appeared in an American movie. However past that unlikely factor within the story of two former associates turned rival mercenaries (Caan and Robert Duvall) combating over Japanese dignitaries, The Killer Elite is precisely the kind of gritty 70s motion film audiences anticipate from director Sam Peckinpah. Based mostly on the Robert Syd Hopkins novel Monkey within the Center and written by Marc Norman and Stirling Silliphant, The Killer Elite provides Caan an unexpectedly wealthy half, as the primary act follows his character Locken’s friendship with Duvall’s Hansen and the second his psychological and bodily rehabilitation after the betrayal. The dense, dramatic work makes the motion all of the extra compelling—no ninjas required.
10. Elf (2003)
James Caan doesn’t look like a perennial vacation basic sort of man, however many American households watch him yearly within the Christmas comedy Elf. And, to be clear, Caan didn’t get pleasure from filming the film, reportedly chafing towards star Will Ferrell’s antics. Fortunately, the frustration improved Caan’s efficiency, capturing the irritation of a cold-hearted businessman who learns that not solely does he have an grownup son, however that the son has been raised by Santa Claus within the North Pole. The exasperated and grumpy Caan makes for the proper straight man to Farrell’s Buddy the Elf, turning into an unlikely a part of Christmas celebrations for generations to return.
11. El Dorado (1966)
It’s laborious to recall two actors with appearing kinds extra opposed than John Wayne and James Caan. The place the Duke is all swagger and bluster, Caan is quiet rage, tense physique language able to explode at any second. Regardless of these variations, the 2 make an ideal pair in El Dorado, the Howard Hawks western written by Leigh Brackett. Caan performs Mississippi, a younger man on a mission of revenge towards the individuals who killed his father, when he encounters growing older gunslinger Cole Thornton (Wayne). The differing appearing kinds complement each other nicely, with Caan’s extra taciturn method underscoring Mississippi’s barely-bottled rage.
12. Bottle Rocket (1996)
All through his profession, Texan director Wes Anderson would solid established character actors in stunning roles, getting some career-best work from performers akin to Invoice Murray, Willem Dafoe, and others. However he began with James Caan, who performs small-time legal Abe Henry in Anderson’s debut movie, the caper comedy Bottle Rocket. Anderson had not but developed his impeccable sense of design, however the off-beat humor is on full show, particularly in Caan’s scenes. In opposition to the heavy he often will get to play, Caan digs into the goofiness of his criminal, completely matching the vitality of Owen Wilson’s weirdo legal Dignan.
13. Les Uns et les Autres (1981)
It’s laborious to think about a extra completely American actor than James Caan. And but, the actor put in a few of his greatest work within the gaudy French movie Les Uns et les Autres. As bandleader Jack Glenn, and later, his character’s son Jason, Caan has a twin difficult half, discovering notes of humanity in author/director Claude Lelouch’s dizzying story in regards to the artwork group throughout World Conflict II. Caan can go large when the film requires it, and it typically does name for outsized performances, however Caan makes probably the most of refined pauses his character takes, the furrowed forehead when the usually outgoing Glenn males discover themselves misplaced for phrases.
14. Humorous Girl (1975)
Most Barbra Streisand followers don’t rank Humorous Girl as excessive as its 1968 predecessor, Humorous Lady, however those that take a look at the follow-up will discover a fantastic efficiency from Caan. Humorous Girl picks up with Fanny Brice (Streisand), having recovered from the heartbreak of shedding Nicky Arnstein (Omar Sharif) within the first movie, starting a relationship with producer Billy Rose (Caan). To be sincere, the film itself is a little bit of an overstuffed mess, however there’s one thing thrilling to Caan’s take, which channels his tough-guy persona right into a larger-than-life leisure exec. When he pokes his finger into the chest of some doubting flunky, he retains the menace of Sonny Corleone, even whereas matching director Herbert Ross’s typically outsized tone.
15. Dogville (2003)
Some may discover Caan a stunning alternative for Lars Von Treir’s synthetic drama Dogville, by which a group comes collectively to berate newcomer Grace (Nicole Kidman). Von Trier shoots the film as if filming a play, with all the motion occurring on a naked stage with minimal props and set dressing. However given his small however essential half as a mob boss with a secret connection to Grace, Caan’s filmography and persona work to shortly develop a personality. Nevertheless, Caan doesn’t dial in his glorified cameo. As a substitute, he performs the quiet menace and finds notes of real care in his terrifying gangster, promoting Dogville’s darkish climax.
16. Rabbit, Run (1970)
James Caan appears an unlikely decide to play Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom, the aggrieved WASP from John Updike’s novels. A broad-shouldered man of Jewish ancestry, Caan doesn’t look the a part of the lanky former highschool basketball star who debates Protestant Christianity with a neighborhood priest all through Rabbit, Run, written by Howard B. Kreitsek and directed by Jack Smight. Regardless of the bodily variations, Caan embodies Harry’s suburban malaise, capturing hoops and visiting his mistress with the load of a person who has been given each privilege solely to seek out them wanting.
17. Conceal in Plain Sight (1980)
After spending the 70s constructing his credibility and clout, Caan lastly bought the prospect to unleash his ardour undertaking, the crime drama Conceal in Plain Sight, by which he would direct and star. And it did not repay.
Conceal in Plain Sight flopped on the field workplace and amongst critics, with many observing how poorly the movie dealt with its thrilling narrative a few divorced father who discovers that his ex-wife has married a person hiding from the mob in witness safety. Regardless of his shortcomings behind the digicam, Caan shines in entrance, capturing the anger and unhappiness of a person who can not save his kids from a probably harmful stepfather.
18. For the Boys (1991)
How may anybody comply with up co-starring with Barbra Streisand? For James Caan, he did a film with Bette Midler (albeit a decade and a half later) in For the Boys. Exercising the muscle tissue he developed throughout Humorous Girl, Caan balances the prickly allure of entertainer Eddie Sparks, who companions with comedienne Dixie Leonard (Midler) on USO excursions. Correctly, director Mark Rydell casts Caan as a person who can not outshine Dixie, and the script from Marshall Brickman, Neal Jiminez, and Lindy Laub will get ahead propulsion by the stress between the 2.
19. Countdown (1967)
No New Hollywood actor price his salt may resist working with Robert Altman, the iconoclastic but profitable filmmaker. Countdown sits amongst Altman’s extra typical works, partly due to the facility studio Warner Bros. exerted over the ultimate lower, however Caan and frequent collaborator Robert Duvall acquit themselves nicely as American astronauts racing the Russians to stroll on the moon. Regardless of its world and cosmic stakes, Countdown focuses on the rivalry between Caan and Duvall’s characters and the private bonds they type whereas doing their historic work.
20. Honeymoon in Vegas (1992)
As this text reveals, Caan isn’t any stranger to comedies, however he’s by no means been extra comfy cracking jokes than he’s in Honeymoon in Vegas. Caan performs wealthy gambler Tommy Korman, who falls at first sight for soon-to-be-married Betsy (Sarah Jessica Parker) and wins her hand in a wager with would-be fiancé Jack (Nicolas Cage). Caan clearly has a ball taking part in the impediment to the central romance, benefiting from each alternative that author/director Andrew Bergman provides him to convey just a little depth to the over-the-top baddie.
21. Alien Nation (1988)
Naturally, Caan has performed as many cops as he has criminals, however he performed a brand new breed in Detective Matthew Sykes, the LAPD veteran paired with newly promoted cop Sam Francisco aka George (Mandy Patinkin). The films have informed myriad tales about bickering companions, however director Graham Baker and author Rockne S. O’Bannon throw in a twist for Alien Nation, setting the film within the close to future, by which a race of aliens (referred to as “Newcomers”) have turn into the town’s latest immigrants. Along with letting Caan play the anticipated tough-guy notes, particularly when grouching at Newcomer George, he additionally will get to play up the humor of an old-school man fully out of his depth in a special tradition.
22. The Yards (2000)
After launching the profession of Wes Anderson, Caan went on to star within the second movie from one other promising younger filmmaker, James Grey. The Yards lacks the sensitivity that Grey brings in his greatest motion pictures, akin to The Misplaced Metropolis of Z or Advert Astra, and co-writer Matt Reeves hasn’t but developed the sense of surprise that makes his motion pictures The Batman and Daybreak of the Planet of the Apes so profitable. However the younger males get a lift from Caan’s presence in The Yards, taking part in the stepfather of protagonist Leo (Mark Wahlberg). As a person with shady connections giving powerful like to his household, Frank Olchin has a lot in widespread with many characters portrayed by Caan prior to now. However even when taking part in a flat, by-product character, Caan controls the display screen along with his mere presence, a testomony to his star energy.
23. Mickey Blue Eyes (1999)
Honeymoon in Vegas may characteristic Caan’s greatest comedic efficiency, however Mickey Blue Eyes reveals how far he’s keen to go because the heel of the joke. Because the mobster Frank Vitale, whose daughter Gina (Jeanne Tripplehorn) is about to marry Englishman Michael Felgate (Hugh Grant, by no means extra foppish), Caan serves because the risk and straight man in most scenes. Regardless of that thankless billing, Caan fully goes for it, as when his frustration mounts whereas attempting to get Felgate to say “Fuhgeddaboudit” with a Jersey accent. No one’s coming to Mickey Blue Eyes to see Caan, however the film doesn’t work with out him supporting his co-stars.
24. Queen Bees (2021)
There’s one thing comforting about the truth that Caan closed out his profession not with one other imply gangster function, however with a light-weight romantic drama about love late in life. Queen Bees isn’t even near the very best film that Caan or co-star Ellen Burstyn has ever made, but it surely goes down straightforward, too. Journeyman director Michael Lembeck doesn’t do something thrilling in his cozy flick about shenanigans in a senior dwelling, primarily based on a script from Donald Martin and Harrison Powell, however with a solid that additionally contains Loretta Devine, Jane Curtin, and Christopher Lloyd, he doesn’t have to. These actors all know what they’re doing, and it’s enjoyable to look at them spend time with their friends.
25. Sicilian Vampire (2015)
By most requirements, Sicilian Vampire is the worst film in Caan’s in any other case spectacular filmography. A conceit undertaking from Canadian meals service entrepreneur turned author/director/star/producer/musician, Frank D’Angelo, Sicilian Vampire has all of the hallmarks of a film made by a person with extra money than expertise. His character, Sonny, is probably the most highly effective, revered, and well-liked man who ever existed, capable of romance stunning ladies and scare even powerful guys like Caan and co-star Robert Loggia, particularly after turning into a vampire. However few issues higher exhibit Caan’s sheer energy as a display screen presence than placing him in a completely incompetent movie, letting him barely ship horrible traces, and nonetheless command the eye of the viewers.
