As you all probably know by now actor Robert Duvall passed away this week. Big loss. The man was 95 though so I can’t say any of us should be surprised. That is a hell of a run though and he will not be forgotten. His career was just one iconic class movie after another. Some of them more than iconic. I would say some are perfect films. Lets talk about a few

Obviously Apocalypse Now will be the first film many in the gun would would think of. The surfing Colonel of the 1st Cav. The immortal lines, “Charlie don’t surf” and ” I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” will be quoted forever. He wasn’t the main character of the movie but it would be much lesser of a film without him,.

He was also in two other masterpiece films from the same director. The Godfather 1 and 2. He plays the adopted brother and head advisor to the leader of the mafia crime family.

Of course we all know Gus from Lonesome Dove. The old Texas Ranger and lady’s man who loved to have fun.

Broken Trail is a later favorite of mine. The head of a group of cowboys taking horses to Canada and end up saving some Chinese girls who would have been turned into whores for some mining town.

He was the best Robert E Lee in Gods and Generals. A prequel to Gettysburg and a must see Civil War picture.

There are so many more its hard to pick a few out. I was going to list all my favorites but it turned into a bigger job that I thought. Not only was he in classics like True Grit and Joe Kidd. he was in little genre pieces like Let’s Get Harry. I bet you forgot that one.

Too many to talk about with any time. Open Range, Falling Down, Network! I can’t even stop thinking of timeless classics!

Pick one and watch it this weekend. He really enriched the lives of so many serious and casual film fans. Damn I hate to see him go.