Brad Pitt movies range from thrillers to romantic dramas; the actor has come a long way from his reputation as a Hollywood pretty boy. Though Brad Pitt is still a favorite of the paparazzi and exudes ageless Hollywood glamour, he has proved himself to be a fine actor with an instinct for interesting scripts.
I remember first seeing Brad Pitt in the 1991 movie Thelma and Louise and thinking, oh my gosh – who cloned Robert Redford? Brad Pitt actually got his lucky break on this movie because William Baldwin was the first choice to play J.D., but Baldwin left to shoot Backdraft. The first full-length movie starring Brad Pitt was filmed in the summer of 1988 but not released until 1997: The Dark Side of the Sun. The movie was filmed in Yugoslavia, but right before the final editing, civil war broke out, and all the film footage was lost. Amazingly, in 1996, someone found the footage and returned it to the director.
Little did I know that before Thelma and Louise, Brad Pitt had already appeared in a couple dozen other movies and television shows like Glory Days, thirtysomething, Growing Pains, No Way Out, and Across the Tracks. When Brad Pitt became a household name in 1991, women everywhere could not get enough of the new eye candy on the big screen. In 1994, People Magazine named Brad Pitt the Sexiest Man Alive, and by 1995, Brad Pitt would be named one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in Film History by Empire magazine. Although Brad Pitt did not star in these movies, Twelve Monkeys and Sleepers are among my favorite movies in which Brad Pitt played a supporting role.
William Bradley Pitt was born on December 18, 1963 in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Brad Pitt was raised in Springfield, Missouri where he attended Kickapoo High School and later dropped out of college two credits short of graduating, bound for Hollywood. The 5’11” actor did a couple of odd jobs while striving for super stardom in California, most notably driving strippers around in limos and dressing like a chicken for el Pollo Loco.
Brad Pitt turned down a role in Apollo 13 to star in the 1995 movie Se7en, which is one of my favorite Brad Pitt movies. Although it seems like a box office mistake for Pitt, he really started showing his acting range in the movie Se7en. Pitt was banned from going to China because of his starring role in the 1997 movie Seven Years in Tibet. It didn’t turn out bad for Brad Pitt, though; he went from making $6,000 in Thelma and Louise to $20 million in Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Brad Pitt also produces movies and has 5 movies in which he acts that are announced or in production for release in 2010-2012.
The following movies are among the best movies starring Brad Pitt.
Legends of the Fall (1994)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110322/
My favorite One Stab Profound Quotes:
“Some people hear their own inner voices with great clearness, and they live by what they hear. Such people become crazy, or they become legends.”
A Native American character, One Stab, who lives with the family and collects all the family letters over the years, tells the story in Legends of the Fall. Brad Pitt stars as Tristan Ludlow in a family story with similar themes and beautiful settings as A River Runs Through It. Again, Brad Pitt plays a troubled son and brother who needs his own world to make peace with himself. Soon, the family bond is tested when the three sons go to war and love the same woman, played by the beautiful Julia Ormond. Of course, I love that Anthony Hopkins plays Brad Pitt’s father, Colonel William Ludlow.
I’ve also seen this movie at least a dozen times. The spiritual aspect of family bonds despite life trying to tear it apart is a powerful theme in this film. The Native American influence is so profoundly inspirational that I keep coming back for more.
Se7en (1995)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114369/
Brad Pitt, in spite of or perhaps because of his pretty boy appearance, plays well in roles that involve psychological twists and intrigue. Se7en is dark, twisted, morbid, and, in my opinion, horrific. How can I, then, list it among Brad Pitt’s best starring roles? It is. With every sordid twist and turn of murder and diabolical psychological reasoning, Brad Pitt fills with perfection the role of a repulsive, sickening murderer bent on delivering his interpretation of justice upon those who commit the seven deadly sins.
Personally, I can’t recommend that anyone watch this movie. If you like movies that keep you awake, leave you looking over your shoulder, or cause you to eye everyone with suspicion, you’ll probably enjoy this movie. In my opinion, it is a cascade of perversion and bitter cruelty affiliated with the murderer’s warped spiritual perception.
The Assassination of Jesse James (2007)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443680/
When I first heard about this movie, I thought how could anyone in Hollywood pick a long title like this that most people could not remember in order to chat it up. I also thought why do we have another Wild West outlaw movie.
After seeing the movie, it was so good that everyone remembered it and talked about it. Brad Pitt stars as Jesse James alongside Casey Affleck, who plays Robert Ford. The movie picks up toward the end of Jesse James’ life when Jesse James meets Robert Ford, who idolizes James and wants to be a famed outlaw like him. Intense character relationships are brilliantly built and follow the story of Ford killing James. Ford selfishly believed this would be the act that put him over the top, but that is not what history wanted.
Surprisingly excellent movie!
Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120102/
Brad Pitt portrays Harrer, a young, married Austrian caught up in the throes of the Nazi takeover in Seven Years in Tibet. The story is one of Harrer’s reluctant missions on behalf of the Nazis, from which he escapes. Harrer’s life is intertwined with that of the Dalai Lama, who ascended Tibet at the age of 8. Harrer is a witness to the Chinese takeover of Tibet.
This is another movie of epic proportions and implications. It involves the growth and evolution of the life of Harrer, the Dalai Lama and the invasion of Tibet by Communist China. Brad Pitt was forbidden to enter China because of his role in this picture, which serves not only to entertain, but provides a glimpse of life in Tibet through the eyes of Harrer, Brad Pitt.
Pitt endures lots of drama and adventure as Harrer. Pitt plays the role with passion and confidence. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and recommend it for those who will enjoy a complex story woven with drama and intense political passions.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0356910/
It is impossible for me to list Brad Pitt’s best movies without mentioning Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the movie which starred Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and is the cause of their hook-up. Both Mr. and Mrs. Smith are top-gun assassins, but neither knows the real identity and occupation of the other. The dramatic comedy unfolds as the two discover each other’s identity and that they are working for competing organizations.
Spice, passion, and comedy are geared up several notches when the two discover their next assignment is to kill the other.
You may have to be a bit quirky to appreciate The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but all you have to do is watch Brad Pitt to appreciate his skill as an actor.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421715/
Although this movie was not one of my all time favorites because it dragged in places, it did win three Academy Awards and I thought it was Brad Pitt’s best lifetime performance to date.
I loved watching Brad Pitt act in a role that did not just feature his drop-dead gorgeous looks but still had parts where his sex appeal filled the big screen. After seeing the movie, I cannot imagine another actor who could play the role as well as Brad Pitt played it, although Tom Cruise was the initial favorite for the part. Later in the film’s planning, Ron Howard was supposed to direct, with John Travolta playing the lead. There are seven “struck by lightning” stories in the movie – another one of Brad Pitt’s seemingly bizarre lifetime attachments to the number seven.
If you love watching movies starring Brad Pitt and haven’t seen these, you appreciate how fine these movies are and want to see them again, don’t hesitate. I’ve seen all five movies three or more times each and, let me tell you, they hold up to repeated viewings too.
