Deliverance (1972)
Nothing will keep you out of the Georgia woods like a viewing of Deliverance. After a group of friends on a rafting trip get stranded off a river, the mountain people nearby make sure that—if they survive—they'll never come back again. Come for the dueling banjoes, and get the hell out if you hear anyone squeal like a pig.
White Lightning (1973)
A woke legend before his time, Reynolds starred as Gator McKlusky in White Lightning. After serving two sentences for running moonshine, he finds out his brother, a civil rights activist, and his sister-in-law have been murdered. He takes no time in avenging the corruption at the police department.
The Longest Yard (1974)
Way before Adam Sandler dared give the remake a try, Reynolds made prison football a thing. Playing the drunk quarterback who is taken to the pin, he leads a prison team to unlikely greatness.
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Hustle (1975)
When the body of a teenager is found, a police lieutenant played by Reynolds is put in charge of the investigation. But when the details lead to discovering her death was a suicide, the connection between her death and a mob boss makes things even more complicated.
Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
Smokey and the Bandit is what kicked a movie star into superstardom. Starring alongside him is a young Sally Field, which led to a ton of onset romance rumors and a lifelong friendship. Bandit might be Reynold's most recognizable performance, and with an angry sheriff, a pretty co-star, and a car chase, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more iconic Reynolds film.
Semi-Tough (1977)
Semi-Tough has Reynolds and Kris Kristofferson starring as pro football players sharing an apartment with the team owner's daughter. That can't go poorly, right? A feel-good comedy through and through, it's one of Reynolds's most underrated hits.
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Starting Over (1979)
Reynolds plays a newly divorced man who's eager to move on from his broken marriage, but he remains torn between his ex-wife (Candice Bergen) and his new love interest (Jill Clayburgh) in this comedy that earned his two co-stars Oscar nominations.
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982)
Burt and Dolly, together in a movie? Sold. Dolly Parton runs the local whorehouse, billed as a chicken ranch, and it stays protected by the local sheriff and former patron played by Reynolds. The charm between the two is peak-80s musical comedy.
Boogie Nights (1997)
The Paul Thomas Anderson movie that launched some big name movie stars in its own right was anchored by Reynolds, who played the porn director who found Mark Wahlberg's oddly named porn star, Dirk Diggler. The film remains one of the most critically acclaimed of his career.
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The Last Movie Star (2017)
Reynolds's most recent performance might also be his most critically acclaimed. An aging movie star is sent to accept an award, and in the process is thrust into his past and made to consider what has come of his career.
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