Donald Sutherland’s 10 Best Movies, Ranked

Donald Sutherland is a generation-defining actor whose best movies have captured hearts and minds since the 1960s up through the present day. At the height of his fame, he was a sought-after movie star in Hollywood with his pick of projects. However, his greatest works show how willing he was to experiment and step outside his comfort zone. When an actor of the caliber of Sutherland is in a film, it’s almost guaranteed to be memorable, and Sutherland is frequently the best part.

In recent years, younger generations have come to know Sutherland best for his work as President Snow in The Hunger Games franchise. However, the decades of work he has under his belt before this includes some of the best movies of all time and illustrates his significant contributions to film history. Throughout his career, Sutherland has worked with legendary directors and writers, showing his taste and understanding of film as an art form. His son, Kiefer Sutherland, has also shown himself to be a fantastic performer and adds to their family’s legacy.

10
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

As President Snow

Thanks to Sutherland’s performance, there are many theories about President Snow in The Hunger Games universe. His portrayal of the villain was so insidious and well-developed it informed the actor who played him in the sequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Tom Blyth. Even in a dystopian YA fantasy series, Sutherland lends the weight of his skill and experience to the world of the narrative. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is the most notable of the first four films because it also includes fantastic actors like Jeffery Wright and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

9
Pride & Prejudice (2005)

As Mr. Bennet

Mr. Bennet is the grounding force of the Bennet clan in both the 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice and the original novel of the same name by the incomparable Jane Austen. The usual forcefulness that Sutherland imbues into a role disappears into the agreeable and placid Mr. Bennet, who wants a peaceful life but can never seem to get one among his wife and many daughters. However, one of the best parts is the relationship between Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth (Kiera Knightley). The love and sensitivity he shows toward Elizabeth is a familiar and touching aspect that shouldn’t be overlooked.

8
Animal House (1978)

As Professor Dave Jennings

The raunchy and iconic collegiate satire Animal House boasts many famous actors in addition to Sutherland. Though Sutherland had lent his talents to roles considered more traditionally serious, he easily stepped into the archetype of a classic young professor. Although he’s only in the film for a short time, he lent enormous credibility to a movie that was considered a monetary risk to make at the time. Sutherland was quite a star at the time, and the makers of Animal House were still unknown. Today, the film is known as a seminal comedic work and a highlight of Sutherland’s filmography.

7
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)

As Matthew Bennell

The 1978 iteration of Invasion of the Body Snatchers updated the original from 1956 and did an excellent job representing the prevailing fears, political and culture, of the 1970s. Matthew Bennell (Sutherland) fights against a race of aliens who arrive on Earth and quickly take over San Francisco. The execution of the sci-fi horror film is excellent, and the audience feels the terror of Matthew and his allies as if they were in the middle of an invasion themselves. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is referenced as an example of what makes remakes great and why they should be made.

6
JFK (1991)

As Mr. X

Kevin Costner is the star of JFK, a movie about Jim Garrison’s investigation into the conspiracy he believed was behind the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. However, the film would lose its intrigue and mysticism without the work of Sutherland as the enigmatic Mr. X. Films about political conspiracies always need a figure who refuses to identify themself but is a font of information about the high-level machinations of government. Capturing the many aspects of the conspiracy and including fantastic performances is what JFK does well, making it one of the best political thriller movies.

5
Don’t Look Now (1973)

As John Baxter

Don’t Look Now is another in the number of horror films that Sutherland starred in, bringing the genre further acclaim and recognition. The occult-style movie follows the events of a trip to Venice that the married couple, John and Laura, take after the tragic death of their daughter. Nuns, the church, and premonitions are all on display in Don’t Look Now, as are themes of guilt and grief. Though the film suffered some controversy over a sex scene that was considered too graphic in 1973, it’s long since recovered and enjoyed critical acclaim.

4
MASH (1970)

As Hawkeye Pierce

Before the hit TV series of the same name starring Alan Alda, MASH was a film starring Sutherland and Elliot Gould as the iconic Hawkeye and Trapper. It follows the same premise as the TV show, about a group of army doctors stationed in Korea during the war attempt to find humor amidst a dark and dire situation. When the film premiered, the U.S. was embroiled in the Vietnam War and faced backlash from citizens about the country’s participation. Sutherland is devastatingly charming as Hawkeye, but he also exudes the sadness that underlies the entire film.

3
The Dirty Dozen (1967)

As Vernon Pinkley

Sutherland’s first war film was The Dirty Dozen, and this time, he was transported back in time to World War II as a member of a unit of criminals. In the film, a group of prisoners are recruited to carry out a dangerous mission from which there is likely no return. A young Sutherland Vernon Pinkley, and despite his angry and violent nature, it’s hard not to empathize with Pinkley and the rest of the unit by the film’s end.

Not only did the film succeed in making its characters likable, but it was a commercial and box-office hit. It’s a well-known film today, and the extreme violence that was considered offensive in 1967 is quite tame by today’s standards. However, The Dirty Dozen still got away with a lot in terms of censorship, which lent itself to the realism and high stakes of the action.

2
Klute (1971)

As John Klute

Jane Fonda co-stars with Sutherland in Klute, a crime drama that enmeshes Sutherland’s John Klute with Fonda’s Bree Daniels, though they come from opposite worlds. Klute is a PI from Pennsylvania who travels to New York to solve the murder of a man from back home, and his only clue is a letter to Daniels. Fonda and Sutherland’s chemistry is incredible. It’s elevated by the narrative’s mystery. Throughout the film, the web slowly unravels, and it becomes clear that everything’s connected.

Klute is widely regarded as an influential thriller and included themes that director Alan J. Pakula would expand on later in his career. These include motifs of surveillance, paranoia, and a feeling of isolation from one’s own life. While Fonda received more accolades for her performance than Sutherland did, it’s the work they did together that made the film such a success.

1
Ordinary People (1980)

As Calvin Jarrett

Robert Redford is an actor who makes an even better director, illustrated in the quality of his feature directorial debut, Ordinary People. Of course, a director is only as good as the actors they collaborate with, and landing Sutherland for the film’s leading role was a boon to its success. Ordinary People is a family drama, but the stakes are viciously real as it deals with a family trying to put itself back together in the wake of an unexpected loss. As the patriarch, Calvin, Sutherland subverts traditional expectations of masculinity and is a force of empathy in the movie.