All 5 John Cazale Movies Ranked

Actor John Cazale stands out not only for his talents and intensity as a performer, but also for one of the most impressive filmographies for an actor with a career as short as his. Cazale, a prolific theater veteran, appeared in only five feature films before his untimely death from lung cancer in 1978 at the age of 42. These five films, however, are often considered among the best and most significant of the 1970s. which is saying something.

Cazale appeared in three Francis Ford Coppola films (“The Godfather”, “The Godfather II” and “The Conversation”), as well as Sidney Lumet’s moving bank robber drama “Dog Day Afternoon” and “The Deer Hunter” by Michael Cimino. Cazale played a supporting role in all of them. Each of them was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Three of them won.

Of course, Cazale’s film career was only a small part of his acting experience. Notoriously reserved and shy, he made his stage debut in a performance of the play “JB” in 1962. He also performed in several off-Broadway shows including “Spoon River Anthology,” “The Iceman Cometh” and “Measure for Measure ” by Shakespeare (playing the role of Angelo). In 1977, he made his Broadway debut as Agamemnon in the first play of Aeschylus’ Oresteia trilogy. Cazale only played this role in the first preview of the series, however, as he had to withdraw due to health reasons. He received his cancer diagnosis shortly after.

Cazale’s performances are all marked by tragedy, as you can see how much talent and presence he had on the big screen. Had he remained healthy, there is every reason to believe that Cazale would have continued to deliver astonishing performances for interesting and ambitious filmmakers.

Of the five films in which he appeared, /Film offers the following (perhaps controversial) ranking of their quality.

Michael Cimino’s intense Vietnam War drama “The Deer Hunter” is a pessimistic and thoughtful portrait of PTSD and its true depths. The film tells the story of a small group of friends from a Pennsylvania Slavic community who are drafted into the war in 1968. Robert De Niro plays the more taciturn Mike Vronsky, while Christopher Walken won an Oscar for playing played Mike’s suffering best friend Nick. more openly after his war experience. And their experience of war was poignant. While they were soldiers, the young Americans were captured by the Viet Cong and forced to play Russian roulette games (although they eventually escaped).

John Cazale plays Stan, their hometown buddy, who regularly joined them on deer hunting trips. Cazale had already been diagnosed with terminal cancer when he signed on to play the role, and the story goes that De Niro and co-star Meryl Streep (who was dating Cazale at the time) had to seek his job. He couldn’t get insurance, so De Niro also paid for his friend’s insurance; De Niro loved him so much. Cazale died before “The Deer Hunter” was released.

“The Deer Hunter” however ranks last due to its slow pace. The story of PTSD, war trauma, and the horrors of combat are all salient and powerful, but Cimino’s film opens with a 50-minute Robert Altman-style wedding sequence that seems strangely disconnected from the eventual tragedy of war. Cimino was, of course, trying to figure out who these characters were, but he got too dragged out.

It might be brave of me to rank Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather” fourth on any list, as it consistently tops most lists as one of the best films of all time. time. However, this is less a testament to my personal taste than a commentary on John Cazale’s astonishing filmography. It’s also a commentary on Cazale’s role in the film, which is smaller and less significant than in any of his other high-profile films.

In “The Godfather,” Cazale plays Fredo Corleone, the second son of mafia don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). “The Godfather” is primarily about Michael (Al Pacino), Vito’s youngest son, who begins the film resenting his family’s crime a bit, but ends the film taking over the business. Michael is the only one who seems competent enough to lead, and takes responsibility he doesn’t want… but he fits the role only too well at the end of “The Godfather.”

Fredo, on the other hand, is seen as somewhat weak and certainly not fit to lead. His exists in the story simply as a “less preferable option” when it comes to running the mafia. Corleone’s eldest son, Sonny (James Caan), on the other hand, is too hot-headed. Only Michael, the reluctant villain, has the means and the love of his family to take over. There is a Shakespearean quality to “The Godfather” that highlights the tragedy of each character. Fredo’s tragic flaw is his lack of leadership skills.

Plus, as we later learn in “The Godfather II,” Fredo’s arc is much more than “the other brother.”

In “The Godfather II”, Michael manages the mafia well and has internalized the need to kill anyone who betrays or denounces the family. He’s already had a brother murdered, and Fredo appears to be next in line when he betrays Michael to a rival family. Michael always suspected that Fredo might become a defector, knowing that he lacked the build to be part of the mafia. (Spoiler: Things don’t go so well for Fredo in the film.)

Many consider “The Godfather II” to be more esteemed than its predecessor due to its dual storyline. Half of the film is about Michael’s continued descent into moral turpitude, while the other half is about the younger version of Marlon Brando’s Vito Corleone (now played by Robert De Niro) fleeing to the United States and finding his life in the world of crime. “The Godfather II” connects American crime and ambition to Algiers, coupled with the limited opportunities available to immigrants.

“The Godfather II” is loved by movie buffs and fratboys alike. Many understand the underlying tragedy of the film and how survival can turn into tyranny. Others admire the professionalism shown by Michael, who “takes care of business”, confusing his desire to do violence with his strength. The fact that there is any confusion reveals the moral complexity of the film.

In Coppola’s “The Conversation” (released the same year as “The Godfather II”), Gene Hackman plays Harry Caul, a professional surveillance expert and eavesdropper who takes his job seriously to the detriment of everything else. He can listen intently to distant conversations using advanced recording equipment, but does not have much skill in actually conversing. He tries to remain neutral with his spy skills only to feel guilty about what he does, especially when he learns what some of his clients are doing with the information he captures.

Harry, you see, captured a distant conversation between a couple in Union Square and spends most of the film remixing it in such a way that it becomes listenable. What he discovers is heartbreaking and darker than he expected. “The Conversation” is a wonderful commentary on using modern media to penetrate new moral nagging, handled by a technically-minded engineer who can’t use his engineering to run away from them.

John Cazale plays Stan, Caul’s assistant, and he is more or less Harry’s “normal” counterpart. He knows a lot about recording equipment, but lacks the light touch that Harry possesses. He also seems more able to get out of the room and lead an ordinary life. Stan reminds us that real people exist in this universe.

The best of Cazale’s films is Sidney Lumet’s 1975 bank heist film, “Dog Day Afternoon.” What’s most appealing about Lumet’s film is how seedy the main characters are. They are not professional thieves and their plan goes horribly wrong. The bank robbery quickly turns into a hostage-taking, and the need to earn a little money quickly becomes a media spectacle. The effort is led by Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino) who, as the audience eventually learns, was robbing the bank to pay for sex reassignment surgery for his trans girlfriend (Chris Sarandon), who still lives under his dead name . John Cazale plays Sal, one of Sonny’s compatriots, who announces that he is ready to show violence if necessary. He’s a rather frightening character.

‘Dog Day Afternoon’ is based on the real-life heist committed by John Wojtowiczwho also intended to get money for the sex reassignment of his trans girlfriend (a woman named Elizabeth Eden). Although Wojtowicz didn’t get the money he wanted from the heist, he still got a large sum by selling the film rights to his life story. Thanks to the success of “Dog Day Afternoon”, Eden was able to undergo reassignment surgery. She later married.

Lumet’s film is a grounded, humane crime thriller featuring frank discussions of homosexuality and queer love. It’s also a moving, intense, sweaty story that questions the police state (Sonny’s song “Attica” references police violence at a nearby prison), as well as a touching tale of romantic despair. It’s one of the best films of the 1970s and, for my money, the best film of Cazale’s impressive career.