The mountainous regions with patches of rolling green fields in Montana paired with the fiery tension of Taylor Sheridan's masterful writing draw viewers in to watch the TV series Yellowstone. The series centers around the Dutton family, a ranching family that owns land near Yellowstone National Park. Academy Award winner Kevin Costner stars as John Dutton, the 6th generation rancher, and his children: Kayce (Luke Grimes), Beth (Kelly Reilly), and Jaime (Wes Bentley).
Season 4 of Yellowstone premiered on November 7, 2021, on Paramount Network, and its series finale aired January 2, 2022, finally providing answers as to what else threatens the Dutton family. As fans wait for when and if the TV series will be renewed for season 5, there are some movies with Kevin Costner worth checking out.
Frank Hamer in The Highwaymen (2019)
In the Netflix crime original, The Highwaymen, the ruthless duo, Bonnie and Clyde Barrow have been on the loose for two years. Their latest crime was orchestrating a prison break in Huntsville. Desperate to finally put the duo behind bars, the governor offers retired Texas Ranger Frank Hamer (Costner) $130 a month to track Bonnie and Clyde.
Costner's character is pulled out of retirement, so his skills are a bit rusty and his wife is hesitant about him accepting the job. He's convinced though that he and his former partner, Maney Gult (Woody Harrelson), are the right team to search for Bonnie and Clyde. Their experience and meticulous examination of the crime scenes proved to be a strong advantage for them.
Al Harrison in Hidden Figures (2016)
In the 1960s, the United States and Russia are competing in the Space Race. Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) story is told in the movie, Hidden Figures (2016). These three women along with their group in the West Wing contribute to the calculations of launching John Glen into space, having him orbit the Earth, and land safely.
Al Harrison (Costner) is the Director of the Space Task Group for NASA. He is a visionary and encourages his team to look beyond the calculations at the larger picture. He sees the potential in Katherine and provides her with opportunities to share her knowledge with the rest of the members at NASA. Additionally, Costner will produce a limited series about NASA's Apollo 11 with director Barry Levinson in the near future.
Ethan Renner in 3 Days to Kill (2014)
Ethan Renner (Costner), a CIA agent, discovers on his latest mission that he has terminal brain cancer. In 3 Days to Kill, he decides to retire from the CIA and spend the remanding time he has left with his family. Vivi Delay (Amber Heard) offers him an experimental treatment that can help him but in return, he must fulfill one last request.
Ethan Renner is a swift tactical agent, but he wouldn't be rewarded father of the year. Even though Ethan was absent in his teenage daughter's life, he tries to build a relationship with her. However, his previous professional life starts bleeding into his personal life.
Robert 'Butch' Hayes in A Perfect World (1993)
Directed by Clint Eastwood, A Perfect World is about two recently escaped felons who kidnap a young boy named Phillip Perry (T.J. Lowther). Chief Red Barnett (Clint Eastwood) is hired to find Phillip and the two felons: Robert 'Butch' Hayes (Costner) and Terry James Pugh (Keith Szarabajka). During their run away from the police, Phillip gets to know Robert and the world outside his family's traditions.
Playing a character on the other side of the law, Costner's character is not the typical villain in this movie. He protects Phillip against threats as they are on the run. His character also cares for Phillip as he introduces him to the festivities included in Halloween.
Frank Farmer in The Bodyguard (1992)
In the romantic drama, The Bodyguard, Rachel Maroon (Whitney Houston) is a singer that has been receiving threats. As a precautionary measure, her manager hires Frank Farmer, a former Secret Service Agent, as her bodyguard. The threats against Rachel continue to escalate, but Frank is committed to protecting her at all costs.
Costner portrays Frank Farmer, who previously served as the Secret Service Agent for former President Carter and President Reagan. However, he is reluctant to accept the job of protecting Rachel since they have clashing personalities. As the tensions rise between Frank and Rachel, there is a moment when they overcome their differences.
Jim Garrison in JFK (1991)
One of the most iconic movies of the 90s, JFK is centered around the mystery of President John F. Kennedy's assassination. Most of the world moved on after President John F. Kennedy's assassination. The suspect was arrested and killed, President Dwight D. Eisenhower succeeded as president and there are other concerns on the horizon. However, one man reads into a published report on the assassination and decides to examine the case again.
District Attorney Jim Garrison (Costner) from New Orleans is persistent in finding the truth behind the crime. His inquisitiveness draws him to question the claims made in Warren Commission Report. Through his investigation, he learns of the multiple people involved and the conspiracies involving the case.
Robin of Locksley in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
In Robin Hood: Prince of Theives, Robin of Locksley barely escapes prison in Jerusalem. While he escapes prison, he manages to also rescue Azeem (Morgan Freeman). During Robin's time in Jerusalem, in England, the Sheriff of Nottingham took control of the land and mistreated its people.
Outside his usual bureaucratic or sports roles, Costner stars as Robin. As a warrior for the outcasts, Robin leads a group of men to fight against the Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman). He inspires a group of outlaws to believe in their strengths and in the possibility of gaining freedom.
Lieutenant Dunbar in Dances With Wolves (1990)
Based on the novel by Michael Blake, Dances With Wolves takes place during the Civil War around 1864. Lieutenant John J. Dunbar with his leg wounded in battle, decides on a suicide mission. He rides his horse as close to the Confederates as possible. With the Confederates focusing all their attention on Lt. Dunbar, the Union soldiers make their move and attack the Confederates. After this battle, Lt. Dunbar was allowed to choose the station that he would recover at.
Costner directs and stars as Lieutenant Dunbar. Lt. Dunbar is optimistic and eager to see the frontier. He accompanies the wagon driver, Timmons, to his new post in Fort Sedgwick near the Sioux Tribe territory. Despite Lt. Dunbar and the Sioux Tribe's struggle to find a form of communication, they come to realize that they have more in common than they thought.
Ray Kinsella in Field of Dreams (1989)
Based on W.P. Kinsella's 1982 novel, Shoeless Joe, the movie, Field of Dreams tells the tale of a farmer in Iowa who hears a voice repeating the words, "If you build it, he will come." While he isn't entirely sure what the voice is referring to, he does envision a baseball diamond built on a patch of his cornfield.
This isn't the only movie in the sports genre that Costner stars in, but in this movie, there is a fictional aspect tied in with sports. His character is Ray Kinsella, whose father was a baseball player in the minor leagues. Ray's hope and trust in the unexplainable convince him that once he builds a baseball field, the baseball player, Shoeless Joe Jackson will visit him.
Eliot Ness in The Untouchables (1987)
The Untouchables is set in the prohibition era. The infamous Al Capone (Robert De Niro), known for selling alcohol in Chicago, is Eliot Ness's target. Eliot assembles a team with Jim Malone (Sean Connery), George Stone (Andy Garcia), and Oscar Wallace (Charles Martin Smith), the public named them the "Untouchables."
Costner portrays Eliot, who is determined to arrest Al Capone by using any legal actions against him. When Eliot forms a case involving tax evasion against Al Capone, he is advised by authorities to drop the case. Despite the variety of scare tactics used against Eliot, Eliot looks for alternative ways to outsmart Capone.