Robert Redford: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

1. Halsy Knox - Little Fauss And Big Halsy (1970)

Considering the pedigree of his films in the period, you might conclude that the 1970s was the decade in which Redford could really do no wrong. But to find his worst performance, you have to go back to the very beginning of that decade, and a confused, pretentious and altogether irritating film called Little Fauss and Big Halsy.

Little Fauss and Big Halsy is set in the world of American motorcycle racing, with the bulk of the action taking place in Phoenix, Arizona. Redford plays Halsy Knox, a professional racer with a care-free attitude and a penchant for womanising, who strikes up a friendship with amateur Little Fauss (Michael J. Pollard). Having been banned from racing himself, Halsy re-enters the circuit under Fauss' name, with Fauss serving as his mechanic. But before long their friendship breaks down and the two men are racing each other.

Despite having a soundtrack that includes Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Bob Dylan, Little Fauss and Big Halsy is a corny, schmaltzy and all-round unpleasant affair. Directed by Sidney J. Furie (Superman IV: The Quest for Peace), it lacks both the cutting-edge cult appeal of Easy Rider and the insight of subsequent biker films like Spetters and Knightriders.

Redford has often dismissed the film in interviews, and it isn't hard to see why: his performance is cheesy, mean-spirited and works against all of his strengths. It's a memorably disjointed and bad performance, which still ranks as the worst of his long career.

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