Want to know the best Sam Shepard movies? How about the worst Sam Shepard movies? Curious about Sam Shepard box office grosses or which Sam Shepard movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Sam Shepard movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which ones got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
More sad news from Hollywood today, as the news of Sam Shepard’s and Michael Parks’s passing away came out. Seems I have been watching Sam Shepard in movies most of my life. A quick look at my movie database showed I had 33 of his movies already 100% researched….so I figure as a mini-tribute to his career I would take a look at his movie career.
His IMDb page shows 68 acting credits from 1970-2017. This page will rank 37 Sam Shepard (1943-2017) movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. His television appearances, shorts and movies not released in North America were not included in the rankings.
Sam Shepard Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort Sam Shepard movies by co-stars of his movies.
- Sort Sam Shepard movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Sam Shepard movies by by domestic yearly box office rank
- Sort Sam Shepard movies how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations each Sam Shepard movie received and how many Oscar® wins each Sam Shepard movie won.
- Sort Sam Shepard movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Actual B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | B.O. Rank by Year | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | S |
| 1 | Black Hawk Down (2001) | Orlando Bloom & Tom Hardy |
108.60 | 207.3 | 330.10 | 18 | 79 | 04 / 02 | 98.3 | |
| 3 | Steel Magnolias (1989) | Shirley MacLaine & Julia Roberts |
83.80 | 227.4 | 260.40 | 14 | 68 | 01 / 00 | 94.5 | |
| 2 | The Right Stuff (1983) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Supp Actor Nom |
Dennis Quaid | 21.20 | 72.5 | 72.50 | 33 | 88 | 08 / 04 | 93.7 | |
| 4 | The Pelican Brief (1993) | Denzel Washington & Julia Roberts |
100.80 | 262.4 | 508.50 | 8 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 92.7 | |
| 5 | Charlotte's Web (2006) | Robert Redford & Julia Roberts |
83.00 | 136.0 | 237.40 | 26 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 90.0 | |
| 6 | Safe House (2012) | Denzel Washington & Ryan Reynolds |
126.40 | 171.1 | 281.80 | 25 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 89.4 | |
| 7 | The Notebook (2004) | Ryan Gosling & James Garner |
81.00 | 140.6 | 200.70 | 32 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 88.8 | |
| 8 | Days of Heaven (1978) | Richard Gere | 3.30 | 15.4 | 15.40 | 93 | 90 | 04 / 01 | 83.2 | |
| 9 | Mud (2012) | Matthew McConaughey & Reese Witherspoon |
21.60 | 29.2 | 44.20 | 103 | 86 | 00 / 00 | 80.9 | |
| 10 | Crimes of the Heart (1986) | Diane Keaton & Jessica Lange |
22.90 | 66.6 | 66.60 | 41 | 68 | 03 / 00 | 78.9 | |
| 11 | Baby Boom (1987) | Diane Keaton & Harold Ramis |
26.70 | 73.6 | 73.60 | 44 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 77.7 | |
| 12 | The Pledge (2001) | Jack Nicholson & Directed by Sean Penn |
19.70 | 37.7 | 56.10 | 101 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 75.4 | |
| 13 | August: Osage County (2013) | Meryl Streep & Julia Roberts |
37.70 | 50.0 | 98.40 | 78 | 69 | 03 / 00 | 74.8 | |
| 14 | Thunderheart (1992) | Val Kilmer | 22.70 | 58.9 | 58.90 | 55 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 74.0 | |
| 15 | Swordfish (2001) | John Travolta & Hugh Jackman |
69.80 | 133.1 | 280.60 | 35 | 41 | 00 / 00 | 72.1 | |
| 16 | Killing Them Softly (2012) | Brad Pitt | 15.00 | 20.3 | 51.40 | 120 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 67.6 | |
| 17 | Resurrection (1980) | Ellen Burstyn | 3.90 | 16.2 | 16.20 | 116 | 73 | 02 / 00 | 67.0 | |
| 17 | The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) | Brad Pitt & Casey Affleck |
3.90 | 6.1 | 23.50 | 181 | 76 | 02 / 00 | 66.6 | |
| 20 | Brothers (2009) | Natalie Portman & Jake Gyllenhaal |
28.50 | 41.0 | 62.30 | 93 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 66.4 | |
| 19 | Fair Game (2010) | Sean Penn & Naomi Watts |
9.50 | 13.0 | 33.00 | 130 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 65.8 | |
| 21 | Midnight Special (2016) | Micheal Shannon & Adam Driver |
3.70 | 4.6 | 7.70 | 184 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 62.9 | |
| 22 | Country (1984) | Jessica Lange | 9.60 | 30.9 | 30.90 | 80 | 66 | 01 / 00 | 61.9 | |
| 23 | Frances (1982) | Jessica Lange | 5.00 | 18.3 | 18.30 | 97 | 67 | 02 / 00 | 59.1 | |
| 25 | Raggedy Man (1981) | Sissy Spacek | 2.00 | 7.7 | 7.70 | 118 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 54.3 | |
| 24 | Felon (2008) | Val Kilmer | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 359 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 53.8 | |
| 26 | Cold In July (2014) | Wyatt Russell | 0.40 | 0.5 | 0.50 | 198 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 52.8 | |
| 27 | Out of the Furnace (2013) | Christian Bale & Woody Harrelson |
11.30 | 15.0 | 20.80 | 126 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 52.3 | |
| 28 | Snow Falling on Cedars (1999) | Ethan Hawke & Max von Sydow |
14.40 | 30.7 | 49.10 | 101 | 59 | 01 / 00 | 49.4 | |
| 28 | Voyager (1991) | Julie Delpy | 0.50 | 1.3 | 1.30 | 187 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 44.0 | |
| 30 | Hamlet (2000) | Bill Murray | 1.60 | 3.2 | 4.10 | 171 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 42.0 | |
| 31 | Don't Come Knocking (2005) | Sam Shepard & Jessica Lange |
0.40 | 0.7 | 0.70 | 241 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 39.3 | |
| 32 | True West (2002) Showtime Movies |
Bruce Willis | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 311 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 36.4 | |
| 32 | Fool for Love (1985) | Kim Basinger | 0.80 | 2.5 | 2.50 | 157 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 33.5 | |
| 33 | Defenseless (1991) | Barbara Hershey | 6.40 | 16.4 | 16.40 | 114 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 33.3 | |
| 34 | Leo (2002) Film Festival Circuit Only |
Elisabeth Shue & Dennis Hopper |
0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 309 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 29.9 | |
| 35 | Safe Passage (1994) | Susan Sarandon | 1.60 | 4.3 | 4.30 | 179 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 29.5 | |
| 36 | All the Pretty Horses (2000) | Matt Damon | 15.50 | 31.1 | 36.30 | 108 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 29.5 | |
| 37 | Curtain Call (1998) Starz! |
Michael Caine | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 342 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 27.2 | |
| 37 | The Accidental Husband (2008) | Colin Firth & Uma Thurman |
0.10 | 0.1 | 34.20 | 334 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 21.3 | |
| 40 | Inhale (2010) | Dermot Mulroney | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 357 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 20.0 | |
| 41 | Bright Angel (1990) | Dermot Mulroney | 0.20 | 0.4 | 0.40 | 211 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 19.1 | |
| 42 | Silent Tongue (1993) | Alan Bates & Richard Harris |
0.10 | 0.2 | 0.20 | 234 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 16.9 | |
| 41 | Far North (1988) | Jessica Lange & Directed by Sam Shepard |
0.10 | 0.4 | 0.40 | 248 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 15.4 | |
| 43 | Stealth (2005) | Jamie Foxx | 32.10 | 54.1 | 129.60 | 88 | 34 | 00 / 00 | 14.2 | |
| 43 | In Dubious Battle (2016) | Nat Wolff & James Franco |
0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 382 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 13.8 | |
| 45 | The Only Thrill (1998) | Diane Keaton | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 260 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 12.5 | |
| 47 | The Return (2006) | Sarah Michelle Gellar | 7.70 | 12.7 | 12.70 | 167 | 44 | 00 / 00 | 10.7 | |
| 48 | Darling Companion (2012) | Diane Keaton & Kevin Kline |
0.80 | 1.1 | 1.10 | 200 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 7.7 |
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Sam Shepard, is the # 48 most connected actor of the 2010’s.
I haven’t seen many of Sam Shepard’s movies, but The Right Stuff, Black Hawk Down and Days of Heaven are outstanding, and The Notebook was quite good though I don’t remember him having a big role there. However, I thought it would be worth noting that in addition to being actor, playwright and screen writer, Shepard is known for co-authoring one of my favourite Bob Dylan songs, Brownsville Girl, a wonderful Americana epic about 11 minutes in length, where the singer/narrator (Dylan) periodically come back to a movie he saw once that starred Gregory Peck. He can’t remember much about the movie except that Gregory Peck was shot in the back, obviously referring to The Gunfighter but never remembering the name of the movie, only that it was a long time ago, “long before the stars were all torn down”. RIP to a multi-talented and profound individual!
Hey Phil. I am right there with you about The Right Stuff and Black Hawk Down….but I bale on you about Days of Heaven. I think Terrence Malick is my least favorite director. I liked Badlands with Martin Sheen….but it has all been downhill from there. I just watched Malick’s Knight of Cups….what a waste of time.
I did not know that Shepard was a song writer as well…and working with Dylan…very impressive. That is cool…I wonder if Flora knew that piece of trivia…she is a huge Peck fan. Thanks for the visit and comment. RIP Sam Shepard.
Hey,
Bad News from American cinéma , i am so Sorry for You.
I havé seen something like 10 films. As always i am not sure
with the english title.
In France we lost yesterday Miss Jeanne Moreau, i am not sure You know her but She Was very famous in the 50 and 60.
She worked with François Truffaut, Orson Welles , Joseph losey ,Wim wanders and so Many others.
She Was à singer too and a director.
One her films well known Is “Viva Maria” with Bardot from Louis Malle.
Hello Pierre,
my best friend and I live far apart, but we try to meet each other once a year somewhere in the world. This year, it was London and I just returned 20 minutes ago from an extended weekend there. When he read the news yesterday, he immediatly told me and we both felt quite sad. Although she didn’t die young, we will both miss her- she was a legend among european actresses with many great films to her credit and even more great performances. I remember most strongly Ascenseur pour l’échafaud, although I have seen her in so many other movies.
Not trying to hijack this tribute to Mr. Shepard…his death also is a great loss. But from one european to another, I wanted to share my thoughts on Madame Moreau before falling into my bed !
Hey Lupino. That is cool that you and your friend met somewhere every year. That friendship reminds me of a Sam Shepard documentary called Shepard & Dark….it is about a friendship like you and your friend.
As for Moreau….no problem you can hijack this page and any other page you want. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on her and her career….which sadly has escaped me. It is times like this that I realize there is so much to learn about movies and the stars that make them.
RIP to the both of them….and Michael Parks too.
Hi Bruce,
never heard about that documentary….I always think about a 70’s movie called Same Time, Next year, although that couple (Ellen Burstyn and Alan Alda) meets up for something totally different from what my friend and I have in mind LOL!
Yes, Michael Parks also died…I am not too familiar with his work, but he was Jennifer Jones’ costar in The Idol- therefore, RIP Mr. Parks.
Hey Lupino….funny about Same Time, Next Year. I have not seen the entire Shepard documentary either…but I have read about it…and seen some clips of the movie.
Hello lupino,
Thanks for sharing Your émotion for Jeanne Moreau and i really like this way of Life to meet somewhere a year in the world with Your Best friend.
Have good Time and for me it Is Time for Summer vacations…..
Bye
Pierre
Hello Pierre,
I hope I’m still on time for wishing you a great vacation!!!!!!
Looking forward to new conversations after you returned 😉
🙂
Hey Pierre. Thanks for checking out this Sam Shepard page. 10 movies is pretty good….he was not really a star here ….so I can only imagine his star wattage overseas…..so your tally really impresses me. I saw that Jeanne Moreau had passed as well. Thanks for the information on her….sad news. Currently I do not know much about her….but your comment and Lupino has me thinking I should do some research on her. Rest in Peace Mr. Shepard and Ms. Moreau.
The Right Stuff was my best film of 1983.
Hey Dan….The Right Stuff was not only one of the best movies of 1983….but one of the best movies of the entire 1980s decade.