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This list encompasses some of his best and most memorable work, as tribute to a thrillingly diverse life on screen, characterised by a great intensity and undeniable presence.


Champion (1949)

Champion (1949)

User: 7 -
Avg: 7.3 (4 Ratings)
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Midge Kelly, hitchhiking west with lame brother Connie, is hustled unprepared into a pro boxing...

Detective Story (1951)

Detective Story (1951)

User: 8 -
Avg: 8.0 (1 Ratings)
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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

User: 8 -
Avg: 7.6 (14 Ratings)
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A ship sent to investigate a wave of mysterious sinkings encounters the advanced submarine, the...

and 7 other items
     
It Runs in the Family (2003)
It Runs in the Family (2003)
2003 | Comedy, Drama
8
7.0 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
The Douglas Family
It Runs in the Family- stars Micheal Douglas, Kirk Douglas, Cameron Douglas and Diana Douglas. Its a funny, entertaining, dramatic film.

The plot: Three generations of males -- grandfather Mitch Gromberg (Kirk Douglas), son Alex (Michael Douglas) and grandson Asher (Cameron Douglas) -- try to chart their way through personal upheavals and come together after Mitch suffers a stroke. Alex, a womanizer going through a midlife crisis and fearing he's become like his neglectful father, attempts to save Asher from a life of drugs. None of them wanted to turn into their fathers, but it'll take a lot more than wishes to heal the damage done.

Highly recordmend.
  
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Joe Mantegna recommended Spartacus (1960) in Movies (curated)

 
Spartacus (1960)
Spartacus (1960)
1960 | Adventure, History, War

"We need one costume drama in here, and I love the fact that Kirk Douglas gave blacklisted Dalton Trumbo a shot at the script. This is a great film on many levels."

Source
  
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Ray Winstone recommended The Vikings (1958) in Movies (curated)

 
The Vikings (1958)
The Vikings (1958)
1958 | Action, Classics, Drama
6.8 (4 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Another film would be The Vikings, with Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis — with a Bronx accent, I guess, as a viking. But it’s a stirring film, you know, and one of the great films of the time."

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Lonely are the Brave (1962)
Lonely are the Brave (1962)
1962 | Drama, Western
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"There was a movie Kirk Douglas did that I loved a lot, Lonely Are the Brave. You’ll have to look that one up. I actually met him about 14 years ago, and he actually said that was his favorite movie."

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Ace in the Hole (The Big Carnival) (1951)
Ace in the Hole (The Big Carnival) (1951)
1951 | Comedy, Drama, Film-Noir
9.0 (5 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"My taste usually runs to loosely structured films, but this one is as taut as a drum. Kirk Douglas is as snappy as Edward G. Robinson, and the story—about the press exploiting tragedy—is Rupert Murdoch–ian. A film that seems to get younger as time goes on."

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Ace in the Hole (The Big Carnival) (1951)
Ace in the Hole (The Big Carnival) (1951)
1951 | Comedy, Drama, Film-Noir
9.0 (5 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I like Billy Wilder best when he’s nasty. Five Graves to Cairo (especially that ending), Double Indemnity, but nothing, nothing, beats Ace in the Hole. Kirk Douglas is so despicable, but you understand why he’s doing what he’s doing. You oddly feel for him at times. I love that Wilder takes us there."

Source
  
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Jesse Malin recommended Paths of Glory (1957) in Movies (curated)

 
Paths of Glory (1957)
Paths of Glory (1957)
1957 | Classics, Drama, War

"Very early Stanley Kubrick, the true hard-core grit of World War I. Down in the trenches with one of my favorite performances by Kirk Douglas. The beautiful blonde woman, who sings away the pain for a bunch of soldiers at the end of the film, would soon after become Mrs. Kubrick."

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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
1954 | Adventure, Drama, Family
One of the first Disney films to be shot in Cinema Scope
I swear Kirk Douglas has the best chin in film I have ever seen.

Another Disney classic I am ashamed I had not seen until today. What a grand epic undersea adventure! Kirk Douglas, Peter Lorre and James Mason as Captain Nemo (my dog really liked the seal, Esmeralda as well).

After some mysterious encounters at sea results in several vessels going down, some survivors of one of the blasts find their way aboard the Nautilus and meet the nefarious captain. After discovering the captain's mission our heroes try and escape and end up sort of joining the crew to bide their time until another opportunity arises.

What about the giant squid?

For the time period, this film looked amazing and the art direction and special effects both won Academy Awards for that year. The design of the Nautilus was also very interesting and it photographed well underwater.

I thoroughly enjoyed embarking on this aquatic journey and had to hold my breath until it was over!

  
Paths of Glory (1957)
Paths of Glory (1957)
1957 | Classics, Drama, War
Meanwhile, producer Kirk Douglas had met a promising young director he liked called Stanley Kubrick. Douglas, whose humanitarian work was also becoming a big part of his life around this time, was looking for a script that championed pacifism over the gung-ho attitude of American heroism that he found distasteful. The rest is history. Possibly the one film in his career that can still be called perfect. Again, it was way ahead of its time, and therefore unfairly shunned as an Oscar contender. Shot in stunning black and white, it is an economical film of great power, replete with memorable moments and striking dialogue. The evidence of Douglas’ increasing skill at the quiet moments is all the better for the big pay-off when he erupts, calling out his superiors on their morality and cowardice. Of all films on this list, this is the one most likely to endure as a work of pure art.