Iconic Tremors actor Fred Ward sadly passed away on May 8th, 2022, and viewers have an impressive body of work to watch in memory of his talent. Both a former boxer and Alaska-based lumberjack, Ward was a master of gruff characters, but he also injected them with something more.
The actor brought a subtle sense of humor to the table, even in unsubtle comedies like Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult, proving just as adept in genre films as he was in gut-wrenching dramas like The Right Stuff (1983) and Silkwood. His whole filmography has been rated by Metacritic, but most viewers would probably rather start with the best.
Southern Comfort (1981)
Stream On Tubi, Hoopla, Kanopy & The Roku Channel
Walter Hill's Southern Comfort was released in 1981, one of the best years for thriller movies. The film features Ward as one of several Louisiana National Guardsmen fighting for his life after the squad disrespects a group of Cajun hunter-trappers.
The bayou thriller was met with a positive response from both general raters and professional critics. On the critical side, it holds a Metascore of 63, while viewers liked it even more to the tune of a 6.8 user score.
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994): 63
Stream On Paramount+
Leslie Nielsen's third and final adventure as Lieutenant Frank Drebin sees Ward step into the villainous shoes once worn by Ricardo Montalbán and Robert Goulet.
While the third didn't match the heights set by the first two films—Metascores of 76 and 65, respectively—its score came close at 63. Like with the critical response, the user score dropped off after the first film. Audiences gave the trilogy ratings of 8.6, 7.2, and 7.0. All three are worth watching, and few would disagree that Ward's inclusion benefitted the third.
Silkwood (1983): 64
Not Currently Available To Stream
Mike Nichols' moving biopic stars Meryl Streep as real-life hero Karen Silkwood, a nuclear power plant worker who, along with several coworkers, becomes contaminated by radiation. She turns whistleblower only to suffer a well-publicized and extremely mysterious death on her way to meet with a reporter. Ward stars as Morgan, one of Silkwood's co-workers at the plant. The majority of the screentime goes to Streep, but Ward makes a sensitive impression.
The memorable and effective tearjerker did well with critics, holding a Metascore of 64. However, its user score was much higher at 8.4, a stand-in for universal acclaim.
Tremors (1990): 65
Stream On Starz
Tremors, one of the funniest sci-fi horror B-movies of all time, mixes horror, sci-fi, the buddy comedy, and westerns seamlessly. Featuring excellent chemistry between Ward and Kevin Bacon, it's a perfectly paced smart monster movie that introduces a classic creature to the genre. A long-running series of direct-to-video sequels started in 1996 with Tremors 2: Aftershocks, which saw Ward take on the lead role.
The genre-blender had the strong potential to be a weak film, but it defied all expectations and received positive marks from critics to the tune of a 65 Metascore. The cult hit's audience reception was even higher at 7.8.
Miami Blues (1990): 72
Stream On Amazon Prime, Hoopla, & Tubi
George Armitage (Grosse Pointe Blank) directed Ward, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Alec Baldwin in Miami Blues, a similarly violent black comedy to the director's John Cusack movie. Baldwin stars as Junior, a recently released and energetic ex-con who goes on the run with a sex worker after killing a man. Ward stars as Sgt. Hoke Moseley, the cop who gets on Junior's trail after the young man steals his gun and badge.
The lovers on the run movie met a favorable response to the tune of a 72 Metascore and 6.5 user score.
Farewell (2009): 74
Not Currently Available To Stream
One of Ward's most recent projects puts him in the shoes of United States President Ronald Reagen. Farewell is a French espionage thriller with supporting appearances by two major U.S. actors: Ward and Willem Dafoe.
Partially filmed in Ukraine, the film follows a Russian spy who goes against his government's wishes and hands classified documents over to the French. Farewell received identical ratings from critics and raters on Metacritic, with a Metascore of 74 and a user score of 7.4, both of which indicate favorability.
Escape From Alcatraz (1979): 76
Stream On Amazon Prime & Paramount+
Escape from Alcatraz is an intense but entertaining drama starring Clint Eastwood in one of the Dirty Harry actor's coolest movie roles. The icon is placed in the titular, seemingly-unescapable prison as Frank Morris, an expert criminal whose past caught up with him. Ward stars as one of two bank-robbing brothers, the Anglins. Old friends of Morris', the Anglins play a major role in his escape.
The dramatization received a near-identical response from both critics and audiences, holding Meta and user scores of 76 and 7.8, respectively.
Short Cuts (1993): 79
Not Currently Available To Stream
Like director Robert Altman's Nashville, Short Cuts is an ensemble piece following a group of loosely-connected individuals. The event that merges their lives comes in the form of a car accident that puts the life of a young boy on the line. Ward stars as Stuart Kane, an out-of-work salesman who, along with his wife (Anne Archer), befriends another couple in a seemingly serendipitous situation.
Altman's L.A.-set Raymond Carver adaptation did well on both sides of the aisle, with critics giving it a Metascore of 79 while audiences got its user score up to 7.4.
The Player (1992): 86
Stream On HBO Max
Just before Short Cuts, Ward teamed with Altman for The Player, and it was even more well-reviewed. The film follows Tim Robbins' Griffin Mill, an arrogant producer who murders a screenwriter and then goes after the man's girlfriend. Ward portrays Walter Stucker, the chief of security at Mill's studio.
The ensemble comedy was a major hit with critics, earning a Metacritic Must-See Badge and a score of 86. Altman's satire received universal acclaim from audiences, as well, with a slightly lower score of 8.1.
The Right Stuff (1983): 91
Stream On HBO Max
Long before Disney+'s one-season series, there was the critically acclaimed 1983 adaptation of Tom Wolfe's eponymous non-fiction novel. Far more critically successful than commercial, the film about NASA's early days stars Ward as Gus Grisson, a member of the Mercury Seven alongside Ed Harris' John Glenn and Scott Glenn's Alan Shepard.
The Right Stuff was a beloved movie across the board, standing as another entry from Ward's filmography that holds a Metacritic Must-See badge. With a Metascore of 91, the movie was met with universal acclaim from critics, even if its still-positive user score was lower at 8.0.