Summary
Some of the greatest, most popular movies of all time also included a few of the most impressive ensemble casts of all time. Casting is a hugely important part of the filmmaking process, especially in an age where it’s so much of what audiences care about. As such, it’s not unsurprising thatthe best directorswill often try to assemble a cast of as many big-name stars as possible to draw attention to the movie.
While sometimes these stars are up-and-coming and taking part in a movie alongside already established A-listers, or it’s a massive ensemble crew ofHollywood’s biggest actors, the quality of a cast can make or break a movie. In recent years, “event” cinema has become a trend, theaters centering films whose casts are bursting at the seams with fame.
Which Movie Has Won The Most Oscars
Many movies are nominated for Academy Awards, but which have reached the pinnacle of Oscar glory with the most wins across the categories?
The Deer Hunter
Cast
The Deer Hunter is a 1978 war drama film by director Michael Cimino that centers on three men in a small steel mill town in Pennsylvania during the Vietnam War. The film explores the effects of the war on small-town workers, with the trio of Russian-American friends bonding over one last hunting trip. Holding onto the hope of bringing home militaristic glory back to their friends and families, their reality quickly comes crashing down when they experience the war in Vietnam firsthand.
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Winning five Academy Awards, Michael Cimino’s second-ever featureThe Deer Hunterhas a strong reputation, and although its cast isn’t huge, it stars three actors in particular whose fame boostsThe Deer Hunter’s reputation further. WithRobert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and Meryl Streep playing the leadsalongside John Savage andThe Godfather’s John Cazale, this is not a cast to be underestimated.
Each actor gave a seriously strong performance in this movie, De Niro earning $1 million for the role in an attempt to bolster the film’s popularity, given an unfamiliar director. This tactic worked, and the result is one of the greatest films of the 20th century – with an even greater cast.
The Longest Day
The Longest Day is a 1962 war film depicting the events of July 02, 2025, from multiple perspectives, including the German, US, British, Canadian, and Free French forces, as they navigate the complexities of the D-Day invasion.
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War movies were all the rage in the mid-20th century, andThe Longest Dayis one of the more famous epics of the genre. Telling the story of the D-Day landings across Britain, France, and Germany, and running for nearly three hours, it’s a highly impressive piece of filmmaking that deserves its stellar cast.
Among the main roles are John Wayne, Richard Burton, Sean Connery, Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum, Richard Todd,and the list goes on. Tension elevates rapidly throughout the film’s runtime, this cast pulls through and everyone gives an amazing performance – unsurprising when they’re all masters of their craft.
Apocalypse Now
In Francis Ford Coppola’s classic Vietnam War film, loosely based on Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness, an army Captain is tasked with assassinating a rogue Colonel who has created a cult-like compound in the Cambodian jungle and is currently waging his own war outside the army’s purview. Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando star as Captain Willard and Colonel Kurtz respectively, with an ensemble cast that includes Robert Duvall, Laurence Fishburne, and Dennis Hopper.
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Apocalypse Nowis rightly lauded as one of thegreatest films ever made
Francis Ford Coppola knows how to make movie stars, andApocalypse Nowis filled to the brim with some of the greatest actors ever to have lived.Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, and Martin Sheen are the central characters, with appearances from Laurence Fishburne, Harrison Ford, and many others.
Ford’s character, Col. G. Lucas, is a reference to the fact that George Lucas was originally intended to directApocalypse Now– it’s fitting that a lifelong collaborator of his took on that mantle. Exploring the horrors of the Vietnam War,Apocalypse Nowis rightly lauded as one of thegreatest films ever made, and the cast of top-tier stars only takes it to another level.
The Meyerowitz Stories
The Meyerowitz Stories (2017) is a Netflix release directed by Noah Baumbach, chronicling the complex relationships within an estranged family. Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, and Elizabeth Marvel portray siblings dealing with their domineering father, played by Dustin Hoffman. The narrative explores the family’s dynamics through various life events and interactions, resulting in a portrait of intergenerational conflict and reconciliation.
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A small-scale family film,The Meyerowitz Storiesis one of Noah Baumbach’s oft-overlooked gems. Focusing on the Meyerowitz family,the movie stars Adam Sandler as Danny, Ben Stiller as Matthew, Dustin Hoffman as their father Harold, and Emma Thompson as Harold’s wife. The interplay between these four is a joy to behold, and they excel in their roles.
While the main characters are such big names that they make the film feel loaded with hundreds of stars, the cameo appearances from Adam Driver and Sigourney Weaver help to make this impression last throughout the film. With funny moments and scenes of real drama, it’s a gift to be able to watch such talented stars show off their full range.
Knives Out
When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan’s dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, there are suspects aplenty. Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan’s untimely death.
Rian Johnson’s re-imaging of the detective genre in 2019 proved to be a huge success – and the list of stars he managed to cast is proof of this. Boasting a leading performance from Daniel Craig, plusensemble roles for Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans, Don Johnson, Frank Oz, Christopher Plummer, and many more, familiar faces pop up everywhere.
What’s almost more incredible is the fact that the 2022 sequel,Glass Onion, had an equally impressive supporting cast, featuring Edward Norton, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, and even more icons on the screen. Johnson’s final stroke of genius was collecting cameos for this second installment, from Hugh Grant to Ethan Hawke – and even Angela Lansbury and Stephen Sondheim show up. TheKnives Outfranchise is arguably an instant classic already.
The Thin Red Line
The Thin Red Line is a war film directed by Terrence Malick, based on James Jones' autobiographical novel. Released in 1998, it focuses on the Battle of Guadalcanal during World War II, exploring the psychological toll of combat on soldiers. The ensemble cast includes Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, and Nick Nolte, among others, and delves into themes of survival, fear, and the impact of war on human nature.
Epic war moviesare the places to be for star-studded casts, and Terrence Malick’s classic is no exception.Starring Sean Penn as Edward Welsh, with Adrien Brody, George Clooney, Woody Harrelson, Tim Blake Nelson, John C. Reilly, John Savage, and John Travolta as other US soldiers, this 171-minute powerhouse of a feature earned itself a healthy award season.
The best part about this movie is that the cast doesn’t distract or detract from the quality of the storytelling at its central premise. The stars are all so perfect in their roles, and the film is so good at drawing the viewer into its world, that it wouldn’t be difficult not to notice who’s in it, even if they are some of the most recognizable actors of its era.
