Bruce Dern Movies: Release Order
Bruce Dern's complete theatrical filmography showcases one of cinema's most distinctive character actors. Starting with small roles in Hitchcock and Roger Corman productions in the 1960s, Dern became a defining presence of the New Hollywood era with memorable villain turns and complex character studies.
This comprehensive watch order spans his entire career from early supporting roles through his Oscar-nominated performances in Coming Home and Nebraska, including his collaborations with auteur directors like Hitchcock, Hal Ashby, Alexander Payne, and Quentin Tarantino. The list focuses on theatrical releases and substantial direct-to-video films where Dern had narratively significant roles rather than brief cameos.
There are 2 other watch lists available - see the links up above.
List not ranked (sorted by Release Date)

Wild River
A Tennessee Valley Authority bureaucrat faces local resistance while overseeing dam construction in rural Tennessee, particularly from an elderly woman who refuses to leave her island home and her widowed granddaughter with whom he becomes romantically involved.
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Marnie
A compulsive thief finds her criminal activities exposed by her new employer, who uses this knowledge to manipulate her into an increasingly complex psychological game.
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The Wild Angels
A motorcycle gang's pursuit of their stolen bike leads to violent confrontations with both rival gangs and police in a small town. The escalating conflict spirals into chaos and destruction as tensions reach a breaking point.
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The Trip
An office worker's cruise vacation takes an unexpected turn when he becomes stranded on a tropical island, where he befriends a helpful ape companion.
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The St. Valentine's Day Massacre
A dramatization of the infamous 1929 Chicago gangland massacre where Al Capone's men, disguised as police officers, gunned down members of rival gang leader Bugs Moran's crew in a North Side garage on Valentine's Day.
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The War Wagon
An ex-convict plans to rob his former adversary's gold-laden stagecoach with the help of a partner whose loyalties may be questionable.
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Waterhole #3
A professional gambler discovers a map leading to buried Confederate gold in the desert, but he's not the only one hunting for the treasure.
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Will Penny
An aging cowboy takes a job patrolling ranch property and discovers a stranded woman and her son have taken shelter in his mountain cabin. As winter sets in, the unlikely companions develop a deep bond while weathering the harsh season together.
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Hang 'Em High
After surviving a lynching, Marshall Jed Cooper returns to his lawman duties with a personal mission to track down the nine men who tried to hang him. This classic Western follows his quest for justice in the unforgiving frontier.
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Psych-Out
A deaf runaway named Jenny arrives in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district searching for her missing brother and falls in with a psychedelic rock band who help hide her from the authorities. Set against the backdrop of 1960s counterculture, she navigates the world of hippies, music, and love beads while pursuing her quest.
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Castle Keep
During the Battle of the Bulge, a ragtag squad of American soldiers takes shelter in an isolated castle owned by an eccentric count, who hopes they will help defend it against advancing German forces.
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The Cycle Savages
A biker gang leader becomes enraged when an artist sketches his crew and plots violent revenge against the man's hands.
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Support Your Local Sheriff!
A drifter takes on the job of sheriff in a wild west town purely for the money, planning to leave if trouble gets too serious.
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They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
During the Great Depression, desperate contestants compete in a grueling dance marathon for a $1,500 prize, enduring physical and emotional exhaustion as their hopes and dreams slowly crumble under the relentless pressure.
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Bloody Mama
Based on the true story of Kate "Ma" Barker, this Depression-era crime drama follows a domineering mother who transforms her sons into a notorious gang of bank robbers and criminals in 1930s America.
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Rebel Rousers
When a motorcycle gang arrives in a small coastal town, businessman Paul Collier must fight to protect his pregnant girlfriend Karen from the violent bikers. With little help from local authorities, Paul faces a desperate struggle against the menacing gang led by the ruthless Bunny.
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Drive, He Said
A college basketball star navigates relationships and friendship while his buddy desperately tries to avoid being drafted for the Vietnam War.
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The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant
A scientist conducting head transplant experiments decides to graft a dying psycho-killer's head onto his caretaker's mentally disabled son after a violent home invasion. This bizarre B-movie horror explores the grotesque results of the doctor's unethical medical procedure.
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The Cowboys
When his experienced cattlemen abandon him for gold mining, rancher Wil Andersen must train a group of young boys to help drive his cattle herd to market. Under Andersen's guidance, the boys learn the hard work of being cowboys while facing the dangers of the frontier.
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The King of Marvin Gardens
A radio personality from Philadelphia gets drawn into his dreamer brother's latest scheme to build a paradise on a Pacific Island, but complications arise as his brother fronts for the local mob in Atlantic City.
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Silent Running
In a future where Earth's flora has gone extinct, an ecologist aboard a space station tends to the last remaining greenhouse with his robot companions. When ordered to destroy it for cargo space, he must choose between duty and preserving the final remnants of nature.
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The Laughing Policeman
A San Francisco detective becomes obsessed with solving a mass shooting on a city bus that killed his partner and several passengers. His investigation uncovers connections to an earlier murder case.
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The Great Gatsby
A young Midwesterner living on Long Island becomes fascinated by his mysterious neighbor Jay Gatsby and gets drawn into a world of obsession, wealth, and tragedy in 1920s America.
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Posse
A politically ambitious marshal leads an elite posse on a mission to capture a notorious train robber and his gang in this western thriller.
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Smile
A behind-the-scenes look at California's "Young American Miss" beauty pageant, where organizers Big Bob Freelander and Brenda DiCarlo face personal challenges that threaten to disrupt their biggest event of the year.
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Family Plot
A fake psychic and her taxi driver boyfriend become entangled with dangerous kidnappers while searching for a missing heir in this Hitchcock thriller.
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Black Sunday
An Israeli anti-terrorist agent races against time to stop a terrorist plot targeting the Super Bowl, involving a disgruntled Vietnam veteran working with the Black September organization.
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The Driver
A skilled getaway driver with an impeccable record becomes the obsession of a determined detective who will stop at nothing to catch him. When the cop sets up an elaborate sting operation, the driver must use all his cunning to stay one step ahead.
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Coming Home
A Marine officer's wife in 1968 California reconnects with a paralyzed Vietnam War veteran, leading to an emotional journey that challenges her perspectives on love, war, and sacrifice.
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Middle Age Crazy
A married man approaching his fortieth birthday experiences a midlife crisis that disrupts his settled existence.

Tattoo
An unbalanced tattoo artist becomes dangerously obsessed with a model he meets during a body-painting photo shoot, determined to permanently mark her with his art.
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That Championship Season
Four former high school basketball players reunite with their old coach for what begins as a friendly gathering, but evolves into a brutally honest confrontation about their lives and relationships. The emotional evening forces these middle-aged men to confront painful truths about themselves and their shared past glory from their championship season in 1957.
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On the Edge
An aging professional runner makes one last desperate attempt at victory by training intensively for an extremely challenging marathon race.
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1969
Two rebellious young men in a small town struggle with adulthood and clash with their families over the Vietnam War. Their antiwar activism ultimately forces the entire community to reconsider its stance on the conflict.
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The 'Burbs
A suburbanite's peaceful vacation is disrupted when mysterious new neighbors move in next door, leading him and his friends down a paranoid path of amateur investigation and wild speculation.
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After Dark, My Sweet
Three desperate criminals attempt to kidnap a wealthy child in a scheme they hope will change their fortunes.
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Diggstown
A recently released ex-con sets up a high-stakes bet in a boxing-obsessed town, wagering that his aging fighter can defeat ten local opponents within 24 hours.
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Wild Bill
A biographical drama following the legendary gunslinger Wild Bill Hickok as he arrives in the lawless town of Deadwood and reconnects with his old flame Calamity Jane.
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Last Man Standing
A mysterious gunfighter arrives in a Prohibition-era town torn apart by two warring gangs and plays both sides against each other for profit. As violence escalates, he must use all his cunning and firepower to survive the deadly game he's created.
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Mulholland Falls
In 1950s Los Angeles, a special crime squad of the LAPD investigates the murder of a young woman in this neo-noir thriller.
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Absolute Power
A master thief witnesses a murder involving the President of the United States and must flee while possessing evidence that could bring down the most powerful man in the country.
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All the Pretty Horses
In 1949, a young Texan named John Grady loses his family ranch and heads to Mexico with his friend, seeking adventure and a new life as cowboys. Their journey south of the border becomes a coming-of-age tale that will test their limits and change them forever.
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Monster
Based on the true story of Aileen Wuornos, this biographical crime drama follows a highway drifter who becomes America's first female serial killer after a traumatic encounter leads her down a violent path.
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Down in the Valley
A teenage girl falls for a mysterious stranger who dresses like a cowboy and claims to be a ranch hand, but her father, a lawman, grows increasingly suspicious of the young man's true identity.
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The Astronaut Farmer
A former Air Force pilot turned rancher pursues his lifelong dream of space travel by building a rocket in his barn, despite facing opposition from government agencies and financial pressures.
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Nebraska
An aging, alcoholic father convinces his estranged son to drive him from Montana to Nebraska to claim what he believes is a million-dollar sweepstakes prize.
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The Hateful Eight
A group of bounty hunters and strangers take shelter from a blizzard in a remote cabin, where tensions rise and deadly secrets emerge in this tense Western thriller.
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Chappaquiddick
The film chronicles the 1969 Chappaquiddick incident that derailed Ted Kennedy's political career when a fatal car accident claimed the life of campaign strategist Mary Jo Kopechne.
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White Boy Rick
Based on the true story of Richard Wershe Jr., a teenager who became an FBI informant in 1980s Detroit before finding himself on the wrong side of the law.
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The Mustang
A convict participates in a rehabilitation program training wild mustangs, gradually learning to confront his violent past while forming a bond with an especially challenging horse.
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The Peanut Butter Falcon
A down-on-his-luck crab fisherman helps a young man with Down syndrome escape from a retirement home to pursue his dream of becoming a professional wrestler in rural North Carolina.
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Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
In 1969 Los Angeles, fading TV western star Rick Dalton and his stuntman best friend Cliff Booth navigate the changing movie industry while living next door to rising actress Sharon Tate.
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Badland
A detective hired to track down Confederate war criminals in the Old West encounters a mysterious pioneer woman who challenges his mission and beliefs.
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The Artist's Wife
When renowned abstract artist Richard Smythson is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, his wife Claire faces a crisis as he struggles to complete the paintings for what may be his final exhibition.
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The Gateway
A social worker becomes involved when a single mother's ex-partner returns from prison and threatens to draw the family into criminal activities.
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Last Call
A real estate developer faces a difficult choice when he returns to his old Philadelphia neighborhood and must decide whether to demolish or restore his family's bar.
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Death in Texas
A recently released ex-convict desperately searches for ways to save his dying mother who needs a liver transplant when all legal options have been exhausted.
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Remember Me
After a serious car accident leaves her with memory loss and unable to walk, Rose awakens in an unfamiliar house where her mother and boyfriend claim to be helping her recover. As she tries to piece together her past, Rose begins to suspect that nothing is as it seems.

Accidental Texan
When aspiring actor Erwin gets stranded in Texas after blowing his first acting job, he teams up with a struggling oil driller and his partner on a wild scheme to strike it rich before the bank forecloses on their dreams.
Other Film Series
A Better Tomorrow
A landmark Hong Kong action series exploring themes of brotherhood, loyalty, and redemption through stylized gunplay and emotional drama.
Con Artists
Films about grifters, swindlers, and confidence tricksters who use deception and manipulation to separate marks from their money.
Dirty Harry
San Francisco Inspector Harry Callahan's uncompromising approach to justice across five iconic cop thrillers.
Kathryn Bigelow
Oscar-winning director known for intense action thrillers and politically charged dramas that explore violence, masculinity, and moral complexity.
Pusher
A Danish crime trilogy exploring Copenhagen's criminal underworld through different protagonists, plus an unconnected English remake.
The Joker
A collection of major live-action Joker portrayals across different Batman film universes.