A Complete Review of Clint Eastwood's work

Unfortunately, I haven't seen this one yet...

Cast : Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde, Jon Hamm, Kathy Bates

What was it about?
Security guard Richard Jewell is an instant hero after foiling a bomb attack at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, but his life becomes a nightmare when the FBI leaks to the media that he is a suspect in the case.

My two cents:
To be honest, I kinda of lost faith in Clint Eastwood a couple of years ago, however, since this movie had been rather well received, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, once again, Eastwood chose to tell the true story of an American hero and, while the end-result was at least miles better than the abysmal ‘The 15:17 to Paris’, to be honest, I still struggled to care about the damned thing. I mean, the whole thing was well made and there was definitely a solid cast involved but the story was just too pathetic for my taste. Of course, you might argue that it is how it all went down back then but, even so, this tale might have been strong on paper but I thought it was hardly fascinating. Basically, Richard Jewell was maybe a loser but it was just obvious that the guy was completely harmless and the fact that it took the FBI months to figure this out is just staggering and shows the lack of competence of everybody involved in this investigation. At least, they didn’t plant some evidence to completely frame the poor fellow. The worst character was probably the one played by Olivia Wilde though. Indeed, in my opinion, the way this character was developed was terrible and actually rather misogynist. Sure, that this journalist was some kind of vulture looking for any juicy story was not really shocking but the way she would sleep with anyone to get some intel was just pushing it too far (and, apparently, it was completely made up for this movie). Basically, you spend 2 hours with some rather pathetic characters getting stuck into a pathetic story so it didn’t feel really rewarding, even with a strong cast and a solid director like Eastwoord behind the wheel.

My rating: 6/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, Taissa Farmiga, Michael Peña, Laurence Fishburne

What was it about?
A 90-year-old horticulturist and WWII veteran is caught transporting $3 million worth of cocaine through Michigan for a Mexican drug cartel.

My two cents:
Following the truly dreadful ‘The 15:17 to Paris’, easily his weakest directing effort so far, Clint Eastwood didn’t waste time and released this movie the very same year. Since it had received some solid reviews, I was quite eager to check it out and see if the guy managed to redeem himself somehow. Well, eventually, even though it was indeed miles better than ‘The 15:17 to Paris’, it was only a decent watch though. I mean, it was a strong story but I was missing some tension, some suspense. For example, it was refreshing that the main character would get along fine with all these cartel gangsters but this approach did have its drawbacks. Indeed, not only it turned the whole thing unintentionally into a pro-drug trafficking commercial (seriously, if you would believe this movie, to be a drug mule is actually a pretty easy job, with some nice colleagues and lots of easy cash) but it also created a lack of a real threat through the whole thing. However, it was a great character for Eastwood who really nailed it and, as usual, you might wonder if it will be his last acting job. On top of that, you might wonder if there was something autobiographical about this story as Eastwood has fathered at least 8 children with 6 different women and probably neglected most of them while becoming one of the most famous actor and director that ever lived.

My rating: 6/10

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Cast : Judy Greer, Jenna Fischer

What was it about?
American soldiers discover a terrorist plot on a Paris-bound train.

My two cents:
After 'American Sniper' and 'Sully', Eastwood decided for the 3rd time in a row to tell another true tale about some other American heroes but, unfortunately, it turned out to be so terribly weak and not much better than the garbage you can see on the Lifetime channel. Then, the actual guys who were involved during these events actually played themselves which wasn't a bad idea and I don't think they did such a terribly bad job but the whole thing started to become rather abysmal at this point. Basically, they gave us a whole bunch of meaningless scenes with no entertaining or informative value and it seems, since the tragic event in the train would last only 15 mins, that they had to fill in the running time with something. The worst part was definitely when these guys went backpacking in Europe. Seriously, it felt like watching 'The Real World' from MTV or some other crappy reality TV program. At least, the scenes in the train did work but everything else was just so tedious and rather poorly put together.

My rating: 5/10

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Cast : Tom Hanks, Laura Linney, Aaron Eckhart

What was it about?
The story of American pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who heroically landed a troubled aircraft full of passengers on the Hudson River

My two cents:
Since Eastwood had a big box-office success with ‘American Sniper’, he decided to once again tell the story of another American hero. Well, even though ‘American Sniper’ was quite popular, to be honest, I actually didn’t care much for this movie and I thought that this story was actually much more interesting. Still, I didn’t really like the approach they chose to tell this true story. Basically, the tricky thing was that the crash and the rescue altogether didn’t even take an hour so they had to add some stuff to reach a decent running time (eventually, it was still only 96 mins and the shortest film directed by Eastwood). Eventually, they tried to focus on the fact that Sully was, at first, blamed by the NTSB of reckless flying but, even though it might have been true, it didn’t result in something really interesting. Indeed, what the guy did was just simply amazing, he saved everyone for crying out loud and it felt like a waste of time to spend so much time on the NTSB arguing otherwise.

My rating: 6/10

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Cast : Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller

What was it about?
A Navy SEAL recounts his military career, which includes more than 150 confirmed kills.

My two cents:
Eventually, I didn't think it was offensive, I didn't think it was fascinating either, it was still a decent watch, but, to be honest, I wasn' t really blown away by the whole thing. I mean, sure, it was a decent and well made biopic but not much more than that, I'm afraid. I don't know, maybe, it was just too straighforward for me. Basically, the whole thing felt like a love letter to this American hero and I think it was just a tremendous success because the guy was hugely popular in the US and because of the fact that he just died about a year before the movie was released. At the end of the day, since the guy was so popular, they didn't dare being controversial in anyway and, as a result, you get one of the most straigtforward biopics I have ever seen.

My rating: 6/10

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Cast : Christopher Walken

What was it about?
Jersey Boys is a musical biography of the Four Seasons-the rise, the tough times and personal clashes, and the ultimate triumph of a group of friends whose music became symbolic of a generation.

My two cents:
First of all, I thought it would be an adaptation of the musical of the same name but, no, it was in fact a really straightforward biopic of this band. It should have been an improvement since I'm not a huge fan of the musical genre but, even so, I really didn’t care much about the damned thing. Above all, I thought the whole thing was just seriously boring. I mean, it took them at least 1 hour before they finally released their first hit, so it was pretty slow but, on top of that, everything that happened during that time was rather underwhelming. Even worse, from the moment they got their breakthrough, the whole thing became even more boring. Honestly, I wonder what Eastwood saw in this story and, at first, I thought he was just checking the musical genre of his bucket list but he decided to do something even less daring after all. To conclude, even though I have seen worse, I still believe it is one of the weakest directing efforts delivered by Clint Eastwood so far.

My rating: 5/10

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Cast : Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Judi Dench, Armie Hammer, Josh Lucas, Dermot Mulroney

What was it about?
J. Edgar Hoover, powerful head of the FBI for nearly 50 years, looks back on his professional and personal life.

My two cents:
The whole thing sounded great on paper: one of the best directors and one of the best actors working together on a biopic on one of the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Unfortunately, the whole thing was actually rather disappointing. Basically, they kind of messed up the script in my opinion. I mean, if we follow the story line, Hoover not only created the FBI, but was also a repressed homosexual, allegedly a cross dresser, a socially impaired borderline autistic fellow and his mother was apparently a b*tch as well. That was frankly a little too much too swallow as a viewer and a little too difficult to handle for the makers. In my opinion, they should have dropped a few elements and correctly handle what they kept. I mean, it wasn't a bad movie, far from it though. The whole thing looked really good, Leonardo DiCaprio did a pretty good job as well and there was something really interesting about this character but they didn't approach the material from the right angle.

My rating: 6/10

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Cast : Matt Damon , Cécile De France, Jay Mohr, Stéphane Freiss

What was it about?
A drama centered on three people -- a blue-collar American, a French journalist and a London school boy -- who are touched by death in different ways.

My two cents:
Who would have expected the man with no name would make a movie about psychics? There is a pretty good cast lead by Matt Damon who gave a pretty good performance and the directing was really flawless, especially the opening scene which was dealing with a tsunami. However, even if the story was intriguing enough, they should have focused on one of the 3 stories, instead of developing those 3 story-lines at the same time. Indeed, each one could have been a fully-fleshed tale and it would have worked better that way. Still, even though I'm rather skeptic about psychics in general, I thought this movie gave an interesting view on the subject. Eventually, even though it is rather flawed and obviously a minor effort for Eastwood, it remains an intriguing and well made fantastic drama.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon

What was it about?
Nelson Mandela, in his first term as the South African President, initiates a unique venture to unite the apartheid-torn land: enlist the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

My two cents:
Was it really the most fascinating story about Nelson Mandela? To be honest, probably not. The main issue is that, among all the great things achieved by this man, it is hard to believe that the rugby world cup was his greatest accomplishment and personally, I would rather watch something else about this great historical figure. However, it is easy to understand that this subject was a crowd pleaser, easy to swallow and digest. Still, I thought it was an inspiring movie about one of the most inspiring historical figures that walked on Earth. Once again, Clint Eastwood shows us that he is one of the best directors around nowadays and you can see that Morgan Freeman had waited all his life to perform this character. Basically, it is a great tribute to Eastwood's talent that, even though the subject seemed rather trivial, he managed to give it some gravitas.

My rating: 08/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood

What was it about?
Disgruntled Korean War vet Walt Kowalski sets out to reform his neighbor, a young Hmong teenager, who tried to steal Kowalski's prized possession: his 1972 Gran Torino.

My two cents:
From all the recent directing efforts by Clint Eastwood, it must be easily the most overrated one. I mean, it is not that it was a bad movie, it was actually pretty good but I seriously failed to see what was so great about it. The only reason I can think of is that it is because Clint Eastwood was in it and that's why everybody was raving about. I'll give you that, Eastwood was really good and displayed the same charisma he used to have in those Spaghetti Westerns he used to make in the good old days. Unfortunately, the movie didn't have much else to offer, in my opinion. Indeed, the other characters were barely developed and the story would have been more interesting if Eastwood's character would have been a really awful racist *sshole. At the end of the day, the guy basically pretends all the way to be a dick but he is in fact actually a rather nice fellow deep inside (rather mushy if you ask me). To conclude, I have to admit, I did like this flick, absolutely, but considering it as one of the best directing outings by Eastwood? no way.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich

What was it about?
A grief-stricken mother takes on the LAPD to her own detriment when it stubbornly tries to pass off an obvious impostor as her missing child, while also refusing to give up hope that she will find him one day.

My two cents:
To be honest, I wasn't so sure what to expect from this flick. I mean, on one hand, it was very well received but, on the other hand, it pretty much sounded like your typical drama based on actual events about a mother looking for her missing son. Still, I expected it too be good but, to be honest, it was even better than that. Indeed, it is about a mother looking for her son but Eastwood goes way beyond this theme and you end up with a heartbreaking drama mixed up with a fascinating thriller. Concerning Angelina Jolie, I'm not sure. I mean, she did a decent job, probably one of her best performances, but it was almost distracting to have this huge star playing this woman because, in my opinion, even though the main character was indeed interesting, I think that what happened around her was even more spellbinding to watch. Eventually, the stars here were actually the very strong script and the expert directing by Eastwood.

My rating: 08/10

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Cast : Ken Watanabe

What was it about?
The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.

My two cents:
It is quite interesting that these movies were Clint Eastwood's actual first 'attempt' to make a war drama but, eventually, you could say that he was quite successful. Indeed, the movie looked great, the story was completely spellbinding and I loved the fact that it was focusing on the 'bad guys' for once, and, in the process, they gave the enemy a human face, a voice and some emotions. I really wonder what the Japanese audience made of this movie. Eventually, this flick was heralded while 'Flags of our fathers' was deemed rather disappointing. Indeed, this movie was eventually nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and this time, Eastwood lost against Scorsese when 3 years before, it was actually the over way around, when Eastwood won with 'Million Dollar Baby' and Scorsese lost with 'The Aviator'. Anyway, I think it is absolutely a great achievement and a very good war flick.

My rating: 08/10

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Cast : Ryan Phillippe, Barry Pepper, Jamie Bell, Paul Walker, Robert Patrick, Melanie Lynskey

What was it about?
The life stories of the six men who raised the flag at The Battle of Iwo Jima, a turning point in WWII.

My two cents:
Since I really enjoyed 'Letters from Iwo Jima', I was really eager to watch this flick. Together, they make one of the best depiction of War I have ever seen on movie. I mean, the battle scenes were really horrific and some of the best I have seen, it almost reached the level of 'Saving Private Ryan' introduction. Still, it was not as successful as 'Letters...'. First of all, in my opinion, the young soldiers were rather miscast, they were either too old (Ryan Philippe, Paul Walker) or just not good enough (Jesse Bradford, Adam Beach, Joseph Cross, Scott Eastwood). Furthermore, even though the whole story about the raising of the Flag was interesting, it wasn't really spellbinding, especially compared to the battle itself and I wish they just mirrored the story of 'Letters...', dealing this time with the American side. Still, it remains a well made war movie.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel

What was it about?
A determined woman works with a hardened boxing trainer to become a professional.

My two cents:
It is one movie I would really like to re-watch. If I remember correctly, I saw it when it was released but never re-watched it ever since. Pretty much like ‘Changeling’, Eastwood used a very well known template (a rag to riches tale of a boxer) but gave it an unexpected twist and the end-result was truly remarkable. Eventually, the movie was still about boxing and the rising of the main character was pretty entertaining. However, whereas boxing or other sport features just stop there and never become really compelling, Eastwood made a master move. Indeed, he further developed the story and it became something entirely different and really spellbinding to watch. So, the story was really fascinating and the acting was really good as well, resulting in a 2nd Academy award for Hilary Swank (it is rather striking that except for this movie and ‘Boys don’t cry’, Swank never did anything really amazing). To conclude, it is a classic and I will definitely re-watch it when I get the opportunity.

My rating: 08/10

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Cast : Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney, Emmy Rossum

What was it about?
With a childhood tragedy that overshadowed their lives, three men are reunited by circumstance when one loses a daughter.

My two cents:
Back in those days, Clint Eastwood’s directing career was going through a weak stage which started at the end of the 90’s with the underwhelming ‘Absolute Power’. Finally, after a long strings of disappointing movies, Eatswood made a major come-back with this flick and all the other movies he made afterwards were pretty much acclaimed (with a few notable exceptions such as ‘J. Edgar’’). Basically, you have here one of the best directors ever working with 3 amazing actors (Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins) on a riveting story. Anyway, I thought that this movie worked on two levels. Indeed, not only was it a heartbreaking drama but also a nerve-wrecking thriller. Furthermore, it was really gritty and Eastwood definitely didn’t sugarcoat the whole thing. Many people actually consider this movie as his last great masterpiece and they might actually be right. To conclude, it is a great drama and it is absolutely worth look.

My rating: 08/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood, Jeff Daniels, Anjelica Huston

What was it about?
Still recovering from a heart transplant, a retired FBI profiler returns to service when his own blood analysis offers clues to the identity of a serial killer.

My two cents:
Before producing arguably his best directing efforts, Clint Eastwood ended a string of disappointing flicks with one of his worst movies. All right, I have to admit, it wasn’t really awful but it was definitely average and pretty tedious to watch. Basically, it is one of the last movies he directed in which he portrayed the main character (‘Gran Torino’ would be the last one) and the last time he played someone involved in law enforcement. Seriously, it was like watching a grand-daddy version of Dirty Harry and it wasn’t a pretty sight. Furthermore, I really had a hard time to care about the story which was pretty pedestrian with the usual annoying twist at the end. To conclude, it is a weak effort and one of the most forgettable features directed by the great Clint.

My rating: 05/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, James Garner, James Cromwell, Marcia Gay, Loren Dean

What was it about?
When a retired engineer is called upon to rescue a failing satellite, he insists that his equally old teammates accompany him into space.

My two cents:
Before making all those heavy dramas (some people have actually criticized him of making nowadays some obvious Oscar bait every time around), Clint Eastwood used to mix it a little bit in the past, making also some features easier to digest. This flick is a perfect example. Indeed, it is obviously nothing amazing but it was still pretty entertaining. The cast (one of the best Eastwood ever had) obviously had a blast making this and I had a fairly good time watching this. Still, with such great actors involved, it was still a little bit frustrating that they didn't get something a little more substantial to chew on. To conclude, the whole thing was rather harmless but also really forgettable, I'm afraid.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood, Isaiah Washington, James Woods, Denis Leary

What was it about?
Can an over-the-hill journalist uncover the evidence that can prove a death row inmate's innocence just hours before his execution?

My two cents:
It reminds me somehow of 'Blood Work' in the sense that it is yet another weak directing effort, it is again a really preposterous thriller and basically Eastwood seemed again way too old to portray the main character in this movie as well. The big difference is that even though the plot was really ridiculous (see above), the whole thing was very well made and, I must admit, it was actually rather entertaining. Basically, if you compare it to the great masterpieces directed by Clint Eastwood, it is rather abysmal but if you compare it to the average thrillers produced by Hollywood every year, it is actually decent and worth a look but don't expect anything mind-blowing whatsoever.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : John Cusack, Kevin Spacey, Jude Law

What was it about?
A visiting city reporter's assignment suddenly revolves around the murder trial of a local millionaire, whom he befriends.

My two cents:
From this string of disappointing features, this movie was the only one which had the potential to be really good. Indeed, there was a pretty good buzz about it before its release, the story was really intriguing and there was a pretty strong cast. Unfortunately, the whole thing turned out to be a misfire. Indeed, it is one of those few times where the subject seemed to go way over Eastwood’s head (‘J. Edgar’ is another example). Indeed, he presented us some rather conflicted sometimes even weird characters but he had apparently no clue what to do with them. Eventually, it was not a bad movie, the actors involved were fine and there was something really intriguing about the story but unfortunately it never fulfilled its great potential.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Scott Glenn, Dennis Haysbert, Judy Davis, Richard Jenkins

What was it about?
A career thief witnesses a horrific crime involving the U.S. President.

My two cents:
After making 3 of his best movies back-to-back, it seems as if Clint Eastwood chickened out, went back to make some decent but slightly underwhelming flicks and it took him 8 years to finally impress us again with a downright masterpiece. I mean, to be honest, this was actually a pretty decent thriller, rather well made and quite entertaining, better than ‘True Crime’ and miles better than the tedious ‘Blood Work’. Basically, it was once again a rather far-fetched story but Eastwood was immensely charismatic, Gene Hackman was solid as usual and it was a fun flick to watch, no more no less.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood, Meryl Streep

What was it about?
Photographer Robert Kincaid wanders into the life of housewife Francesca Johnson, for four days in the 1960s.

My two cents:
With this directing effort, Clint Eastwood displayed he could direct basically anything. Indeed, apparently, even romantic features become masterpieces with him. It is something I always enjoyed with Eastwood as a director, his versatility and if you give it a close look, you will notice that he has done movies in almost every single genre you could think of (Western, Romance, Thriller, Action, Comedy, Drama, Fantastic…).This time around, it was basically a rather simple love story but the way it was told was so striking and pure at the same time, it was quite mind-blowing to behold. Of course, to have those two giants, Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood, playing this couple was also a masterstroke and they were both great in this. Indeed, together, they created a very touching and believable couple and one of the best romantic tales I have ever seen.

My rating: 08/10

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Cast : Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, Laura Dern

What was it about?
A kidnapped boy strikes up a friendship with his captor: an escaped convict on the run from the law, headed by an honorable U.S. Marshal.

My two cents:
It might be surprising but, even though it is not really one of his most highly regarded features, it is, and by far, my all time favorite movie directed by the great master. Indeed, I saw it in the movie theater when it came out, I was just 13 or 14 years old and it was the first time I almost cried at the end of any movie. I mean, I was a wreck at the end and it was the very first time I was so emotional after watching a movie. It was a very intense experience and therefore this movie became one of the few major milestones in my movie watching. To start with, even though I always found Kevin Costner pretty charismatic, I never really cared much for his work. However, I thought he was great here, bringing a combo of coolness and melancholy to his character, and he had a great chemistry with this young boy. In my opinion, Eastwood was really on top of his game at that time, at least as a director. I mean, there is such a control of the tone here, it was quite masterful and the ending was just shattering even if it was slightly predictable. To conclude, even though it is not Eastwood's best known movie, it had a huge impact on me, I think it is actually his best one so far and, as a matter of fact, it is one of my favorite movies of all time.

My rating: 10/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris

What was it about?
Retired Old West gunslinger William Munny reluctantly takes on one last job, with the help of his old partner and a young man.

My two cents:
Even though some actors-turned-directors like Robert Redford, Kevin Costner, Mel Gibson or even Ben Affleck got some immediate critical recognition, it surprisingly took Clint Eastwood 20 years to get there, to finally be acknowledged as a major film maker. What happened then? This movie happened and completely changed the outlook on this icon whose work as a director wasn't really taken seriously until that point. What was so great about this flick was not really the directing (which was really good), the acting (which was really good as well) or the story (which was really entertaining), in my opinion, it was the tone. Indeed, I loved how rather grim and gloomy the whole thing was and the way Eastwood blurred the frontier between good or bad was just brilliant. This movie was also the proof that the Academy can pick up sometimes a worthy winner for the best picture award.

My rating: 9/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood, Charlie Sheen, Raul Julia, Lara Flynn Boyle

What was it about?
Clint Eastwood plays a veteran cop who gets stuck with a rookie cop to chase down a German criminal.

My two cents:
Before making one of his numerous masterpieces and finally becoming one of the greatest directors alive, Eastwood made this decent but rather pedestrian action flick with Charlie Sheen. I mean, can you imagine a movie released today directed by Clint Eastwood, starring Eastwood himself and Charlie Sheen?!? That would be pretty weird... Anyway, 20 years ago, it didn't seem like a bad idea even though Sheen was apparently already struggling with substance abuse problems (that the guy is still alive today is some kind of a miracle). Anyway, even though the whole thing was nothing amazing, it was still a solid buddy cops feature, arguably the biggest action movie directed by Clint Eastwood. Indeed, those two guys both had some pretty good chemistry and I thought that the whole thing was mildly entertaining.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood

What was it about?
A thinly fictionalized account of a legendary movie director, whose desire to hunt down an animal turns into a grim situation with his movie crew in Africa.

My two cents:
It is arguably one of the most obscure movies directed by Eastwood, certainly the most overlooked one. Even though it was his worst performing picture of the 1990s at the box-office, it was still an intriguing picture and I would really like to re-watch it at some point. The point is that when I first watched it, I was pretty young and even though I heard about John Huston, I was pretty oblivious about the guy, I hadn't seen yet 'The African Queen' or any other of his work as a matter of fact so I missed quite a lot while watching this. Anyway, it was a pet project for Clint Eastwood who agreed to do 'The Rookie' for the Warner Brothers studio only if they would let him make this flick. Eventually, even though it is one of the least commercial efforts by Eastwood, it is actually really appealing and I highly recommend it.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Forest Whitaker

What was it about?
The troubled life and career of the jazz musician, Charlie "Bird" Parker.

My two cents:
Since I have been playing the saxophone alt for maybe 8 years, I obviously really had to check this out. I did study Charlie Parker's music and it was basically the most difficult thing you could play on a sax. Even if I would play it 10 times slower than him, it was still really really difficult to handle! Anyway, back to the movie... The music was indeed just awesome and Clint Eastwoord really succeeded to show it in all its greatness. Furthermore, Forest Whitaker gives here his first starring part and just rocks completely, he gives many layers to the part in which you can feel the genius but also all the vulnerability and you also get a good feeling of his demons. However, even though I really enjoyed this flick, it was still flawed in my opinion. Indeed, even though I understand that the back and forth in the timeline was chosen more or less to display his confused state of mind, I still find this a rather annoying and inefficient tool. As a result, I had sometimes a hard time to hold grip on the whole story. Anyway, in spite of these flaws, it remains a fascinating movie.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood, Mario Van Peebles

What was it about?
A hard-nosed, hard-living Marine gunnery sergeant clashes with his superiors and his ex-wife as he takes command of a spoiled recon platoon with a bad attitude.

My two cents:
It is basically one of his more commercial and more accessible work and it was actually quite entertaining but nothing mind-blowing whatsoever. The thematic is actually similar to ‘Full Metal Jacket’ (which would be released a year later as a matter of fact). However, even though Eastwood is a very good director, he is still doesn’t play in the same league as Kubrick, that’s for sure. I mean, if you put those 2 movies together, it is pretty obvious. All right, it might be unfair since this flick is obviously a weaker effort, at least compared to his better movies, but still. However, I was still rather entertained by this movie. Indeed, Eastwood keeps toying with the fact that he is actually too old to play those kind of characters but still  convince us that he is one bad-ass SOB, tough as nail and quite able to beat up any guy half his age without breaking a sweat. This convoluted character was pretty interesting but I didn’t care much for the rest of story which was rather pedestrian.  So, a fun flick, no more no less.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood, Chris Penn

What was it about?
A mysterious preacher protects a humble prospector village from a greedy mining company trying to encroach on their land.

My two cents:
After ‘ Unforgiven’, it is probably my favorite Western directed by Clint Eastwood. Indeed, the first thing I really enjoyed with this flick, is that the main character portrayed by Eastwood was a throwback to his most legendary role, ‘the man with no name’ , immortalized in all those great Spaghetti Westerns directed by the great master Sergio Leone. Apparently, this time, this character was also a ghost which is something, I must confess, I completely missed when I watched this flick so I guess I should double-check this when I get the opportunity. Anyway, if ‘Unforgiven’ was really brilliant because it was very grim and, my opinion, a very original take on your typical Western figures and mythology, this one was on the other hand actually pretty straightforward and it was its only real weakness. However, even though it doesn’t break any new ground, it was still really entertaining. Indeed, the directing was pretty flawless and Clint Eastwood was, as usual, completely charismatic, really convincing and a total bad-ass, the kind of guy you’d rather have on your side.

My rating: 08/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke

What was it about?
A rape victim is exacting revenge on her agressors in a small town outside San Francisco. Dirty Harry, on suspension for angering his superiors (again), is assigned to the case.

My two cents:
Even though I watched many times his Spaghetti Westerns when I was a kid with my dad, I discovered his Dirty Harry flicks much later in my life. Even though I still preferred his Westerns, of course, I enjoyed his famous cop features as well. The interesting thing with this franchise is that the sequels were actually pretty decent and this one was not an exception. It was the only installment directed by Eastwood himself and it was actually a box-office success becoming the highest-grossing of the Dirty Harry film series. Back then, Eastwood was still credible in this kind of characters and was, of course, a total bad-ass (as a matter of fact, the famous catchphrase "Go ahead, make my day" came from this installment). You could argue that the plot was nothing really amazing or original but I thought it was pretty entertaining and I had a good time watching this flick.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood, Kyle Eastwood

What was it about?
A roguish country-western musician has just been invited to audition for the Grand Ole Opry, his chance of a lifetime to become a success. However, this is way back in Nashville, Red clearly drives terribly, and he's broke and sick with tuberculosis to boot. Whit, 14, seeing his own chance of a lifetime to avoid "growing up to be a cotton picker all my life," begs Ma to let him go with Uncle Red as driver and protege.

My two cents:
One of the reasons that motivated Clint Eastwood to become a director in the first place is that there were some stories in which he really wanted to get involved but nobody would think of him since the studios would rather cast him only for another Western or some other action flicks where Eastwood would portray his usual no-nonsense tough guy. This way, by becoming a director, he was able to pick up some different projects, more intimate, showing a different facet of his talent. This movie is a perfect example. To be honest, it is not actually one of this best dramas but I thought it was pretty solid. Indeed, Eastwood gives a nice performance, like his son by the way, and I really enjoyed the sad and melancholic tone of the whole thing. So, it won’t go down as one of his masterpieces but it is actually a pretty good drama, definitely.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood, Nigel Hawthorne

What was it about?
A pilot is sent into the Soviet Union on a mission to steal a prototype jet fighter that can be partially controlled by a neuralink.

My two cents:
Out of all the movies Clint Eastwood has directed during his prestigious career, it is easily the one I appreciated the least (yes, even the underwhelming ‘Blood Work’ was still better than this). It wouldn’t go as far as saying that it was real crap but it was not far I’m afraid. I mean, for once, he tried to direct some high-tech feature, a spy flick with some nifty gadgets and it had some potential but, in my opinion, it was an utter failure. It was apparently the most expensive movie he has ever made (for that time, it was pretty expensive) and it was actually a box-office hit but I seriously had a hard time to care about the whole thing. I don’t know, in my opinion, it looked pretty cheesy and the story was not really entertaining. Somehow, it felt as if he got sidetracked by all the techno stuff and didn’t pay much attention to the plot this time. Anyway, with ‘Blood Work’, it was his only misfire so for a career spanning 4 decades and more than 30 movies, it is that not bad after all.

My rating: 05/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke

What was it about?
An idealistic, modern-day cowboy struggles to keep his Wild West show afloat in the face of hard luck and waning interest.

My two cents:
Even though it is one of Clint Eastwood's own personal favorites, it wasn’t really good I’m afraid. Eventually, it was a box-office flop which was a great disappointment for Eastwood. I mean, there was definitely something quite charming and endearing about the whole thing but it never really actually took off eventually. I don’t know, even though it was nice to see good old Clint trying a different character, the whole thing was just too uneven, especially the tone as you never really know if you are actually watching a comedy or a drama. For once and in spite of what good old Clint thought, it wasn’t really a strong story and the characters were not really interesting either. Still, it is far from being one of his worst movies, far from it, and I might give it another shot when I have the opportunity.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke

What was it about?
A hard but mediocre cop is assigned to escort a prostitute into custody from Las Vegas to Phoenix, so that she can testify in a mob trial. But a lot of people are literally betting that they won't make it into town alive.

My two cents:
Obviously, it is a minor effort and we are far from the level of his most prestigious work here but it was still fun enough in my opinion. Indeed, basically, it is one of those typical flicks that Clint Eastwood used to make back in those days, combining some pretty preposterous action scenes with his really dry sense of humor. At first, the main character shows up as an alcoholic bump but pretty soon he gets really tough but I guess it goes with the territory. One of the interesting aspects was the relationship between Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke who was his long time partner at the time. Indeed, it was their 2nd movie together and they had some great chemistry here even if the romantic scenes at the end in the bus were not really convincing. Eventually, it is above all thanks to Eastwood’s awesome charisma that the whole thing still worked and with another actor, it would have been pretty tedious to watch.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke

What was it about?
A Missouri farmer joins a Confederate guerrilla unit and winds up on the run from the Union soldiers who murdered his family.

My two cents:
It is probably the first movie Eastwood has directed which was really heralded by the critics and it is nowadays considered as a classic. Honestly, in my opinion, it is not the best Western he has directed ('Unforgiven' remains easily his best) and I frankly failed to see what so great about it but it was still really enjoyable. You have basically all the standard elements : the farmer whose family has been raped and murdered and who becomes a ruthless killer, the Civil war, Indians, Bounty hunters,... Clint Eastwood gave his usual bad-ass performance and I thought he was once again really awesome. The funny thing is that Eastwood was not even supposed to be directing this flick but Philip Kauffman, the screenwriter, left at the beginning of the shooting and eventually it became one of the most highly regarded movies directed by Mr Eastwood.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood

What was it about?
An classical art professor and collector, who doubles as a professional assassin, is coerced out of retirement to avenge the murder of an old friend.

My two cents:
To be honest, it is nothing mind-blowing whatsoever and it is definitely one of his weaker efforts. It seems that, at that time, Clint Eastwood was still practicing his director skills (it was his 4th directing effort) and it is how the movie felt to me. It was also as if Eastwood wanted to prove the whole world and himself that he could pulled off all those climbing scenes (as a matter of fact, Eastwood did all of his own stunts and some of them were indeed pretty impressive.). Even though I was glad for him that he could pull it off, it wasn’t really interesting or entertaining to watch. Still, I make it sound as if it was a bad or boring flick but it was actually not bad at all. I mean, as usual, Clint Eastwood was quite awesome and delivered a good performance and the only issue was really that the plot was just some action movie routine and was nothing really original.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : William Holden

What was it about?
Breezy is a teen-aged hippy with a big heart. After taking a ride with a man who only wants her for sex, Breezy manages to escape. She runs to hide on a secluded property where stands the home of a middle-aged divorced man, Frank Harmon. Frank reluctantly takes Breezy in only to fall unexpectedly in love with her.

My two cents:
It is easily his most obscure directing effort and it was not easy to find (eventually, I found a DVD from Amazon.com coming all the way from Italy). To be honest, it wasn't really good. I mean, it was something really different than his usual work and it was the very first movie he made in which he wasn't starring. It was also the only movie he made with a female main character and he had some trouble to make her more than just a sexual object. Eventually, I really hard a hard time to care about this Breezy girl who was really invasive, childish and rather annoying. Not surprisingly, William Holden's character worked better. Anyway, at the end of the day, the whole thing was pretty much some old man sleazy fantasy of having a sexual relationship with a very young woman. Still, even though it was really flawed, I can't completely discard the whole thing. Back in those days, it took some guts to make something so noncommercial, making a romance which was something new to him.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood

What was it about?
A gunfighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago and is hired to bring the townsfolk together in an attempt to hold off three outlaws who are on their way.

My two cents:
It was not surprising that for his sophomore directing effort Clint Eastwood decided to direct a Western. Back in those days, it was the genre he was the most associated with and since Clint Eastwood is the last Western living legend, it has always been a pleasure to see him kick some ass. To be honest, this flick was nothing really original whatsoever but it was very well made and entertaining enough. Out of the 4 Westerns he has made, it was probably the least interesting one but it doesn’t mean it was bad, not all. I thought it was a pretty good movie, and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are looking for a good old-fashioned Western.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Clint Eastwood

What was it about?
A brief fling between a male disc jockey and an obsessed female fan takes a frightening, and perhaps even deadly turn when another woman enters the picture.

My two cents:
So, that’s where it all started. You can guess that, at the time, the studios thought Eastwood was just another actor who wanted to play the director and since he was a huge star, they thought they should give him his wish but they didn’t pay much attention to the end-result. They were not the only ones though as it took about 20 years before Clint Eastwood was taken really seriously as a director. Anyway, how was this directing debut? To be honest, it was a decent flick but still nothing really great though. I mean, it felt like an obvious warm-up for Eastwood who was basically playing around with the medium without breaking much new grounds. Still, I thought it was a solid thriller and I was entertained throughout the whole thing.

My rating: 07/10

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