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By Terris Ko · January 29, 2015
As an actor, Clint Eastwood made his mark early and boasts a career that would be the envy of any actor. Eastwood, however, is the rare talent that also has flourished behind the camera, even while he has continued to find success as a leading man.
Like so many of the iconic characters he’s created onscreen, Eastwood’s greatest talent as a director is knowing how to say just enough, and letting the audience fill in the empty spaces.
10. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1975)
The Outlaw Josey Wales is known for what happened on set almost as much as what happened on the screen. Production began with Phillip Kaufman in the director’s chair, but after clashing with Eastwood, Kaufman was fired and Eastwood took over the reins. The result was what many consider a classic Western, and another iconic character created by Eastwood.
9. Absolute Power (1997)
Coming a few years before then-President Bill Clinton was in danger of being impeached, Absolute Power is an almost prescient cautionary tale about how human our leaders can be–and the lengths they can go to make sure the people never see.
8. American Sniper (2014)
A powerful, if imperfect film, about the burden our heroes of war bear, American Sniper may not be the propaganda piece critics would have you believe it is. Just as Bradley Cooper’s American war hero eventually learns to reconcile his responsibility to his family with his total dedication to his duty as a soldier, so too, American Sniper (intentionally or not) challenges audiences to avoid the pitfalls of tunnel vision–including when it comes to viewing this film.
Eastwood might not care how you view the film, though; American Sniper has given him his biggest box office hit ever as a director with over US$200 million worldwide receipts after just a few weeks in release (not to mention a handful of Academy Award noms, including for Best Picture).
7. Invictus (2009)
Another example of Eastwood pulling back the curtain to separate the man from the myth, but in doing so, he shows how the humble story behind the legend is equally, if not more inspiring. Morgan Freeman gives an understated performance as Nelson Mandela, and shows that the greatness of the man lay, for example, in his ability to shift gears from social activist to wise leader, knowing that it was not a political solution that would unite the people of post-apartheid South Africa.
6. A Perfect World (1993)
A Perfect World might be considered by some to be Kevin Costner’s first misstep coming off an impressive streak of hits: Dances With Wolves, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, JFK and The Bodyguard. However, although the film failed to find an audience, the movie itself painted a touching portrait of Costner’s bad guy who we realize maybe wasn’t so bad after all, when he befriends a young boy who he initially takes as a hostage.
5. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
Although the one-two punch of Letters from Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers somehow felt like it should’ve been more effective, Eastwood still scores points for giving us a different perspective into the war; although Hollywood films have given us glimpses into the minds of the enemy on occasion, seldom do we have the opportunity to step right into the enemies’ shoes… and be reminded that “war is hell” does not apply only to our boys on the ground.
4. The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
Meryl Streep playing a middle-aged immigrant Midwest housewife is an intriguing onscreen match for Eastwood’s strong, silent photographer. The consummate actor, Streep lives in those extended pauses, and we sense her longing even as she casually matches Eastwood gaze for gaze.
The power of the wordless sequence ending their love affair evokes the end of Dr. Zhivago, when Yuri believes he has found his long-lost love on the street after so many years apart.
3. Unforgiven (1992)
When it was released, Unforgiven almost felt like Eastwood’s swan song, a way to bookend his storied career by leaving one last classic Western behind as a goodbye note to Hollywood before he rode off into the sunset. Who knew that over the next 20 plus years, he would go on to produce some of his finest work, with his films from Unforgiven to American Sniper garnering 11 Oscar nominations, winning 4 of those awards. In retrospect, Eastwood’s ability to revive an entire genre–in large part by turning it on its head–should’ve been fair warning that he still had much left to say.
(Interestingly, just as so many classic Westerns were inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s samurai films, Unforgiven was the inspiration for the 2013 Japanese samurai film starring Ken Watanabe.)
2. Mystic River (2003)
In a way, Mystic River may be the perfect embodiment of films made by Eastwood: just as in his movies, where what is left unspoken has a raw power, what is left unsaid is also at the crux of Mystic River, a story about what the players think they know, even when they don’t have all the facts.
1. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
More than any of Eastwood’s other films, Million Dollar Baby is pure poetry, drawing the audience into the lives of three lonely people, and making you care deeply about those lives and what they mean to each other. The cast’s performances all ring true, and Hilary Swank in particular is a marvel, completely disappearing into her character as a tough-nosed lost girl with a dream for a better life. Her earnestness is just the right counterpoint to Eastwood’s gruff, lonely boxing coach, and that dynamic makes the fact that they become each other’s beacon of hope so much more rewarding.
Even when tragedy strikes in the film, Eastwood the director maintains enough composure to prevent the film from veering into melodrama; to feel the emotion because of how much you’re invested in the characters–and not because you’ve been manipulated into being moved–is a rare treat and the mark of a great film.
Martin Keady · January 27, 2015
