Every Clint Eastwood Movie That's Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, Ranked (2024)

Clint Eastwood's Hollywood career began in the 1950s with minor uncredited acting roles before he became a household name in America as one of the stars of Rawhide, a Western television series that aired between 1959 and 1965. That role, in turn, led to his casting in Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars, where he played the iconic "Man with No Name" and soon became one of the most popular actors in the entire world. Over the years since then, Eastwood has brought his stoic presence, hoarse voice, and minimalist acting choices to the more than 60 films that he's starred in, many of which he has also directed.

1971 was the year Clint Eastwood directed his first movie, Play Misty for Me. Since then, he's helmed 40 films (with more reportedly on the way) and has even won the Academy Award for Best Director (and Picture) twice. M any of Eastwood's films have become bonafide classics, but only 19 of them have earned the distinction of being "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes.

19 Invictus Is a Feel Good Story That Feels True to Life

Certified Fresh at 76% on the Tomatometer

At a certain point in his directorial career, Clint Eastwood became obsessed with capturing history on screen, hoping to capture the veracity of the past's most dramatic moments. One such movie was 2009's Invictus, which chronicles the incredible story of how Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) utilized the 1965 Rugby World Cup to springboard the unification of a post-apartheid South Africa.

Starring Matt Damon in the lead role as Francois Pienaar, the South African rugby team captain who leads his fellow athletes to victory, Damon and Morgan Freeman both earned themselves Academy Award nominations for their work. The issue with Invictus is that even under Clint Eastwood's cool, calm, and collected watch, the movie can't quite overcome its sentimental nature, even as Eastwood does a much better job nullifying the overt cheesiness more than most directors would. Ultimately, Eastwood's subtle but effective hallmarks shine through and make Invictusslightly more than the sum of its parts.

Invictus

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18 Space Cowboys Is Perfect, Slightly Above Average Entertainment

Certified Fresh at 78% on the Tomatometer

Considering its absolutely loaded ensemble cast, Space Cowboys probably should have ranked higher on this list. After all, how could a movie starring Clint Eastwood, Donald Sutherland, Tommy Lee Jones, and James Garner as past-their-prime astronauts called back to duty for one last mission in space be anything other than awesome? Well, the good news is that it is, but it doesn't nearly reach the same lofty heights as so many other movies Eastwood has been a part of.

What sets Space Cowboys apart from many of Clint Eastwood's other movies is its sense of humor. The eclectic cast, with their various styles, plays wonderfully off one another, especially when it comes to laughs. Moreover, the film's story is about an aging group of men trying one last time to prove their worth, which makes for a genuinely investing narrative arc. Outside those two things, however, the rest of Space Cowboys is largely forgettable, especially when compared to other films in Eastwood's body of work.

17 Mystic River Left a Mark on Everyone

Certified Fresh at 89% on the Tomatometer

No filmmaker is immune to having one (or more) of their movies overhyped by critics. If Clint Eastwood ever experienced this once in his life, it was during the release of Mystic River, a movie that was wildly acclaimed upon release but has since seen its reception cool off in the years between. This neo-noir crime thriller centers on three childhood friends, played by Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, and Tim Robbins, who are reunited by tragedy when one of their children is found murdered.

Sean Penn's performance as Jimmy is, of course, the one reason Clint Eastwood fans should search out Mystic River if they haven't seen it yet. The pain and raw emotion he brings to the role of a bereaved father out for vengeance, even if it comes at the cost of the life of one of his closest friends, is still a remarkable piece of acting. One of the darkest and most difficult-to-watch films Eastwood has ever made (which, in all honesty, might have more than a little to do with the degeneration of the film's reputation), Mystic River is one of his most powerfully made films, even as it feels like something of an outlier in his overall body of work.

Mystic River

R

Crime

Drama

Mystery

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Director

Clint Eastwood

Release Date

October 15, 2003

Cast

Sean Penn , Tim Robbins , Kevin Bacon , Laurence Fishburne , Marcia Gay Harden , Laura Linney

Writers

Brian Helgeland , Dennis Lehane

Runtime

138 minutes

Main Genre

Crime

16 The Bridges of Madison County Proves Eastwood Knows Romance

Certified Fresh at 90% on the Tomatometer

Most of the time, audiences don't turn out to a Clint Eastwood movie expecting a timeless romance, and yet, that's what they got with 1995's The Bridges of Madison County. The film centers around a National Geographic photographer, played by Clint Eastwood, who visits Madison County, Iowa, to capture the town's iconic bridges. Along the way, he meets a housewife, played by Meryl Streep, whose family is away on a trip. A connection sparks, and over the next four days, they spend as much time with one another as they can.

Out of all Clint Eastwood's movies, The Bridges of Madison County has got to be the most atypical. It is also, of course, the most romantic. That kind of sentimentality is probably going to turn away as many Eastwood fans as it might bring in, but here's the truth: Thanks to Eastwood's understated directing, The Bridges of Madison County is a romance film done right, and if you need proof, check out Meryl Streep's Oscar-nominated performance.

The Bridges of Madison County

PG-13

Drama

Romance

Director

Clint Eastwood

Release Date

June 2, 1995

Cast

Clint Eastwood , Meryl Streep , Annie Corley , Victor Slezak , Jim Haynie , Sarah Zahn , Christopher Kroon , Phyllis Lyons

Writers

Richard LaGravenese , Robert James Waller

Runtime

135 Minutes

Main Genre

Drama

15 Flags of Our Fathers Is (the Lesser-Half of) a Great Story

Certified Fresh at 76% on the Tomatometer

2006 was one of the most ambitious years of Clint Eastwood's career. In that span of 365 days, he directed not one but two films about World War II, the first of which became Flags of Our Fathers. While not typically as well renowned as its sister film (soon to come), Flags of Our Fathers took a profound look at six American soldiers who raised their nation's flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima.

What works the best about Flags of Our Fathers is how willingly the movie recreates the harsh realities and brutal nature of war while framing much of its damage around the soldier's mental health. While the film's reflective nature doesn't quite feel as natural as, say, Letters From Iwo Jima, the way in which Flags of Our Fathers' story weaves in and around that of the other films necessitates it as a must-watch, if only so that you can get the full picture when it comes to both films' unique interconnected storytelling.

Flags of Our Fathers

R

Adventure

Drama

The life stories of the six men who raised the flag at the Battle of Iwo Jima, a turning point in World War II.

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Every Clint Eastwood Movies From The 1960s, RankedThe 25 Best Clint Eastwood Movies, RankedEvery Clint Eastwood Movies From The 1960s, RankedEvery Best Picture Winner of the 2000s, Ranked

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Director

Clint Eastwood

Release Date

October 20, 2006

Cast

Ryan Phillippe , Barry Pepper , Joseph Cross

Writers

William Broyles Jr. , Paul Haggis , James Bradley

Runtime

2 Hours 15 Minutes

Main Genre

Action

Producer

Robert Lorenz, Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood

Production Company

Dreamworks Pictures, Warner Bros., Amblin Entertainment, Malpaso Productions

14 Letters From Iwo Jima Completes Eastwood's WWII Magnum Opus

Certified Fresh at 91% on the Tomatometer

Flags of Our Fathers isn't a bad movie, but it simply never manages to recreate the wide variety of emotions one feels while watching Letters From Iwo Jima. Depicting the battle of Iwo Jima, but this time from the Japanese perspective, the movie focuses its attention on the life and times of General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, brought to vivid life by Ken Watanabe. Equal parts contemplative and humanistic, as well as bleak and desolate, Letters From Iwo Jima has rightly been hailed by critics everywhere as one of the best war movies ever made.

Impressively, Letters From Iwo Jima continues to be as visually impressive and emotionally resonant as it was when it was first released. Not only is the film a technical marvel thanks to Tom Stern's marvelous monochromatic cinematography, but the film's (Academy Award-winning) Sound Editing immerses the audience in the film's central bloody battle like few other war movies ever have.

Letters from Iwo Jima

R

Drama

Action

Adventure

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.

Director

Clint Eastwood

Release Date

February 2, 2007

Studio

Cast

Ken Watanabe , Kazunari Ninomiya , Tsuyoshi Ihara , Ryo Kase , Shido Nakamura , Hiroshi Watanabe , Takumi Bando , Yuki Matsuzaki

Writers

Iris Yamashita , Paul Haggis , Tadamichi Kuribayashi , Tsuyoko Yoshido

Runtime

141 Minutes

Main Genre

Drama

Cinematographer

Producer

Production Company

Producers

Paul Haggis , Robert Lorenz

Character(s)

Private Saigo , General Tadamichi Kuribayashi , Colonel Baron Nishi , Private Shimizu , Lieutenant Ito , Lieutenant Fujita , Captain Tanida , Private Nozaki , Kashiwara , Lieutenant Okubo , Hanako , Admiral Ohsugi , Sam , Medic Endo , Kanda , Lt. Colonel Oiso , Captain Iwasaki , Colonel Adachi , Maj. General Hayashi , Ozawa , Lead Woman , Admiral Ichimaru , American Officer , Officer's Wife , Marine at Clearing

13 Million Dollar Baby Proved to be an Emotional Knockout

Certified Fresh at 90% on the Tomatometer

Only a select few filmmakers have won the Oscar for Best Director twice in Hollywood's history. With Million Dollar Baby, Clint Eastwood joined the ranks of John Ford, David Lean, Ang Lee, and Steven Spielberg in this story, which tells the tragic tale of Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank), a wannabe boxer who convinces a reluctant trainer named Frank (Eastwood) to help her accomplish her goals. Just as it seems like Maggie will achieve her wildest dreams, she suffers a devastating injury that leaves her paralyzed and forces Frank to make a nearly impossible choice.

Million Dollar Baby's unwavering willingness to confront themes like euthanasia and the sanctity of life sets it apart from so many other movies, let alone almost anything else in Clint Eastwood's filmography. Some will no doubt refer to the film as emotionally manipulative, and there is a bit of that here, but Eastwood is such a master of the art form that he pulls it off without almost anyone noticing. Better yet, the film features one of Eastwood's most underrated performances, overshadowed as it was by both Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman, both of whom took home acting Oscars for their work.

Million Dollar Baby

PG-13

Sports

Drama

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Director

Clint Eastwood

Release Date

December 15, 2004

Studio

Warner Bros. Pictures

Cast

Hilary Swank , Morgan Freeman

Runtime

132 minutes

12 American Sniper Is Clint Eastwood's Most Financially Successful Film Ever

Certified Fresh at 72% on the Tomatometer

No Clint Eastwood film was ever as big of a box office success as American Sniper. Bradley Cooper stars as the deadliest sniper in US military history in this biographical war drama detailing the life of Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle on both the frontlines and the homefront. What sets American Sniper apart from its contemporaries is how well it balances both sides of that divide.

Rather than straight-up glamorize Chris Kyle's wartime accomplishments, American Sniper smartly details the deterioration of his personal life as he struggles with the psychological toll that comes along with taking so many lives. The movie's willingness to explore soldiers' reintegration into normal civilian life no doubt struck a chord with millions of people around the world, and as a result, American Sniper became not only Eastwood's biggest financial success but also his last movie to find itself honored with a Best Picture nomination.

American Sniper

R

Biography

Drama

Action

War

Navy S.E.A.L. sniper Chris Kyle's pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and turns him into a legend. Back home with his family after four tours of duty, however, Chris finds that it is the war he can't leave behind.

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Director

Clint Eastwood

Release Date

December 25, 2014

Studio

Cast

Bradley Cooper , Sienna Miller , E.R. Ruiz , Luke Grimes , Jake McDorman , Max Charles

Writers

Jason Hall

Runtime

132minutes

Producer

Production Company

Budget

$59 million

Studio(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributor(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

11 Sully Saw Two of Hollywood's Biggest Icons Team Up for the First (and Only) Time

Certified Fresh at 85% on the Tomatometer

It's remarkable that after having helmed 40 films (and starred in many more), Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks's only collaboration came in the form of Sully, a biographical drama that recounts the story of Sully Sullenberger, the pilot who successfully landed US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River. At the very least, no one can say they didn't make the most of this moment, and Sully has since been heralded as one of Eastwood's most emotionally resonant and well-balanced films.

What Sully does best is focus much of its attention on the aftermath of Sully's emergency landing. While the intense investigation that makes up much of the film's runtime has been greatly exaggerated for dramatic effect, it provides Tom Hanks with the necessary drama to deliver the emotionally complex performance of a man under duress that he's become known for over the decades.

Sully

PG-13

Biography

Drama

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Director

Clint Eastwood

Release Date

September 9, 2016

Cast

Tom Hanks , Aaron Eckhart , Laura Linney , Valerie Mahaffey , Delphi Harrington , Mike O'Malley , Jamey Sheridan , Anna Gunn

Writers

Todd Komarnicki , Chesley Sullenberger , Jeffrey Zaslow

Runtime

96 Minutes

Main Genre

Biography

Budget

$60 million

Studio(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributor(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Certified Fresh at 77% on the Tomatometer

Richard Jewell was heralded as yet another late-era masterpiece by Clint Eastwood and became the pinnacle of a string of films he directed, all of which were concerned with everyday heroes performing their jobs dutifully (see the previously mentioned Sully and even The 15:17 to Paris). This story, in particular, details the events surrounding the 1996 Atlanta Olympics when security guard Richard Jewell discovered a bomb, only to be wrongly blamed for planting it.

Starring Paul Walter Hauser as Richard Jewell's titular character, the then-burgeoning actor more than holds his own against other powerhouses like Kathy Bates and Sam Rockwell as Clint Eastwood shines a light on the FBI's intense investigation into Jewell's life and the resulting media circus it created. More than anything, Richard Jewell provides Eastwood the opportunity to probe and analyze how media narratives can warp actual events beyond recognition. In that way, Richard Jewell is the type of movie that continues to be prophetic.

Richard Jewell

R

Drama

Richard Jewell, directed by Clint Eastwood, tells the true story of the security guard who discovered a bomb at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Initially hailed as a hero, Jewell’s life is turned upside down when he becomes the prime suspect in the FBI’s investigation. Starring Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, and Kathy Bates, the film explores themes of media frenzy and justice.

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Clint Eastwood Doesn’t Want to ‘Ruin’ His Filmography by Asking ‘Why the Heck Did I Make This?’

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Director

Clint Eastwood

Release Date

December 13, 2019

Cast

Nina Arianda , David Shae , Ian Gomez , Mitchell Hoog , Sam Rockwell , Randy Havens , Paul Walter Hauser , Olivia Wilde , Kathy Bates , Jon Hamm

Writers

Billy Ray , Marie Brenner

Main Genre

Drama

Cinematographer

Yves Bélanger

Producer

Tim Moore, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jessica Meier, Kevin Misher, Jennifer Davisson, Jonah Hill, Clint Eastwood

Production Company

Misher Films, The Malpaso Company, Appian Way, Warner Bros., 75 Year Plan Productions

Sfx Supervisor

Adam Ohl

9 Gran Torino Is One of Eastwood's Most Popular, If not Celebrated, Movies

Certified Fresh at 81% on the Tomatometer

Technically speaking, there are really only two Clint Eastwood characters that every fan knows by name: Dirty Harry Callahan and (ironically) the "Man with No Name." If there were ever going to be a third, however, it would be Walt Kowalski, the grizzled and grumpy Korean War vet who leads one of Eastwood's most popular films of all time, Gran Torino. That notoriety no doubt has something to do with how Eastwood takes this initially racist character and slowly redeems him as he becomes a reluctant mentor to the Hmong American teenager named Thao.

Under Walt's watchful eye, Thao discovers how to navigate life while Kowalski goes above and beyond to protect the young man from gang violence. As spot-on as the film's messaging is (without ever feeling as forced as, say, Million Dollar Baby or Mystic River), what truly sets Gran Torino apart from other Clint Eastwood movies is the film's sense of humor. Coupled together with the film's empathy, Gran Torino easily becomes one of Eastwood's most powerful and emotionally resonant works.

9

10

Gran Torino

R

Drama

Clint Eastwood stars in and directs Gran Torino. This drama film follows Korean war veteran Walt Kowalski who finds his neighborhood changing in diversity as new immigrants move in, whom he despises. When a gang member attempts to steal his prized car, Kowalski fights back against them and becomes a hero to his new neighbors due to his bravery. Walt finds a new reason to live by helping a young neighbor boy escape gang life and make something of himself.

Director

Clint Eastwood

Release Date

December 12, 2008

Cast

Clint Eastwood , Christopher Carley , Bee Vang , Ahney Her , Brian Haley , Geraldine Hughes , Dreama Walker , Brian Howe , John Carroll Lynch , William Hill , Brooke Chia Thao , Chee Thao , Choua Kue , Scott Eastwood , Xia Soua Chang , Sonny Vue , Doua Moua , Greg Trzaskoma , John Johns , Davis Gloff , Thomas D. Mahard , Sarah Neubauer , Cory Hardrict , Nana Gbewonyo , Arthur Cartwright , Austin Douglas Smith , Conor Liam Callaghan , Michael E. Kurowski , Julia Ho , Maykao K. Lytongpao

Writers

Dave Johannson , Nick Schenk

Runtime

116 Minutes

Main Genre

Drama

Budget

$22-33 Million

Studio(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures , Village Roadshow Pictures , Double Nickel Entertainment , Malpaso Productions

Distributor(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

8 Juror #2 Proves Clint Eastwood Is Still One of Hollywood's Greatest Storytellers

Certified Fresh at 93% on the Tomatometer

Who would have thought that at the age of 94, Clint Eastwood would still be making some of the best movies of his career? And yet, that's what's happened with the recent release of Juror #2, a crime thriller that Eastwood's longtime studio, Warner Brothers, sadly bungled the release of by not granting it the wide theatrical release that it so clearly deserves.

Working from a crackerjack premise by screenplay writer Jonathan Abrams, Juror #2 examines morality, justice, and guilt in this story of a likable everyman called upon for jury duty who quickly comes to the shocking realization that he might be the guilty party responsible for the crime. As the film explores the ethical and moral conundrums of its characters, it never loses sight of its raison d'etre, namely, keeping its audience wildly entertained.

Juror #2

PG-13

Drama

Crime

Thriller

Director

Clint Eastwood

Release Date

October 30, 2024

Cast

Nicholas Hoult , Toni Collette , J.K. Simmons , Kiefer Sutherland , Zoey Deutch , Gabriel Basso , Chris Messina , Francesca Eastwood

Writers

Jonathan A. Abrams

Runtime

114 Minutes

Main Genre

Drama

Character(s)

Justin Kemp , Procureure

7 Play Misty For Me Showcased that Eastwood was Born to Direct

Certified Fresh at 85% on the Tomatometer

It's almost always fun to go back and watch a filmmaker's first movie. More often than not, it seldom compares to those films they made later in life, but for Clint Eastwood, that's not the case. In 1971, he directed his first feature, the psychological thriller Play Misty for Me, and he instantly showcased a talent for naturalistic photography, masterful control of tension, and haunting use of music, all three of which are skills he continued to develop throughout the rest of his career.

Starring Clint Eastwood as a California DJ whose brief fling with an obsessive fan (played by Jessica Walter) results in a deadly fixation, Play Misty for Me is the closest that Eastwood ever came to directing an out-and-out horror film. Considering how good this movie is, it's sort of sad that we never got to see him take another crack at the genre (at least not yet) because the way in which he explores the thin line between obsession and affection is thrilling to watch unfold, especially for a first time director.

Play Misty for Me

R

Thriller

Drama

Clint Eastwood plays Dave Garver, a radio DJ who has a one-night stand with an obsessed fan, Evelyn (Jessica Walter). When he tries to end the affair, Evelyn's infatuation turns dangerous, leading to a suspenseful game of cat and mouse in this chilling thriller.

Director

Clint Eastwood

Release Date

October 20, 1971

Cast

Clint Eastwood , Jessica Walter , Donna Mills , John Larch , Jack Ging , Irene Hervey , James McEachin , Clarice Taylor

Writers

Jo Heims , Dean Riesner

Runtime

102 Minutes

Main Genre

Thriller

6 The Outlaw Josey Wales Is One of Eastwood's Most Celebrated Westerns

Certified Fresh at 91% on the Tomatometer

For a man who has played as many cowboys as Clint Eastwood has throughout his career, a character has to be pretty special for it to stand out. One of Eastwood's most celebrated Western roles arrived in the form of The Outlaw Josey Wales, which follows a Missouri farmer who, in order to exact vengeance for the murder of his family, becomes a Confederate guerrilla fighter.

Along the way, The Outlaw Josey Wales sees its titular character join forces with a Cherokee warrior and a group of settlers, all of whom must band together to overcome a series of different threats. Remembered best for its iconic one-liners like "dyin' ain't much of a living, boy," the audience's emotional connection with the film's characters is only matched by its technical wizardry, which brings to life the American frontier more beautifully than perhaps any other movie Eastwood ever directed.

The Outlaw Josey Wales

PG

Western

Missouri farmer Josey Wales joins a Confederate guerrilla unit and winds up on the run from the Union soldiers who murdered his family.

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Director

Clint Eastwood

Release Date

June 30, 1976

Cast

Clint Eastwood , Sondra Locke , Chief Dan George , Bill McKinney , John Vernon , Paula Trueman

Writers

Forrest Carter , Philip Kaufman , Sonia Chernus

Runtime

2 hours 15 minutes

Main Genre

Western

Production Company

Warner Bros., The Malpaso Company

5 In the Line of Fire Is Eastwood's Greatest Blockbuster

Certified Fresh at 96% on the Tomatometer

Starring as a Secret Service Agent who failed to protect JFK on that fateful day in Dallas in 1963, In the Line of Fire sees Wolfgang Petersen directing Clint Eastwood in one of Hollywood's most celebrated cat-and-mouse thrillers. Of course, as good as Clint is in this movie (and he's great), the real selling point is John Malkovich's performance as the psychotic assassin looking to take out another sitting president at Eastwood's expense.

What sets In the Line of Fire apart from most other action thrillers is Clint Eastwood's willingness always to act his age and explore the ramifications of the story's plot from there. Depressed and out of shape, the audience never feels confident that Eastwood will be able to outwit Malkovich's ingenious killer right up until the moment that he finally does. Simply put, In the Line of Fire is the type of movie Hollywood doesn't make anymore, and we're all the worse for it.

In the Line of Fire

R

Action

Drama

Thriller

Crime

Mystery

It follows Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan, haunted by his failure to protect JFK. When a cunning assassin targets the current president, Horrigan must confront his past and outsmart the killer.

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Director

Wolfgang Petersen

Release Date

July 8, 1993

Cast

Clint Eastwood , John Malkovich , Rene Russo , Dylan McDermott , Gary Cole

Writers

Jeff Maguire

Runtime

128 Minutes

Main Genre

Action

Budget

40000000

Studio(s)

Castle Rock Entertainment , Apple / Rose , Columbia Pictures

4 A Fistful of Dollars Is One of the Most Important Westerns Ever Made

Certified Fresh at 98% on the Tomatometer

Clint Eastwood took a risk by agreeing to travel across the world to star in a series of Italian Westerns, but it turned out to be the smartest decision he ever made. Starring as the poncho-clad antihero, "The Man With No Name" in Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars turned Eastwood into a global superstar and birthed the spaghetti Western all in one go.

A Fistful of Dollars is where Clint Eastwood's story as Hollywood royalty began, which is pretty ironic since the movie wasn't just an Italian production but was also a remake of Akira Kurosawa's Japanese film, Yojimbo. Somehow, both Eastwood and Leone inherently understood that the story of two warring clans and the stranger who comes between them would make for one rip-roaring Western, and the legacy of cinema is all the better for it.

A Fistful of Dollars

pg-13

Western

Drama

A Fistful of Dollars is a spaghetti Western film from director Sergio Leone starring Clint Eastwood. A Fistful of Dollars is notable for being Clint Eastwood's big break in Hollywood and also for being the beginning of the "Dollars Trilogy." The film was followed by For a Few Dollars More in 1965 and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly in 1966.

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Director

Sergio Leone , Monte Hellman

Release Date

January 18, 1964

Cast

Clint Eastwood , Marianne Koch , Gian Maria Volonte , Wolfgang Lukschy , Sieghardt Rupp , Joseph Egger

Writers

Ryûzô Kikushima , Akira Kurosawa , A. Bonzzoni , Víctor Andrés Catena , Sergio Leone , Jaime Comas Gil

Runtime

99minutes

Budget

$200,000

Studio(s)

United Artists

Distributor(s)

United Artists

3 Dirty Harry Helped Redefine the American Thriller

Certified Fresh at 89% on the Tomatometer

As the poster child for police brutality, Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan has always been a complicated cinematic figure. He has also always been one of the medium's most popular. Directed by genre master Don Siegel, Dirty Harry is unquestionably the best movie of the five that Eastwood starred in as the controversial antihero and centers around his taking down a pastiche of the Zodiac Killer, referred to as the Scorpio Killer. With all of San Francisco fearing for their lives, only Harry Callahan's special sort of justice can find a way to stop this monstrous maniac once and for all.

Even though Dirty Harry was shot on the franchise's smallest budget, everything about this movie still works. More than just that, it became that rare type of movie that defined a generation, taking Eastwood's well-established cowboy image and transplanting it into the modern American era where the morality of the events unfolding took on unprecedented levels of relevancy. Dirty Harry might not be everyone's cup of tea, but the impact it left on the movies is undeniable.

Dirty Harry

R

Action

Crime

Thriller

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Director

Don Siegel

Release Date

December 23, 1971

Cast

Clint Eastwood , Harry Guardino , Reni Santoni , John Vernon , Andrew Robinson , John Larch

Writers

Harry Julian Fink , Rita M. Fink , Dean Riesner , John Milius , Jo Heims

Runtime

102 minutes

Main Genre

Crime

Budget

$4 million

Studio(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributor(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

2 Unforgiven Is the Most Emotionally Complex and Contemplative Western Ever Made

Certified Fresh at 96% on the Tomatometer

By the early 90s, the American Western was more or less as dead as a doornail. Sensing the changing tide, Clint Eastwood decided to make one last Western that would summarize all of his many complicated thoughts and emotions on the genre. The result became one of the absolute best American Westerns ever made: Unforgiven. It tells the story of the retired gunslinger William Munny, who reluctantly takes one last job to avenge a group of abused women and must make a series of moral compromises along the way.

As a farewell to the genre that practically gave him his career, Unforgiven couldn't be a better or more well-made movie. It's clear from the film's opening moments that Clint Eastwood injected every last bit of his passion into the making of this project, and his revisionist approach to the subject matter subverts what everyone expects from the genre. This movie has a little bit of something for everyone: gorgeous cinematography, incredible performances, and emotionally resonant music. It's the movie that Eastwood will always be remembered for most when it comes to directing. Acting, however, is a different matter.

Unforgiven

R

Western

Drama

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Director

Clint Eastwood

Release Date

August 7, 1992

Cast

Clint Eastwood , Gene Hackman , Morgan Freeman , Richard Harris , Jaimz Woolvett , Saul Rubinek , Frances Fisher , Anna Thomson , David Mucci , Rob Campbell , Anthony James , Tara Frederick , Beverley Elliott , Liisa Repo-Martell , Josie Smith , Shane Thomas Meier , Aline Levasseur , Cherrilene Cardinal , Robert Koons , Ron White , Mina E. Mina , Henry Kope , Jeremy Ratchford , John Pyper-Ferguson

Writers

David Webb Peoples

Runtime

130 Mins

Main Genre

Western

Production Company

Character(s)

Bill Munny , Little Bill Daggett , Ned Logan , English Bob , The 'Schofield Kid' , W.W. Beauchamp , Strawberry Alice , Delilah Fitzgerald , Quick Mike , Davey Bunting , Skinny Dubois , Little Sue , Silky , Faith , Crow Creek Kate , Will Munny , Penny Munny , Sally Two Trees , Crocker , Clyde Ledbetter , Muddy Chandler , German Joe Schultz , Deputy Andy Russell , Charley Hecker

1 The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Is a Cinematic Benchmark

Certified Fresh at 97% on the Tomatometer

Clint Eastwood films, Westerns, and movies in general don't come any better than Sergio Leone's final entry in the "Dollar Trilogy,"The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. One might think that a movie with a simple plot involving three criminals searching for the same buried treasure might not amount to all that much, but Leone goes so widescreen with the film's action scenes (not to mention its overall scope) that it can't help but be described as the most epic Western (and perhaps movie) ever made.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is the very definition of what a perfect Western should be. Every single moment of this film is a masterclass in directing, editing, scoring, and understated acting (well, understated by everyone but Eli Wallach, that is). Each scene builds upon the last until the audience arrives as breathlessly as its three main characters at the final climactic shootout, which remains one of the most impressive cinematic sequences ever committed to celluloid. If you haven't seen The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly yet, then you're not just missing out on peak Eastwood; you're missing out on peak cinema.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Western

Ennis and Jack are two shepherds who develop a sexual and emotional relationship. Their relationship becomes complicated when both of them get married to their respective girlfriends.

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Director

Sergio Leone

Release Date

December 29, 1967

Cast

Clint Eastwood , Eli Wallach , Lee Van Cleef , Aldo Giuffrè , Luigi Pistilli

Rating

Runtime

161 minutes

Main Genre

Western

Production Company