Clint Eastwood has always been a hit or miss kind of director for me. Some of his films I love (Unforgiven, Mystic River, Gran Torino), some I like (Million Dollar Baby, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Play Misty For Me), some I dislike (Invictus, Bridges of Madison County) and some I think are just terrible (Honkytonk Man, The Rookie). There are even those that I find hilariously bad (Bronco Billy, The Gauntlet). His films usually look good - a visual austerity that can rival early Coppola at times - but they are not always good. J. Edgar, the Oscar baity biopic of everyone's favourite cross-dressing FBI director, is one of those that look good but are not good. It's not bad though, just a sad kind of mediocre. My review of said mediocrity is now up and running over at The Cinematheque.
I figured that this was a good time as any to compile a quickly put-together list of my favourite Clint Eastwood-directed movies. I do need to preface this list with the sad fact that I have never seen High Plains Drifter (yet!), so if that is one of your favourites and you are pissed it is not on my list, chill out. So without further ado.....My Ten Favourite Clint Eastwood- Directed Films.
1. Mystic River
2. Unforgiven
3. Flags of Our Fathers/Letters From Iwo Jima
4. Gran Torino
5. Play Misty For Me
6. The Outlaw Josey Wales
7. Pale Rider
8. Million Dollar Baby
9. Changeling
10. The Gauntlet - so bad, it's good!!
If I were to name my favourite Eastwood-acted film, that would have to be The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - hands down.
1 comment:
Funnily enough I watched High Plains Drifter for about the 50th time last week. They're showing a lot of Clint's old films on tv at the moment here in the U.K.
I've not seen much of his recent work, but I would have Josey Wales at number one if I made my own list. Reflecting my fondness for westerns.
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