Clint Eastwood

[stevie boy]

On watching The Enforcer again I came to the conclusion that Clint Eastwood must watch some of his old films and weep. The dialogue was shocking as was the acting ,photography and music. It was like a very bad tv movie. Clint may be revered now but a retrospective of his films will prove to be embarrasing.



The Enforcer comments as above

Bronco Billy Pitiful

Magnum Force nearly as bad as The Enforcer

City Heat no comment



and many more



Clint has made and directed some good films, but I think he has too many turkeys in his locker to ever be classed as a truly great actor/director.

[batman]

Many so-called greats have turkeys in their lockers and Clint is certainly no exception. However, the man has sustained a 45yr career as one of the world's top stars and I think he fully justifies the tag of 'great'. With regard to films such as The Enforcer, IMHO they are very much of their era and stand out as fine examples of 70s 'action' cinema. Personally I would rather sit through all the Dirty Harry films than have to suffer the interminable boredom of such 'epics' as the Star Wars and LOTR films. As a director Clint has IMHO made some excellent films such The Beguiled, Play Misty for Me, Flags of Our Fathers, Unforgiven, Mystic River and The Bridges of Madison County. I bet there are many so-called 'great' directors who would love to have at least one of those titles on their CVs.

[Caine]

Nobody can deliver an insult like Clint/Harry.

Genius.

[Chevyman]

The Enforcer comments as above

Bronco Billy Pitiful

Magnum Force nearly as bad as The Enforcer

City Heat no comment



I suppose they might be thought of as 'made for the masses' and if they generated funds for his future work then they had their place

They were decent escapist fodder.



His debut as a director was "Play Misty For Me" and I don't think that falls into the bracket you mentioned above



I doubt that there is any director or actor who doesn'y have a few "cringe" moments when reviewing his or her work.



I'd like to think Clint's work got better as the years went on. I thought "Unforgiven" was one of the most honest of its genre.



Of his very recent work "Million Dollar Baby" stands tall and proud.



After a four year gap and at the age of 78 he's filming again.



There'll always be a place for him in my collection and what a career he's had?



Not bad for a California boy whose first career steps included digging swimming pools

[Windthrop]

I though all the Harry sequals were weak and rather pointless. They didn't have Don Seigel at the helm and it showed. Dirty Harry was a seminal right-wing actioner from the Nixon law-and-order era which whatever your political orientation was, like Death Wish, an early 70s classic and a one off. The Harry sequels are like conventional actioners and are less focused than the original and not as spare in their narrative construction. Sudden Impact tried a bit harder IMHO but The Dead Pool which, I thought, was only saved by its slightly tongue-in-cheek approach could have a TV movie.

[bhowells]

I quite liked Honky Tonk Man as I am a fan of country music.

[GRAEME]

name='stevie boy']On watching The Enforcer again I came to the conclusion that Clint Eastwood must watch some of his old films and weep. The dialogue was shocking as was the acting ,photography and music. It was like a very bad tv movie. Clint may be revered now but a retrospective of his films will prove to be embarrasing.



The Enforcer comments as above

Bronco Billy Pitiful

Magnum Force nearly as bad as The Enforcer

City Heat no comment



and many more



Clint has made and directed some good films, but I think he has too many turkeys in his locker to ever be classed as a truly great actor/director.

Couldn't disagree more about Bronco Billy!



I think this is one of Eastwood's best films - certainly his gentlest and most subtle. A homage to Capra - and a reworking of Peter Pan. The shoe-salesman who runs away to be a cowboy leading a collection of misfits who prefer to live a dream rather than grow up. And then a runaway princess comes into their midst... The threat that reality will destroy fantasy - and hey, guess what? Fantasy wins! The princess joins the circus.



The role of Billy was an astonishingly brave one for Eastwood to take at that point in his career. A heartwarming portrait of a flawed man living a dream... About a million miles from Dirty Harry.



Don't make the mistake of bracketing this with the Clyde the ape movies - this is certainly no red-neck action comedy.



Go on watch it again, it'll melt ya...

[Wicked Lady]

Event Clint's dodgier efforts are still far more entertaining than a lot of people's good stuff.

[James Fox]

name='batman']As a director Clint has IMHO made some excellent films such as The Beguiled...

Actually "The Beguiled" was a Don Siegel film, but I agree it's excellent.



And yes, Clint has directed lots of good movies.

[billy bentley]

For me the Spaghetti Tro will always remain his best work and provide the image that comes to mind when I think of Clint. even Dirty Harry has a good deal of "The Man With No Name" (originally Joe I think) about him.

[Merton Park]

Dirty Harry remains one of my favourite films. I thought at the time that the villain, played by Andy Robinson, was going to go on from that role and become a star, unfortunately not. He played one of the scariest characters, a complete psycho and was totally believable. Excellent.



Great cop thriller.

[batman]

name='James Fox']Actually "The Beguiled" was a Don Siegel film, but I agree it's excellent.



And yes, Clint has directed lots of good movies.

Of course it is ....

[Santonix]

name='batman']Many so-called greats have turkeys in their lockers and Clint is certainly no exception. However, the man has sustained a 45yr career as one of the world's top stars and I think he fully justifies the tag of 'great'. With regard to films such as The Enforcer, IMHO they are very much of their era and stand out as fine examples of 70s 'action' cinema. Personally I would rather sit through all the Dirty Harry films than have to suffer the interminable boredom of such 'epics' as the Star Wars and LOTR films. As a director Clint has IMHO made some excellent films such The Beguiled, Play Misty for Me, Flags of Our Fathers, Unforgiven, Mystic River and The Bridges of Madison County. I bet there are many so-called 'great' directors who would love to have at least one of those titles on their CVs.

I totally agree with you Bats.

Clint is a icon and has both acted in and directed some classic films of his era. I've seen him interviewed a few times and he appears to be a really genuine modest guy.

I hope he continues to act and direct for a few more years.

[Lord Brett]

I really liked Magnum Force and Bronco Billy, but the general point is quite valid in the case of Clint. I think he was one of the first major stars who would try to make a film for himself, followed by one for the studio. The trouble is, I really don’t think he could be bothered when it came to stuff like The Enforcer or Pink Cadillac. The Enforcer could have been good with a rewrite and a better director, but the result is just lazy, as ultimately the movie was only made because Warners were desperate for another Dirty Harry movie.



To be charitable, dreck like The Enforcer gave Clint the freedom to make The Outlaw Josie Wales.

[Chevyman]

name='Santonix']I totally agree with you Bats.

Clint is a icon and has both acted in and directed some classic films of his era. I've seen him interviewed a few times and he appears to be a really genuine modest guy.

I hope he continues to act and direct for a few more years.

I saw an interview he gave years ago at the NFT.



I was in Carmel By The Sea, where he used to live and where he served as Mayor, in 1994. I went into the local news store and spotted a few photos that the owner displayed in store.



Of course I couldn't resist asking..........."What's he like?"



The owner spoke about him for a while and then said that shortly after Mr Eastwood was elected Mayor he called in at the store. The owner offered his congratulations and asked if he should call him Mr Mayor from now on.



The reply was "Nah. Just Clint"

[TomDaws]

Let's not forget that he was also one of the stars of the best-ever TV western series, Rawhide.

[christoph404]

name='Chevyman']I saw an interview he gave years ago at the NFT.



I was in Carmel By The Sea, where he used to live and where he served as Mayor, in 1994. I went into the local news store and spotted a few photos that the owner displayed in store.



Of course I couldn't resist asking..........."What's he like?"



The owner spoke about him for a while and then said that shortly after Mr Eastwood was elected Mayor he called in at the store. The owner offered his congratulations and asked if he should call him Mr Mayor from now on.



The reply was "Nah. Just Clint"

Clint has visited Edinburgh a few times for the film festival there, similar story that made the papers in Scotland has a student doing a summer driving job for the film festival organisers and getting the task of picking Clint up from the airport and driving him to his hotel and to be his driver for the few days he was in town. "Welcome to Scotland..Mr Eastwood" stammered the nervous driver. "Call me Clint" drawled the easy going star as he arrived without entourage and flung his own bag in the boot!

Anyway, I think Clint is a great director but on the subject of his less memorable films lets not forget "Firefox" for the sole reason that Brits Freddy Jones, Warren Clarke and Roger Lacey get to tussle for the hammiest acting honours. Amusing stuff.

[batman]

name='christoph404'] "Firefox" for the sole reason that Brits Freddy Jones, Warren Clarke and Roger Lacey get to tussle for the hammiest acting honours. Amusing stuff.

You missed out Oliver Cotton, although he came out of it OK. I quite like Firefox ... it isn't very good but it's still entertaining.

[christoph404]

name='batman']You missed out Oliver Cotton, although he came out of it OK. I quite like Firefox ... it isn't very good but it's still entertaining.

Its very entertaining hokum, I went to the cinema to see it when it came out and remember enjoying the film a lot at the time, so yes, not a great script or great film but entertaining all the same. I think Clint's films are always watchable, some of the titles mentioned here as being turkeys I quite like!

[m35541]

Most of his 1980's stuff is pretty awful to be honest but he has managed to reinvent himself quite well from Unforgiven onwards and make a lot of different type of films (and I think much of his 1980's dross were made to allow himself to make personal projects like Bird and Honkeytonk Man).



The variety of his recent output (war movies, boxing movies, romances) is pretty varied for a major action star.