Never count Clint Eastwood out. He hasn’t starred in a film since TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE in 2012, but now the master filmmaker is back on the big screen. Eastwood stars and also directs THE MULE, based on the story of a WWII vet who, in the 1980s, became a drug runner. It’s not exactly the actor’s typical sort of role, so we’re even more curious about it than we would normally be.
The new film also stars Bradley Cooper (who just made A STAR IS BORN, which Eastwood originally developed to direct) along with Laurence Fishburne, Michael Peña, Dianne Wiest, and Andy García. In honor of Clint’s return, here’s a look at his essential starring vehicles.
A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
The first of Eastwood’s three collaborations with Italian director Sergio Leone turned the so-called “spaghetti western” into a worldwide phenomenon. Which was kind of a problem, as A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, in which Eastwood plays a nameless drifter who pits competing gangs against one another, was an uncredited remake of Akira Kurosawa’s film YOJIMBO. Kurosawa and Toho Studios were not happy, and sued. But the film was so popular that it led to FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE and then THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY. All were hits, and THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY, the final film in the “Dollars Trilogy,” made Eastwood an international star. As good as that epic is, this first installment is lean and mean, and seeing Eastwood find his feet early on is great fun.
Play Misty For Me (1971)
Once Eastwood was a star, he quickly started to produce and direct. In PLAY MISTY FOR ME, he plays a radio DJ whose fling with an obsessed fan turns very bad very quickly. Jessica Walter, then a relatively new talent, plays the fan. She’s now known for ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT and ARCHER. Despite being Eastwood’s first film as director, PLAY MISTY FOR ME immediately established a pattern for which he is still known, of being finished early and under budget. It’s a tight little movie — a solid thriller that points to some of Eastwood’s more twisted and devilish tendencies.
