Clint Eastwood He is a true living legend of cinema, both for his filmmaking skills and for his histrionic talent in his films. A combination that has resulted in more than 60 years of experience, great classics and truly memorable characters.
Although he has considered retirement for a few years, he always ends up coming back. He says that movies “allow you to think about what you would do or how you would feel about something in real life.” That is why he thinks that “I will probably continue. I feel good, but it depends on the material. I must think about whether it is valid and related to the present» [vía].
Although he has achieved great results as an actor and director, we temporarily forget about his work as a director to remember the best characters played by Clint Eastwood: Convicts, outlaws or police officers, which is your favorite?
Robert Kincaid (The Bridges of Madison, 1995)
Clint Eastwood’s movies are usually characterized by their rudeness, but the truth is that they also have a sentimental side. The best exponent is Robert Kincaid from Los puentes de Madison, a professional photographer who lives a very brief, but very intense love relationship with Francesca Johnson, a married woman with a family and who plans to leave everything to follow him around the world. It did not reap great awards, but it is usually remembered as the film that united two of the greatest legends of the film industry on the screen: Meryl Streep and Eastwood himself.
Frank Morris (Escape from Alcatraz, 1979)
Alcatraz was known as the most secure prison in the world, until several inmates exposed their weaknesses with seemingly impossible escapes. Such was the case with Frank Morris, an inmate who took advantage of his high intellect to come up with a relatively simple plan. This included a tunnel in the wall and a papier-mâché doll with which no one would notice its absence. So he would have enough time to leave the property. The escape generated shock, admiration, and many rumors of apparent sightings.
It did not take long for the story to be transferred to the cinema in The escape from Alcatraz. The famous criminal is played by Clint Eastwood. He temporarily forgets about the depth that characterizes many of his characters to focus fully on the action. And boy did he do it! One of the most popular movies of its time and a must-see classic for all lovers of the genre.
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Walt Kowalski (Gran Torino, 2008)
Some of Clint Eastwood’s most memorable characters are characterized by the eternal pursuit of justice. But none did it in as unique a way as Walt Kowalski. It is about a veteran of the Korean War who begins the story as a severe detractor of Asians. Until a bumpy encounter turns him into a fierce defender of his integrity. Some accuse him of being excessively funny. But the old soldier was mostly applauded for showing that xenophobia can be eradicated by suppressing prejudice and reaching out to other cultures. Not satisfied with this, Kowalski also represents a curious evolution of the cinematographic vigilante that Clint Eastwood played so many times in his films. The new hero cannot solve problems alone and requires the support of an entire community to fulfill his mission.
John ‘McBee’ McBurney (The Seducer, 1971)
Nearly 45 years before Sofia Coppola directed The Seducer, Don Siegel made his own adaptation of the Thomas P. Cullinan novel with Clint Eastwood as his star. The film wasn’t hugely successful at the box office, but that doesn’t detract from what many consider one of the actor’s most challenging roles. Who considered it the perfect opportunity to interpret characters beyond the western. The Californian delivered by capturing the desire, nervousness and hatred of a Union soldier held captive in a Confederate house inhabited by seven women who don’t really know what to do with him. Which results in a great tape of violence and revenge.
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Frankie Dunn (Strikes of Fate, 2004)
It was said that Clint Eastwood’s best years were behind him, until the veteran proved otherwise with Million Dollar Baby. The actor plays an old boxing trainer named Frankie Dunn, who decides to risk it all with the training of a very capable amateur boxer. The result is bittersweet, as the duo savors the sweetness of success, only to later face the worst of losses. The film garnered all kinds of accolades, including the Oscar for Best Picture and Director for Eastwood himself. It also generated harsh criticism for its tragic outcome, which for many must have turned out differently. The legendary creative silenced everyone by assuring that he had only captured a true reflection of the American dream.
Josey Wales (The Fugitive Josey Wales, 1976)
Josey Wales is not the most popular character in Clint Eastwood’s, but she is one of the most critically acclaimed. This good response was due to the complexity of his story: a southern farmer completely oblivious to the Civil War until Union troops murder his family. Which leads him to enlist on the side of the Confederates in search of revenge. Once the conflict is over, the character rejects forgiveness and decides to keep his oath with the guerillas that are still fighting against the northerners. The central character’s alliances have caused some to call him a racist, when the truth is that Eastwood was always very careful to avoid wrong messages. Well, his real intention was to show that a man afflicted with pain lives in perpetual war regardless of the peace that apparently surrounds him.
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Red Garnett (A Perfect World, 1993)
Clint Eastwood often stars in his films or handing over the responsibility to other actors of proven talent. However, A perfect world it was one of the few exceptions where he leaned towards a supporting character. Although no less fascinating. The film deftly explores the journey of a recurring criminal who takes a little boy hostage, with whom he later establishes an emotional father/son relationship. For his part, Eastwood plays an agent willing to do anything to stop him. Not only to comply with the law, but because he believes that the capture will undo an old mistake that he made with the criminal when he was just a teenager. A moving story with which the actor demonstrated that his histrionic qualities allow him to shine in any role.
Bill Munny (The Unforgivables, 1992)
Clint Eastwood was the last great exponent of the western and it is not surprising that it was precisely he who embodied the last great character of the genre. This is Bill Munny, a redeemed criminal who decides to take up arms in search of a reward that guarantees a better future for his family. But things have changed a lot since the last battle for him and who once ranked among the most dangerous criminals of his time. Now she is the only hope for a group of afflicted women who live in a town that is indifferent to the justice they face. A revisionist film that shook the foundations of its genre to offer a less romantic vision of the old west, but also more accurate of the American Union in which it is inspired. Not surprisingly, the film was awarded four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Eastwood himself.
Continue reading: Clint Eastwood, his best characters and movies.
The Man With No Name (The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, 1966)
Clint Eastwood understands the western like few others, which has allowed him to approach it naturally and experiment with its most outstanding symbolic elements in order to reach new audiences with his films. The best example is Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy. A key work of the spaghetti western and where he not only played the mythical Man With No Name, but was decisive in his construction by using his own wardrobe to provide him with some of his most characteristic elements. The poncho, the hat, the boots and even his cigarette. The final touch was almost absolute silence, a psychological weapon against his adversaries and that finished conquering the public.
Although his first appearance was with A Fistful of Dollars (1964), his brightest moment came with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). Where the character establishes a dangerous alliance with which he intends to make a fortune hidden in a cemetery. Ironically, the gunslinger was conceived for the then Rory Calhoun, an old western star whose pay was unaffordable for the production. For this reason, Eastwood usually remembers with a laugh that his incorporation was due to the fact that he was much cheaper to hire. Currently it is impossible to imagine anyone other than him on paper.
Harry Callahan (Dirty Harry, 1971)
The violence of the 60s and 70s was essential for the conception and acceptance of what many consider the most endearing character in Clint Eastwood’s filmography. This is agent Harry Callahan, better known as Dirty Harry for his aggressive, defiant and unorthodox methods, but extremely effective in containing the growing threats arising from an increasingly hostile world. As proof, it is only enough to remember the phrase with which he subdued a criminal and conquered a whole generation of fans: «I know what you are thinking. ‘Did I fire 6 bullets or just 5?’ The truth is that in emotion I have also lost count.
But this being a .44 Magnum, the most powerful revolver in the world capable of blowing your brains out, you should ask yourself a question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’” Harry was back in four sequels spanning almost 20 years. What consolidated him among the most beloved characters of the legendary American actor, only behind what many consider the greatest histrionic achievement of his entire career.
Clint Eastwood, his best characters and movies.
louis miguel cruz One day I will join the X-Men, the Rebel Alliance or the Night’s Watch. Proud member of Cine PREMIERE since 2008.