Cinema Legends: Movies Directed by Clint Eastwood

This article covers the best movies directed by Clint Eastwood.

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Clint Eastwood is a legendary actor and filmmaker. Most famous for playing antiheroes as well as his various roles in Westerns, he is considered an enduring pop culture icon. Eastwood often portrays unfiltered masculinity and unflinchingly complex characters. He has also brought his unique approach to movies and characterization in his work as a director. And when he can take over as both the director and protagonist, his films truly shine.

Below, browse the best and most popular films directed by Clint Eastwood — in no particular order. Did your favorite make the list?

• Million Dollar Baby
• The Outlaw Josey Wales
• Gran Torino
• Unforgiven
• The Mule
• Pale Rider
• Mystic River
• The Bridges of Madison County

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Million Dollar Baby

Million Dollar Baby (2004) showcases Eastwood’s immense skill set. The sports drama is co-produced, directed, and scored by him. He also stars as a jaded boxing coach opposite Hilary Swank as the lead. Critically and commercially successful, Million Dollar Baby takes the typical underdog story and breathes some fresh life into it thanks to Eastwood’s careful guidance.

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The Outlaw Josey Wales

Set after the American Civil War, The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) is certainly one of Eastwood’s most violent and sensational roles. Fiercely loyal to its roots, the film follows a farmer turned soldier on a path to total vengeance. Eastwood embodies Josey Wales with total confidence. It is a bloody, fraught tale of personalized justice and skewed morals that sits with you long after the credits roll.

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Gran Torino

As Eastwood ages, he settles happily into roles that place him as a mentor and “tough loving” father figure. His cantankerous character in Gran Torino (2008) defends his home with open hostility. Yet he soon develops a special bond with a troubled teen. The drama film is a testament to the power of community as well as how important it is to break barriers between people.

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Unforgiven

William Munny is certainly one of Eastwood’s best characters. And it was even his final Western, so he seemingly gave it his all. The leading man in Unforgiven (1992), Eastwood demonstrates some of his career-best work in the revisionist Western film as an aging outlaw. Indeed, the Library of Congress deemed it “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” enough to be preserved within the National Film Registry.

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The Mule

Eastwood’s crime drama The Mule (2018) is adapted from a New York Times article chronicling an elderly man’s experience as a drug courier. Eastwood himself plays the fictionalized version of that man. Praised as both charming and poignant, The Mule is truly almost a slice-of-life … if you overlook the $12-million cocaine shipment and cartel threats.

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Pale Rider

The highest-grossing ’80s Western film, Pale Rider (1985) references the Book of Revelation’s Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. It stars Eastwood as a man known only as Preacher, astride a pale horse, dealing death as a sort of vigilante. The Preacher himself is highly enigmatic and ambiguous as a character. We only know him in the present, clued into his past by costume, wound makeup, and personality. Because of this plot/direction choice, Pale Rider is a concise, thrilling narrative that keeps viewers enthralled from start to finish.

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Mystic River

Mystic River (2003) is by far one of Eastwood’s most intense and theatrical projects. And it is the only film on our list in which Eastwood does not also star. Instead, Sean Penn shines as protagonist Jimmy Markum, a grieving father tormented by his teenage daughter’s death. Set in Boston and based on a book of the same name, Mystic River is a heart-wrenching exploration of humanity. The particular scene where Sean Penn is held back by actual police is chilling. Sean Penn also won the Oscar for Best Actor for this performance.

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The Bridges of Madison County

Although made most famous through his historic and action-adventure roles, Eastwood slows things down in The Bridges of Madison County (1995). This romantic drama stars Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep as a couple drawn into an intense four-day romance. Brimming with emotion and overflowing with love, it’s a true standout in Eastwood’s otherwise gunfighting, horse-riding filled filmography.

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Celebrate Clint Eastwood with Sideshow’s Legacy Collection. These officially licensed Clint Eastwood collectibles and action figures pay tribute to the director/actor’s most iconic movie roles.

What is your favorite Clint Eastwood movie? Did we forget your personal #1? Share your picks at side.show/geekgroup or in the Sideshow Social Network. And as always, don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow.