Favorite Clint Eastwood NON-Westerns

Clint is Clint but the most range he's displayed is probably "Tightrope".

That said, I've thoroughly enjoyed the first "Dirty Harry" for years.

 

Heartbreak Ridge

 

Where Eagles Dare
Pink Cadillac
Heartbreak Ridge
Any Which Way

He was in a bunch of good (if not great) non-western Movies.

 

Even the phalllic film title and John Milius script screams 'seventies'.May the force be with you, indeed.

 

Gran Torino is a favorite even with the wobbly performances of the supporting cast. They did ok considering they had little to no prior acting experience, but it did hurt the film a smidge. At any rate Eastwood's interactions with them is a treat to watch and overall the story works well.

 

Jon Hamm debut movie.
Jack Nicholson was offered the Tommy Lee Jones part(turned it down).

 

I think ''Honky Tonk Man'' is the most unjustly neglected Eastwood movie, almost a masterpiece in my book and hardly gets a mention anywhere.

 

Performances are uneven for sure, but the movie has one of the funniest scenes in recent memory.

 

Zodiac.

 

Yes, it was "All Blues".

 

Throw your arms 'round this Honky Tonk Man.

 

What happened to Clint's "I talk to the trees " fine voice. Sounds more like Tom Waits. Honky Dory...not.

 

THE GAUNTLET, without a doubt. He's playing a cop, but this time he's vulnerable, unlike Harry. Sondra Locke's in it, but with a sense of humour. The baddies are civil servants. There's some nice character turns, such as the one from Pat Hingle (who worked so well with him in HANG 'EM HIGH). It's silly, but it works for me. The suspense builds and a lot seems to be at stake for the two leads - that's all I need.

 

Dude's 86 years old. What will you sound like when you're 86?

 

I guess the first Dirty Harry is my favorite. The pacing in that movie is amazing -never a wasted moment. Gran Torino is a nice later day Clint movie.

 

Every Which Way but Loose
Any Which Way You Can
The Rookie
Gran Torino
Dirty Harry
The Enforcer

 

Non-Western and non-Dirty Harry, my favorites are...

Grand Torino
Heartbreak Ridge
Kelly's Heroes {great ensemble cast)
In The Line Of Fire
Honkytonk Man

Honorable mention: City Heat for some amusing self-parody

 

BMC is excellent.... a romance movie for guys. If you can get to the end without tearing up, you have no soul.

 

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (RIP Michael Cimino)

 

Best acting ( well same squints etc..)
Unforgiven.

 

Watched this again the other night. Loved it. Was surprised to see that the guy who stole
the raisins on `Seinfeld' had a major part in the film!
And I must say that I watched `Million Dollar Baby' for the first time recently. It was okay.
The biggest problem I had with it is that in real life Clint's character and the female boxer
would have had a more personal relationship, if you know what I mean.

 

30+ Clint movies so far but Play Misty for Me is a favorite. I went to Fort Ord (Monterey, CA) for Leadership School and the Radio Operator's School. I took my first S.C.U.B.A. course in Monterey and eventually ended up with Instructor ratings from several agencies. This film was released a year & a half after I arrived in Monterey and I see lots which were dirt parking lots which are now home to multi-story buildings. I've been in the bar where he played 'Cry Bastion' with bottle corks with Don Siegel (Director). This movie is a time machine for me.

 

Play Misty For Me.
Gran Torino
Sumbuddy mentioned "The Unforgiven". If that ain't a western then what is?
In The Line Of Fire
Any Whicha Way You Can
Bridges of Madison County
Bronco Billy. Not a western but a wild west dhow in modern times. Wildy uneven but, in the end, it works (for me at least)

 

Yeah, his best definitely includes Dirty Harry and In the Line of Fire. You won't go far wrong with Escape from Alcatraz or Play Misty for Me.

Tightrope was a huge favorite of mine in high school, but since I probably haven't watched it since, I hesitate to recommend it too highly.

Shalom, y'all!

L. Bangs