Movie Review: Hang'Em High (1968)

Genre: Western  

Director: Ted Post  

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Inger Stevens, Pat Hingle, Ed Begley, Ben Johnson, Bruce Dern  

Running Time: 114 minutes  

Synopsis: In Oklahoma Territory of 1889, ex-lawman Jed Cooper (Clint Eastwood) is wrongfully accused of cattle rustling and summarily lynched by a posse led by Captain Wilson (Ed Begley). He survives thanks to the intervention of Marshal Bliss (Ben Johnson). In Fort Grant, Cooper is set free by Judge Fenton (Pat Hingle), who also convinces him to become a Marshal and to avoid extrajudicial killings. In addition to tracking down bad guys throughout the territory, Cooper gets involved with the widow Rachel Warren (Inger Stevens), who is keen to take a close look at every captured outlaw. 

What Works Well: Eastwood's first US-based Western after achieving stardom through the Dollars trilogy effectively combines toned-down spaghetti stylings with robust genre traditions. The plot is inspired by the real-life "Hanging Judge" Isaac C. Parker, and the scene of multiple hangings as carnival-like entertainment for the whole community is impressive commentary about the guise of violence. Reflections on the nature of justice and governance basics required to achieve statehood also emerge from the debates between Eastwood's Cooper and Hingle's Judge Fenton. With the help of an impressive supporting cast and a Dominic Frontiere music score saluting Morricone, director Ted Post still allocates plenty of time for revenge, survival, romance, and a few action set-pieces. 

What Does Not Work As Well:

Inger Stevens is unable to do much with Rachel Warren's side-story, which appears tacked-on to justify a leading female role.

Key Quote:

Jed Cooper (to Reno, a member of the lynch mob): When you hang a man, you better look at him.



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Movie Review: Gran Torino (2008)

Genre: Drama

Director: Clint Eastwood

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Ahney Her

Running Time: 116 Minutes

Synopsis: In Detroit, cantankerous and racist senior Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) has just lost his wife. A Korean War veteran and retired car plant assembly worker, Walt lives in an inner city neighbourhood now threatened by gangs from various ethnicities. His next-door neighbours are a Hmong immigrant family, and their son Thao (Bee Vang) attempts (and fails) to steal Walt's prized 1972 Gran Torino. Thao's spirited sister Sue (Ahney Her) breaks down cultural barriers with Walt, who eventually becomes a father figure to Thao. But in this neighbourhood, the potential for violence is never too far.

What Works Well: Nick Schenk's uncompromising script explores a country's adapt-or-die imperatives at the intersection of ignorance and immigration. Walt Kowalski fails to spot the irony of his Polish heritage not standing in the way of the venom he spews at other ethnicities, but otherwise the melting pot fundamentals of an always-changing nation come to the fore with biting traces of humour. Sue demonstrates the street smarts needed for survival and integration, while Eastwood the director expertly forges the bond between a caustic veteran and a vulnerable youth without sacrificing the essence of either character. With Walt hiding the emotional scars of wartime atrocities, Eastwood's gnarly screen presence is epic.

What Does Not Work Well: The narrative ideas occasionally rise above the script's limited sophistication, with the middle act particularly flabby. The interventions of the young priest Father Janovich  (Christopher Carley) are more circular than effective. Some of Walt's influence on Thao is reductive, and the climax surrenders to unsatisfying simplicity. The stream of racial insults becomes tiresome.

Conclusion: Intolerance is best punctured by the courage of personal interaction - and good food.



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Movie Review: The Bridges Of Madison County (1995)

A romantic drama, The Bridges Of Madison County is soulful and scenic, but also remarkably slow.

In the present day, siblings Carolyn and Michael Johnson convene at the Iowa home of their recently deceased mother Francesca (Meryl Streep). They are surprised at her wish to be cremated with the ashes dispersed from a local bridge. Carolyn and Michael then uncover a set of Francesca's journals containing the details of a secret four-day affair she had in the 1960s.

In a flashback to 1965, National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid (Clint Eastwood) is traveling through the area on assignment to photograph local bridges. With her husband Richard away at the state fair with the two kids, Francesca helps Kincaid with directions. During the drive then over dinner, they get acquainted. She is originally from Italy, now quietly unfulfilled as an underappreciated mother, housekeeper, and faithful wife in rural Iowa. He is a free-spirited, divorced, and happily unattached world traveler. They develop a deep bond that evolves into a passionate romance.

An adaptation of the 1992 best-selling novel by Robert James Waller, The Bridges Of Madison County fully invests in a love powerful enough to upend lives and launch long-dormant dreams. Eastwood also directs, and the Richard LaGravenese script is dedicated to the singular objective of demonstrating how passion can unexpectedly spark when least expected.

Most of the film consists of Francesca and Robert conversing, the relationship evolving from an awkward introduction to a complete and mutual surrender to the force ignited between them. The 134 minutes smolder with building fervour, but the languid pacing threatens to overwhelm the available material. The central love story is only briefly interrupted by interspersed scenes of Carolyn and Michael coming to terms with who their mother really was. 

Eastwood the actor is predictably miscast as a romantic lead, and never appears comfortable as a man-of-the-world discovering true love for the first time. Fortunately, the drama is made tolerable by Streep's superlative acting. She overcomes a dubious accent to convey awakening emotions of delight, excitement, and craving for a man who nourishes her soul, and who may whisk her away from the corn fields.

The third act maturely tackles the theme of life's one grand love colliding with here-and-now pragmatism. Answers and resolutions only emerge through pain and trade-offs, The Bridges Of Madison County silent - but also slightly bored - witnesses to secrets of pleasure and sacrifice.



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Movie Review: Absolute Power (1997)

A thriller swirling near the pinnacle of politics, Absolute Power features an outlandish plot and uneven pacing but slick-enough execution.

While robbing the lavish Washington DC mansion of billionaire power broker Walter Sullivan (E.G. Marshall), aging professional thief Luther Whitney (Clint Eastwood) secretly witnesses a rough sex session between US President Alan Richmond (Gene Hackman) and Sullivan's much younger wife Christy (Melora Hardin). When the roughness boils over into violence and Christy threatens Richmond with a letter opener, Secret Service agents Burton (Scott Glenn) and Collin (Dennis Haysbert) shoot and kill her. The President's Chief of Staff Gloria Russell (Judy Davis) orchestrates the cover-up.

Detective Seth Frank (Ed Harris) leads the investigation into Christy's death. Luther has a fraught relationship with his daughter Kate (Laura Linney), and is content to leave town before Frank catches up with him. But when Richmond nauseatingly pretends to grieve Sullivan's loss on national television, Luther decides to stick around and expose the President's hypocrisy.

An adaptation of a David Baldacci novel with a screenplay by William Goldman, Absolute Power boasts a strong cast and a glitzy coat of polish. Director and star Clint Eastwood allows the charismatic central character of Luther Whitney to anchor the action, and the aging, laid-back career thief occupies the eye of the storm with veteran ease. Gene Hackman is a welcome foil, but his role as the smarmy President Richmond is almost too easy.

The plot is preposterous and requires a quick surrender to park-your-brain impulses. The peak arrives early: Luther hiding in a secret chamber and watching through a one-way mirror as the President's secret sex liaison starts badly then just gets worse. Eastwood's reaction shots are terrific, and the resulting mess of overlapping crimes is a great jumping-off point for a convoluted cover-up. 

Thanks to the talent involved and high production values, the follow-through is never less than engaging, but also riddled with dead-ends and logic gaps. Richard Jenkins appears as a hit-man then disappears just as mysteriously; the two secret service agents pursue their own agendas leading to nowhere; and Judy Davis' Chief of Staff starts strong then dwindles to irrelevance. Meanwhile, Eastwood unnecessarily prolongs most scenes, then loses rhythmic control in the final 15 minutes. The film ends in a jumbled rush of barely coherent events and actions inconsistent with the careful build-up.

Elsewhere, the father-daughter dynamics between Luther and Kate are decent, Eastwood finding ways to tease out Luther's essence while avoiding most cliches. The stuttering would-be romance between detective Frank and Kate is less impressive and never grinds out of the awkward gear. Absolute Power does not fulfill all its promises, but still provides passable potency.



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Movie Review: Escape From Alcatraz (1979)

A prison drama, Escape From Alcatraz explores life behind bars preceding an audacious escape attempt.

In the early 1960s, highly intelligent criminal Frank Morris (Clint Eastwood) is transferred to the maximum security Alcatraz prison, located on a rock off the San Francisco coast. Frank is a master at escaping, but the warden (Patrick McGoohan) assures him no one has ever escaped from Alcatraz. 

Frank settles into the prison community and befriends prisoners Litmus, who has a pet mouse; Doc, who loves to paint; English, who works at the library and leads the black contingent; and Butts, who occupies the neighbouring cell. He also tangles with the abusive goon Wolf, earning himself a stint in solitary confinement.

When brothers John and Clarence Anglin (Fred Ward and Jack Thibeau) are also transferred to Alcatraz, Frank finally finds suitable partners to plot an escape. He hatches a plan to dig out the dilapidating concrete around the cell vents to access the utility corridor and search for a way out.

A dramatization of real events, Escape From Alcatraz gains a sense of place through dedication to a single environment. The entire film takes place at the prison, writer Richard Tuggle adapting the book by J. Campbell Bruce into a taut drama of a male-only society confined to a concrete fort. Director Don Siegel adopts a sparse and economical style, avoiding claustrophobia by minimizing dialogue and briskly moving shots between cells, corridors, the food hall, and the outside courtyard.

The characterizations are thin and precious little is revealed about the men's pre-incarceration lives. But star power compensates, and a domineering Clint Eastwood is in top flinty mode, as Morris quickly absorbs and adapts to his new home with the sole purpose of making it temporary. Siegel surrounds him with a cast of relative unknowns representing men cast away from society. The prisoners range from artistic to brutal, this Alcatraz a miniature representation of all that society offers.

After a patient and slightly overextended set-up, the actual escape logistics activate in the final third. The tension mounts, Morris exploiting his environment, stature, and friendships to devise ingenious tools and diversions to keep the guards clueless as he chips away at the cell wall. His smarts extend to recognizing the need for fellow-escapees, this break-out only viable if several men work together towards a common cause. Escape From Alcatraz works hard to establish an individual mood, then cleverly breaks free.



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Movie Review: White Hunter Black Heart (1990)

An adventure about living life to the fullest, White Hunter Black Heart follows a flamboyant character as he doggedly chases a defining prize.

Respected film director John Wilson (Clint Eastwood) is an anti-authoritarian free spirit, marching to the beat of his own drummer and unconcerned with studio requirements. John convinces writer Pete Verrill (Jeff Fahey) to travel with him to Africa to film a movie for producer Paul Landers (George Dzundza). Despite the financial risks and complicated logistics, John insists the entire film be shot on location, further raising the anxiety level of the studio and financiers.

But John's real objective is to embark on a safari to hunt a large tusked elephant. Once in Africa he ignores the film preparation activities and instead instigates hell-raising brawls and connects with local guides who could lead him to the trail of elephant herds. Pete grows increasingly frustrated with John's obsession and disagrees on principle with hunting elephants. As the clock ticks down to the scheduled start of filming, the cast and crew arrive in Africa to find a distracted and dismissive director.

Co-written by Peter Viertel, adapting his book of the same title, White Hunter Black Heart lands in an unfortunate narrative limbo. Viertel was a co-writer of The African Queen, and although this story is billed as fictional it is clearly inspired by events leading up to the filming of John Huston's classic. The obvious yet unspoken parallels with famous real people and actual events are disconcerting.

Eastwood directs and acts in the starring role as John Wilson, delivering a mixed impression of Huston. Worrywart Paul Landers is modeled on producer Sam Spiegel, while Marisa Berenson and Richard Vanstone have small roles as Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart (here called Kay Gibson and Phil Duncan), and are essentially made up as lookalikes.Viertel becomes Pete Verrill, the mostly passive observer of Wilson's overindulgent eccentricities.

As a film White Hunter Black Heart is theatrically staged and mostly concerned with examining the psyche of a man willing to test his own limits and happy to poke society's tolerance of his insubordination. Undoubtedly talented and passionate, Wilson's artistic abilities as a movie creator are fueled by his maverick tendencies. He thrives on violating the sensibilities of everyone around him, hoping for reactions to cultivate his creativity.

But Wilson's obsession with hunting an elephant as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect with a primordial definition of masculinity takes the film only so far. Many barely defined secondary and tertiary characters clutter his adventure, and all can be categorized as enablers, targets or irrelevant. Eastwood the director builds to a few deliberate highlights, including Wilson sparring with an anti-semitic socialite and a racist hotel manager. The incidents are just too obvious as attempts to soften Wilson's character in the face of his determination to fell an elephant and irritate his colleagues.

The filming locations in Zimbabwe add an organic beauty, but Viertel's dialogue errs towards an awkward combination of artificial and florid, always in search of the killer quip or witty retort but never quite landing.

John Wilson may believe his wild beast hunt carries a greater purpose than any mere contemporary human can understand. But White Hunter Black Heart is a just a middling pursuit of the mythical edge, the stripped consequences grounded in down-to-earth reality.

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Movie Review: The Mule (2018)

A drama and character study, The Mule is a simple yet elegant story of an elderly man looking for renewed purpose.

In Illinois, Earl Stone (Clint Eastwood) ran a successful horticulture business, but was a neglectful husband to his now former wife Mary (Dianne Wiest) and an inattentive father to his bitter daughter Iris (Alison Eastwood). Now in his eighties, Earl did not keep up with online commerce and goes bankrupt. Granddaughter Ginny (Taissa Farmiga) maintains a good relationship, and one of her friends connects Earl with a drug cartel in need of reliable transport across state borders.

Earl starts making long drives to deliver bagfuls of narcotics, and establishes a reputation as a dependable and trustworthy mule, attracting the admiration of Mexican cartel boss Laton (Andy Garcia). Earl uses his substantial earnings to help good causes in his community, and to mend fences with his family. But Drug Enforcement Agency agents Bates (Bradley Cooper) and Trevino (Michael Peña) start to close in, with their boss (Laurence Fishburne) desperate for a big bust.

Directed by Eastwood and written by Nick Schenk, The Mule is inspired by a true story. The film is a warts-and-all exploration of a life full of joy and regret, and a remarkable second wind carrying Earl into an ocean of criminal activity. An old man at peace with himself and long past caring about niceties and political correctness, Earl makes for an ideal and nearly undetectable criminal.

Eastwood never judges his protagonist, instead allowing Earl to arrive at his own conclusions. With the curtain about to fall on his life, this is a man who learns almost too late that career success at the expense of a family life in tatters may not have been the best trade off. The same oblivious attitude that led Earl down the wrong path the first time around remains in evidence as he never seems to question the devastating social ills his mule activities are helping unleash.

But at least this time Earl uses his windfall Robin Hood style to rebuild community and recreational centres and help his family members, gradually earning his way back into the life of Mary and Iris. He will again confront a work-versus-family decision point, this time with the threat of a brutal death for defying vicious criminals. But having been around the block once before, Earl is better equipped to recognize the landmarks.   

The film is not without weaknesses. Plot holes abound in the intelligence battle between the cartel and the DEA, and The Mule is another film where the criminals are highly resourceful except when it suits the script. Overall the investigative elements featuring the high profile trio of Bradley Cooper, Michael Peña and Laurence Fishburne are underwritten for the available talent. A couple of key characters, including a Filipino informer and a chief cartel lieutenant, are given prominence then ignored.

Eastwood's directing is an example of eloquent efficiency, the character conflicts created with sharp and short strokes, allowing plenty of time for road trip interludes showcasing Earl's comfort with ruling his domain behind the wheel of his pickup on the open highway. When the time comes for serious conversations, Schenk conjures up memorable exchanges between Earl and Bates at a diner, and then between Earl and Mary, reflecting on second chances.

The Mule is about seizing life's next opportunity at any age, as discovered by the old man absentee. 

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Movie Review: A Perfect World (1993)

An escaped prisoner chase drama, A Perfect World is an engrossing study of an unlikely surrogate father-son relationship blossoming under the most unlikely circumstances.

The setting is rural Texas on Halloween, 1962. Convicted killers Butch Haynes (Kevin Costner) and Terry Pugh (Keith Szarabajka) break out of prison, seize eight year old boy Philip Perry (T.J. Lowther) hostage, and escape in a stolen car into the sparsely populated countryside. Butch is smooth and cerebral, Pugh is gruff and uncontrollable, and soon they have a showdown. Butch emerges victorious and continues his escape with Philip for company.

Grizzled Texas Ranger Red Garnett (Clint Eastwood) is tasked with tracking down the escapees, and he is unhappy to be joined by criminologist Sally Gerber (Laura Dern) and an FBI sniper (Bradley Whitford). Red commandeers the Governor's high-tech trailer as his command-post-on-wheels for the chase. On the road, Butch and Philip warm up to each other. Both grew up without stable father figures, and Butch revels in playing a protective and fatherly role. Philip starts to enjoy the freedom of being away from his strict Jehovah's Witness mother, but Red will not give up his dogged pursuit.

Directed by Eastwood and written by John Lee Hancock, A Perfect World is a lyrical masterpiece. Featuring some of Costner's best acting work, a robust quest-for-freedom story, and the subtle forging of a man-child bond under duress, the film is a deep breath drawn from the air of making things right under all the wrong conditions. At two hours and twenty minutes, the pace is relaxed, the scenes extended to allow the emotion to seep through the narrative fabric and leave a rich impression.

Eastwood invests deliberate time to bring Butch Haynes to life as a memorably complex cinematic anti-hero. Butch was handed a bum deal early in life, and he made the worst of it, but given an unlikely opportunity to make some amends, he will take his shot to deliver what he never received. He effortlessly slips into the role of father and mentor, teaching, guiding and empowering Philip. Against the wide open Texas backdrops, the intimate scenes between Costner and youngster T. J. Lowther are some of the most affecting and honest screen portrayals of interaction between man and child.

And yet despite revealing the potential for rounded edges, Butch never loses the essence of who he is as a ruthless criminal, and the film wickedly drives to its conclusion about what, exactly, makes for a perfect combination of attributes in the world of men and boys.

The team in pursuit led by Eastwood's Red Garnett offers kinetic energy, internal tension, and no small amount of comic relief, as Philip's would-be rescuers struggle to catch up with Butch's cross-Texas excapade. Garnett is a mature and relatively settled-down version of Dirty Harry transported to rural Texas, while Laura Dern's Sally Gerber is the early-version psychological profiler trying to get into the criminal mind. Sally is obviously the polar opposite of all that Red stands for, and the evolution of their relationship adds an extra dimension to the film.

Expansive in ambition and scope yet affectionate and personal in scale, A Perfect World combines the best of both worlds.

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Movie Review: In The Line Of Fire (1993)

A thriller set in the world of Secret Service agents protecting the President, In The Line Of Fire mixes good action with plenty of character depth and cerebral touches.

In Washington DC, Frank Horrigan (Clint Eastwood) is an aging Secret Service agent, still traumatized by his inability to prevent the Kennedy assassination. Frank investigates evidence at a nondescript apartment suggesting a potential assassin on the loose, and starts to receive taunting phone calls from a man calling himself Booth (John Malkovich), who openly admits to planning a kill the current President. Secret Service Director Sam Campagna (John Mahoney) places Frank back on the security detail surrounding the President, who is in the midst of a re-election campaign.

Frank works with his partner Al D'Andrea (Dylan McDermott) and fellow agent Lilly Raines (Rene Russo) to keep the President safe and try to uncover Booth's true identity. But Frank's age and emotional demons get in the way and White House staff get tired of his temper and over-eager actions. Despite setbacks Frank doggedly pursues the shadowy Booth, who has a dark background of his own.

Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, In The Line Of Fire is a well-paced cat and mouse game between two damaged opponents, with bursts of action matched by thoughtful interludes designed to flesh out Frank's past and present emotional condition. The film succeeds due to its significant investment in Frank as a flawed warrior, the last Secret Service agent from the day Kennedy was killed still on active duty.

Booth pushes Frank's buttons, and the film derives as much enjoyment from their psychologically riveting phone conversations as from their kinetic on-the-ground chase scenes. The phone calls are a chess game of taunt and counter-taunt, filled with clues, traps and cryptic signposts, the killer-to-be enjoying the game only so long as it is close. And when it's time to turn up the heat Peterson knows how to deliver breathless action, with one rooftop chase landing at an excellent climax, hunter and hunted in a most ironic clutch.

Once Booth's identity is revealed another layer of scar tissue is added, the boomerang of government actions coming home to roost. Although the killer is a chilling menace throughout thanks to John Malkovich's blood curdling performance and some terrific disguises, the Jeff Maguire script could have invested more time to delve into his damaged psyche. And the romance elements between Frank and Lilly are stuttering at best, the 24 year age difference between Eastwood and Russo not helping.

Eastwood is much better away from any notions of love. In The Line Of Fire allows him to do what he does best: spit bullets as the angry lone wolf working within the system, fighting to save the incompetents from themselves, able to match wits with a maniac because he is unafraid to unleash his own inner fiend.

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Movie Review: Million Dollar Baby (2004)

A superlative boxing drama, Million Dollar Baby is the story of a woman determined to box her way to a meaningful life, and the reluctant trainer who has to decide if he wants to help her get there.

Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) is a grizzled elderly trainer and an expert cut man, now running a gym more derelict than most. His only friend and confidant is the equally old former boxer Eddie Dupris (Morgan Freeman), who lost an eye in his final fight (with Frankie in his corner) and is now reduced to the role of gym janitor. As a result, Frankie has developed a reputation for being too cautious in managing the careers of his fighters, and they tend to leave him for other managers when on the cusp of glory. Frankie is also estranged from his daughter, who returns all his letters unopened.

Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) invites herself to the gym and starts pestering Frankie to train her. He wants nothing to do with training a woman, perceiving women's boxing as a passing fad. Maggie is from a white trash family and is nothing if not persistent, saving every penny from her waitressing job to buy better equipment. Frankie eventually relents and agrees to train her as long as she doesn't question any of his instructions. Together they start the long road to success, with unexpected outcomes.

Directed by Eastwood, written by Paul Haggis and narrated with soul by Freeman, Million Dollar Baby contains plenty of plot after Frankie finally agrees to work with Maggie. But it is not possible to reveal more of the narrative without spoiling the movie. Suffice to say that the drama extends to ecstasies and agonies rarely captured in screen sports stories, and the final 45 minutes takes a stunning twist towards a new realm that both shocks and captivates. This is a film that transcends its genre to touch the essence of the human spirit, with both Frankie and Maggie forced to confront what really matters and the definition of life itself.

Maggie's arc is the story of boxing, the sport an escape road from a wasted life of ruin, with the bonus offer of a potential shot at glory. Eastwood provides only snippets of Maggie's despicable family background, and it's enough to justify all her desire to do whatever it takes to escape her default status. Meanwhile plenty of texture is derived from the interaction between Frankie and Eddie, two veterans more than worn out by the battles of days past, but still unable to leave the sport behind.

Frankie tries to fill the emptiness in his life by learning languages and reading refined literature. None of it helps. His oxygen is obtained ringside, living vicariously through every punch and feint, looking for opponent weaknesses and developing knock-out strategies for his fighters. Eddie is more grounded, still keeping his eye on the talent at the gym as he drags his janitorial buckets around, looking for the spark of talent that can be nurtured into a contender, and encouraging the no-hopers to at least dream big. The conversations between the two, about everything from the regrets of yesteryear to the holes in Eddie's socks, add enormous depth to the film.

Eddie's narration is almost poetic in its mystical reverence towards the sport of boxing, where everything seems backwards. Boxers step out to attack, step in to defend, use the right foot to push left and the left foot to veer right. Self protection is the basis for destroying an opponent, and boxers control their breathing in the most breathtaking moments. It's a sport where victory comes from pummeling an opponent but only within preset rules, and one life can change for the better when another life lies in agony, face down on the canvas.

And the film has the old-fashioned patience of a 15 round bout going the distance. Eastwood allows himself a running time of 132 minutes, and plenty of scenes add in the necessary shadings to flesh out Frankie, Eddie and Maggie into deeply affecting characters. Eastwood, Swank and Freeman create unforgettable and imperfect people, all three stubborn enough to withstand the rigours of the sport, and all three full of individual warts, passion, heroism and perseverance.

Million Dollar Baby avoids anything that looks glamorous. Even Maggie's higher profile fights exude the ambiance of a sport struggling for relevance, and most of her lower rung bouts are little more than sideshows in local gymnasia. There is finally money to be made at an inordinately high cost. Frankie and Maggie confront the risks and rewards together, and find both to be more than they could have ever imagined.

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Movie Review: Space Cowboys (2000)

A bizarre geriatric space action drama, Space Cowboys brings together four veterans of the screen and launches them into a ridiculous premise without a parachute.

In 1958, base commander Bob Gerson announces that Air Force ace pilots training to join the space program are being replaced by monkeys. The sidelined men include the reckless Colonel William "Hawk" Hawkins and the more circumspect Colonel Frank Corvin, and they never forgive Gerson. In the present day, Gerson (James Cromwell) is a senior administrator working for NASA, and facing a crisis. A Cold War era Soviet communications satellite is malfunctioning and dropping to Earth. Its now-obsolete navigation system was designed by Corvin (Clint Eastwood). Gerson reluctantly agrees with Corvin's plan to reassemble his crew, consisting of Hawk (Tommy Lee Jones), Captain Jerry O'Neill (Donald Sutherland) and Captain "Tank" Sullivan (James Garner) and embark on a space shuttle mission to fix the satellite.

The four elderly men undergo a compressed one month training program, and are joined by young astronauts Ethan (Loren Dean) and Roger (Courtney B. Vance). Hawk starts a romance with NASA scientist Sara Holland (Marcia Gay Harden). Finally the six men take off and rendezvous with the stricken satellite, and find more than they bargained for.

Sloppily directed by Eastwood, Space Cowboys does offer the enjoyment of watching four classic actors having some fun, and features some decent spacey cinematography in its final half hour. But otherwise the movie fails in almost all aspects. Even after allowing for the high concept of four old men being entrusted with a critical space mission, the film never finds a groove. It cannot be taken seriously although it appears to want to be, it's not funny or tongue in cheek enough, the science is preposterous, the romance unbelievable, the pacing stodgy and the action limp. The plot surprise, if that is what it was, is repeatedly telegraphed light years in advance, and only serves to make the film's fundamental premise more absurd.

As a minimum the one aspect that the film should have made work is an engaging dynamic between the four men, but the script again fails to deliver. Sutherland and Garner are effectively reduced to back row spectators, and the tension between the characters of Eastwood and Jones is established in the first scene and barely evolved.

With more careful treatment Space Cowboys may have had some interesting things to say about second chances, the wisdom of veterans, never giving up on far-fetched dreams, and old astronauts as celebrities. But with the good ideas squandered into so much space dust by lazy writing and lackadaisical execution, Space Cowboys disappears into the black hole of unmet expectations.

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Movie Review: Trouble With The Curve (2012)

An affecting father - daughter drama set within the world of baseball scouting, Trouble With The Curve has plenty of spirit and wisdom, although the edges of the story are a bit too tidy.

Gus Lobel (Clint Eastwood) is a legendary old-school scout, working for the Atlanta Braves. With age catching up to him and his eyesight beginning to fail, Lobel nevertheless insists on scouting the old way, eschewing computers and spreadsheets in favour of hours spent in minor league ball parks to get a true sense of what a player is capable of. Gus has a strained relationship with his daughter Mickey (Amy Adams), a lawyer striving to make Partner at her firm. Pete Klein (John Goodman) is the Braves' head of scouting and appreciates Gus' instincts, but even he starts to consider not renewing the contract of the veteran scout.

With the entry draft fast approaching, Gus is assigned to scout top prospect Bo Gentry, an obnoxious power hitter. Pete asks Mickey to accompany Gus for a few days, to make sure that the old man's failing health does not get him into trouble. Reluctantly, Mickey agrees and joins her dad on the road trip. Among the troop of scouts also keeping tabs on Bo is Johnny Flanagan (Justin Timberlake), a former pitcher whose career ended early due to injury. Johnny and Mickey hit it off, but Gus resents Mickey's presence. As they travel between the small ball parks of the Carolinas, Mickey tries to get her father to open up and address the issues that ruined their relationship, but Gus is not the type who can easily communicate. As the trip winds down, both Gus and Mickey find their careers hanging in the balance, and their futures may hinge on properly assessing Bo's true potential.

Trouble With The Curve concludes with all loose ends tied-up into pretty little bows, all the conflicts and future uncertainty settled into happy packages. The more mean characters get what they deserve, Gus and Mickey define their destiny, and a silent, humble pitching prospect suddenly emerges as the real thing, as discovered by the genuine talent spotters. The Randy Brown script (surrounded by a bitter controversy related to its true origins) turns sharply towards the land of fairy tales, and forgoes any attempt at a more mature denouement.

But what precedes the final 20 minutes is much better. The tale of an old school father and his modern daughter provides plenty of material for a rich examination of generational gaps and parental responsibility. Gus' unwillingness to talk about the past or get with the future leaves him vulnerable to be left behind by work and family. With failing health, all he has to rely on are his skills and instincts, irreplaceably assembled from years of hands-on life experience. Eastwood, at the remarkable age of 82, creates in Gus Lobel a lovable curmudgeon, abrasive, impatient and set in his ways. He is also funny, convinced of his ability, and confident that he still has what it takes to assess young talent.

Well paced by producer-turned-director Robert Lorenz, Trouble With The Curve inhales deeply from the essence of minor league baseball. Intimate ball parks, back country roads, crammed bus trips, expectant parents, small, never-renovated motels, and roadside diners make up Gus' world, and it's where he is most comfortable.

Surprisingly at first, Mickey also fits easily into this milieu, temporarily but effortlessly trading in the shiny corporate glitz for garish bed sheets and smoke-filled beer joints, much to her Dad's disgust. A chip of the old block despite his protestations, America's most precious pastime will provide the final opportunity for father and daughter to reconnect. Amy Adams as Mickey has the feistiness to take on Eastwood's Gus, and doggedly pursue relationship repairs in the face of all his dismissive grunting. The truth, once revealed, recasts the heroes and villains of her life, and Mickey's short road trip to keep an eye on Gus turns into a major fork in the road of life.

Trouble With The Curve has a bit of trouble with the ending, but is an otherwise smooth pitch.

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Movie Review: Where Eagles Dare (1968)

A World War Two fictional commando raid adventure, Where Eagles Dare is all-in with the action, the intrigue, the double-crosses, the incredible stunts, the magnificent scenery, and the blooming nonsense.

British Major John Smith (Richard Burton) leads a group of seven commandos in an assault on Schloss Adler, a German fortress wedged into the Alps in Bavaria. Lieutenant Schaffer (Clint Eastwood) of the US Army Rangers is the only American team member. The objective of the mission is to rescue U.S. General George Carnaby, who has been captured by the Germans and could be tortured to give up secrets about the upcoming Allied plan to open a second front in Europe.

After an aerial drop, two members of the commando team meet suspicious deaths. But Smith has an ace up his sleeve in the form of Mary (Mary Ure), a secret commando, and he establishes contact with local undercover agent Heidi (Ingrid Pitt), who helps Mary infiltrate the castle. In German disguise, Smith and Schaffer cause chaos among the German ranks by blowing up an ammunition depot in the local village, then make their way into the fortress by riding on top of a cable car. Once inside, they encounter the German commanders General Rosemeyer (Ferdy Mayne) and Colonel Kramer (Anton Diffring), as well as Major von Hapen (Derren Nesbitt), a Gestapo officer. Before Carnaby can be rescued, Smith has many surprises to unveil, and together Smith and Schaffer have to battle overwhelming forces to complete their mission and make their escape.

Written by Alistair MacLean specifically for the screen, Where Eagles Dare is undeniably exciting. The film does not waste any time with context or background, as it opens with the commandos already en-route to their mission, and the objective is revealed in a brief flashback. And as soon as the team lands on the snowy mountainside the intrigue kicks in as the body count starts, Smith unsure who to trust, not fully surprised that there may be traitor among the group, and seemingly running his own mission within a mission with the help of Mary as a secret ally.

From there director Brian G. Hutton keeps the pace on fast forward, the danger ever tightening, and the stunts spectacular. Outnumbered and outgunned, Smith and Schaffer are the epitome of cool, seemingly trapped but actually trapping their captors, and planning several steps ahead in terms of dishing out the destruction. The film is packed with eye-popping stunts, including a death-defying jump between two moving cable cars, and no shortage of impressive explosions.

The Arthur Ibbetson cinematography, elegantly enhanced by a Ron Goodwin soundtrack, finds dramatic panoramas in the Austrian countryside. With many of the scenes taking place in the dark, the film has a crisp, deep blue palette, a chilly aesthetic of snow high in the mountains, a place of remote beauty that still could not escape the dominance of the German war machine. The castle interiors were filmed at Burg Hohenwerfen, in Werfen, Austria, and here Hutton enjoys the combination of imposing, expansive, elaborately decorated grand rooms with multiple doors, and a rabbit's warren of corridors and side rooms perfect for deadly games of hide, seek, and kill.

Where Eagles Dare does push its luck, and in some scenes disintegrates into comic book territory. The bad guys do exactly what Smith and Schaffer need them to do in order for everything to work out, and the few-against-many battles do cross the line into ridiculous superhero territory. And not satisfied with the impossible drama of a small force invading an impregnable fort at the top of a commanding Alpine mountain, the plot eventually spirals into a dizzying story of double agents literally and figuratively backstabbing each other, and veers close to too-complicated territory.

But Burton and Eastwood are there to save the day. The grizzled veteran and up-and-coming star are cool under pressure, red hot in the fire fights, and indefatigable when it comes to completing their mission. One wise old eagle, one young eagle, both full of vigorous daring.



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Movie Review: Two Mules For Sister Sara (1970)

A western with good ideas but rather laborious execution, Two Mules For Sister Sara finds a vein of good energy in the partnership between Clint Eastwood and Shirley MacLaine. But with a slow and deliberate pace, the movie does at times struggle to maintain momentum.

In the Mexican wilderness, mercenary gunfighter and Civil War survivor Hogan (Clint Eastwood) rescues Sister Sara (Shirley MacLaine), a nun, from an attempted rape by three ruffians. Hogan is on his way to help Mexican revolutionaries attack a French fort in exchange for a large payment in gold. Sara claims that she is on the run from the French, wanted for aiding the Mexican rebels. Sara also informs Hogan than her church overlooks the fort, making it a perfect vantage point from which to plan and launch a surprise attack.

They join forces in their common cause, and together they avoid a French column, overcome an Indian attack, blow up a French supplies train, and make contact with rebel leader Colonel Beltrán (Manuel Fábregas). But launching a successful attack on the well-defended garrison will require a large amount of hard-to-find explosives, and Sara has another surprise to spring on Hogan.

A westernization of The African Queen (1951), Two Mules For Sister Sara is built on the well-tested premise of two contrasting characters brought together under difficult conditions to fight a common enemy. The Albert Maltz screenplay, based on a Budd Boetticher story, finds plenty of tension and humour in the interplay between Hogan's gruff soldier of fortune and Sara's pious morality, the two needing each other more than necessarily wanting to be with each other, at least not as long as Sara is a nun.

The two leads deliver attractive performances, Eastwood more expressive than usual as Hogan, without sacrificing his self-serving quick-draw persona. And Maltz allows Hogan to be true to his masculine ruggedness by having him openly lust after Sara, frequently lamenting that she is a nun. MacLaine is an excellent foil, creating in Sara a resourceful, clever and headstrong nun on a mission, strategically clutching her cross, revealing what she needs to and hiding a lot more.

Ennio Morricone contributes a classic score of eastern-tinged desert music featuring a ridiculously catchy mule hook, with nuns chanting in hushed tones as a bonus, while Don Siegel makes beautiful use of the Mexican locations to create impressive vistas, often playing with silhouettes to great effect.

Two Mules For Sister Sara does suffer from the absence of any other major characters apart from Hogan and Sara. This is essentially a two-person movie, and it moves slowly to occupy the almost two hours of running length. The few showcase moments of action are drawn out and milked for all they are worth, including an arrow-in-Hogan's-shoulder scene that takes forever to resolve itself, aided by plenty of alcohol, followed by a blow-the-bridge set-piece that seems to last just as long, with the alcohol now wearing off.

But when the climax finally arrives, Siegel and Eastwood team up to deliver a solid 25 minutes of coordinated mayhem, Beltrán's rebel army throwing everything at the French, who throw everything back, machine guns and dynamite dominating the battlefield while Hogan stealthily moves around the fort, doing the small things that make a big difference in the outcome of the battle.

Two Mules For Sister Sara may sometimes move at the languid pace of a stubborn mule, but when it's time to properly gallop, the film accelerates like a thoroughbred.

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Movie Review: The Eiger Sanction (1975)

A brooding action thriller which condemns the world of secret agents that it inhabits, The Eiger Sanction is a smart take on the Cold War's tit-for-tat assassination games. Clint Eastwood directs himself in an intricate yet taut literal cliff-hanger set against the world of mountain climbing.

Dr. Jonathan Hemlock (Eastwood) is a retired assassin for the secretive C2 US government agency. Now a university art professor, his weaknesses include an illicit fine art collection and a barely contained lust for women. A reluctant Hemlock is called back into action by his former boss "The Dragon" (Thayer David), a light-sensitive albino, to "sanction" one of two enemy assassins responsible for eliminating Hemlock's former colleague Henri Baq (Frank Redmond) in Geneva. After completing the mission, The Dragon uses the sultry charms of agent Jemima Brown (Vonetta McGee) to manipulates Hemlock into yet another assignment.

Dragon: [Hemlock has walked in while Dragon is hooked up to a transfusion device] Forgive me, Dr. Hemlock. Twice a year I have to have my blood completely replaced. 
Hemlock: [through gritted teeth] With what?

This time Hemlock has to pursue the other assassin, whose identity is vague but who is known to be part of four-man team planning to climb the treacherous Eiger mountain in the Swiss Alps. To get back into mountain-climbing shape, Hemlock trains at a resort run by old friend Ben Bowman (George Kennedy), where he tangles with slippery double agent Miles Mellough (Jack Cassidy) and the phenomenally fit but silent trainer George (Brenda Venus). In Switzerland, Bowman and Hemlock join up with Frenchman Jean-Paul Montaigne (Jean-Pierre Bernard), German Karl Freytag (Reiner Schöne) and Austrian Anderl Meyer (Michael Grimm) to climb the dangerous Eiger. One of the men is Hemlock's target; he just does not know which one.

The Eiger Sanction pours vinegar over the James Bond style secret agent mystique. For Hemlock the spy battle has long since lost its lustre, and he sees the killings and retaliatory strikes for what they are, juvenile games played by shadowy masters sacrificing the lives of others for no meaningful gain. Hemlock is a proud art snob, protective of his illegal collection, and not satisfied with one weakness, can just hardly turn down the overt advances of one his students, but nevertheless sends her on her way with a bum slap.

Hemlock: Are you busy this evening?
Art Student: No.
Hemlock: You live alone?
Art Student: My roommate's gone for the week.
Hemlock: Good. Then... go on home, break out the books and study your little ass off. That's the best way to maintain a "B" average. Don't study it all off.

Once coerced by The Dragon back into action, Hemlock pursues the missions without joy, almost botching the first sanction and demonstrating an overt tiredness in tackling Eiger and the mysterious second assassin. Eastwood brings his laid-back persona to Hemlock, but this time the relaxed approach masks a keen intent to remain uninvolved, his eagerness to complete the missions driven by the desire to return to retirement rather a belief in any cause.

[Bowman watches the climb through his telescope]
British Tourist: I say, old boy, are you using your scope? Do you mind if my wife has a peek. 
British Tourist's Wife: Darling, tell him we'll pay for it. 
British Tourist: We can pay for it, you know. 
Bowman: Get out of here. Either of you friggin' vampires ever touch this telescope, you're gonna need surgery to get it out of your ass!

The Eiger Sanction script, adapting the best-seller by Trevanian, is filled with sharp dialogue exchanges, but also dances with a string of potentially questionable attitudes that could now be deemed insulting towards albinos, blacks, gays, women, the elderly, Europeans, and Natives. In the pre-politically correct context of the mid-1970s the film is bold if perhaps also unapologetically and intentionally crass.

Woman Journalist: Tell me, Mr. Bowman, in your opinion do these men climb to prove their manhood, or is it more a matter of compensating for inferiority feelings? 
Bowman: Lady, why don't you go get yourself screwed. It would do you a lot of good.

Eastwood directs with relatively slow pacing, allowing the many characters to take shape and find their niche. At just over two hours The Eiger Sanction never rushes, and indeed builds to a majestic final forty minutes, an ill-fated but magnificently photographed assault on Eiger by four men who neither trust nor like each other. In the pre-special effects era all the breathtaking mountain climbing sequences were real and filmed on location in Grindelwald, Switzerland, with Eastwood performing all of his stunts. The filming logistics were difficult and sometimes next to impossible, with one photographer losing his life in an accident. A soaring yet poignant John Williams music score adds immeasurably to the drama unfolding on the formidable mountain.

Jemima: Is this hotel always so crowded? 
Hemlock: Only when there's a climb. Then the Eiger birds start flocking in. 
Jemima: Eiger birds? 
Hemlock: Yeah, jet setters, assorted zombies, come here to watch a climb. If they're lucky, they get to see a man die on the mountain. 
Jemima: That's grim. 
Hemlock: So's the Eiger.

The supporting cast is memorable for Thayer David's short but blood-curdling turn as The Dragon, a man without colour and without a soul controlling a global army of pawns. George Kennedy enjoys a more prominent role than usual as Ben Bowman, a mentor and confidant of sort for Hemlock. Jack Cassidy creates another enduring character as the exceedingly annoying Miles Mellough, a man aggravating enough that Hemlock has to weigh the pure pleasure of killing him against the crucial information that he may possess. Vonetta McGee as rookie agent Jemima exploits Hemlock's fondness for women but also becomes the only other foot solder who may develop a healthy distaste for Cold War bloodshed.

Miss Cerberus: I was expecting you before this. Mr. Dragon does not like to be kept waiting. 
Dr. Jonathan Hemlock: Oh, the impatient albino. 
Miss Cerberus: I don't think Mr. Dragon's affliction is a joking matter. 
Dr. Jonathan Hemlock: I thought it was rather humorous, myself. A spy network being run by a bloodless freak who can't stand light or cold. 

The Eiger Sanction is a thoughtful thriller with serious attitude and serious altitude, an overlooked peak in Eastwood's career.

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Movie Review: The Beguiled (1971)

A psychological drama, The Beguiled delves into the jungle of sexual politics and emerges with deliciously ripened fruit. One of Clint Eastwood's least Eastwood-like roles adds to the intrigue.

In the middle of a Civil War battle, Union soldier John "McBee" McBurney (Eastwood) is severely wounded and separated from his company behind Confederate lines. He is found by 12 year old Amy, who takes him to an all-girls school run by Martha Farnsworth (Geraldine Page). In addition to Amy, five other adolescent girls attend the school, including the romantic and responsible Edwina (Elizabeth Hartman) and the desirous Carol (Jo Ann Harris). The slave Hallie (Mae Mercer) is a loyal servant.

Martha is initially adamant that McBee will be turned over to a Confederate patrol as soon as his wounds are tended to. With a limited amount of time to avoid a prisoner's fate, McBee immediately sets about endearing himself to the girls, attempting to stoke a romance with Edwina, acquiescing to Carol's aggressive advances, attempting to convince Hallie that they are on the same side of the war, and working on the stern but lonely Martha to convince her that she needs a handy man to help run the school -- and maybe more. Even Amy continues to harbour a crush on the man she found in the woods. With four girls and one slave all beginning to see value in McBee, jealousies erupt and tensions rise to superheated levels.

Set entirely in and around the school, The Beguiled is a sharply executed war within a war. McBee may have thought that he survived the brutalities of a Civil War battlefield, but he promptly ignites another, more incendiary conflict within the school walls. One virile man dropped into the company of eight women proves to be a combustible mix, and McBee will need to deal with the explosions that result from his lighting various real and imagined pent-up passions.

In the role of John McBurney, Eastwood is either on his back recuperating or hobbling around on crutches. His mere presence, rather than any gun, represents the threat, allowing Eastwood to actually act. Soft spoken, calculating, and relying on a combination of pity and persuasion, he dominates the movie with a macho magnetism that knocks the ladies' world off its axis.

Geraldine Page's Miss Martha proves to be the most resilient of the women that McBee needs to conquer psychologically, and Page brings to the role her authoritative aura, a woman leading and protecting other women through a war. Of course she has an ignoble past and present needs, and once McBee finds these weaknesses, he relentlessly bores in.

Elizabeth Hartman and Jo Ann Harris are excellent as polar opposite personalities, Hartman's Edwina too quickly to fall in love more out of romantic hope than practical conviction, while Harris smolders as Carol seeks nothing other than a satisfying sexual conquest. The Beguiled tackles repressed sexuality, incest, and rape, and then pushes against more boundaries in a disconcerting fantasy sequence. 

Director and frequent Eastwood collaborator Don Siegel adapts the Thomas P. Cullinan novel with a view to exploring the evil women are capable of. McBee is ultimately the catalyst, and he barely commits a physically violent act within the school. But his presence and immoral behaviour in spreading lies, false affection, and empty promises are more than enough to trigger bedlam in a previously staid environment. Several women scorned at once are capable of a hell like no other.

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