A washed-up former rodeo star is charged with bring his ex-boss's
son from Mexico to Texas, and bonds with the kid along the way. DRAMA
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Cry Macho (2021)Directed by Clint Eastwood
Written by Nick Schenk and N. Richard Nash Starring Clint Eastwood, Eduardo Minett, Dwight Yoakam, Horacio Garcia-Rojas, Fernanda Urrejola, Natalia Traven Based on the novel by N. Richard Nash |
Clint Eastwood has a had a far more varied and iconic career than I think even he expected, ever since he first stared down the barrel of a bandito's gun with a cigarillo in hand and a squint in his eye in A Fistful of Dollars. Now, five decades later, Eastwood is a four time Oscar-winning director and producer, and one of the most respected filmmakers of all time. He's also in his early 90's, and still pulling double duty as a director and star. Whatever issues you may have with his politics or whatever, you have to admire and respect the dedication to the craft. And that's probably why I was so damn disappointed by Cry Macho.
Eastwood plays Mike, a former rodeo star who lost everything when a freak accident broke his back. Decades after being a star, he's washed-up and completely out of fucks to give. When he ex-boss (Yoakam) convinces Mike to drive to Mexico and rescue the boss's young, rebellious son Rafo (Minett), Mike is a fish out of water. He encounters Rafo's psychotic gangster mother (Urrejola), who never shows up again. Mike and Rafo embark on the journey back to Texas, learning from each other and nearly doing interesting things, but never going through with them. And then the movie just sort of ends, with Rafo going back to his father even though he knows he's gonna fuck him over, and Mike staying in Mexico to start a relationship with a woman decades younger than him. There's no motivation for anything, nor is there ever a point. Cry Macho could've been Eastwood's swan song to both directing and to the western genre. There's elements here to tell the story of a cowboy way past his prime who has one good adventure left in him, but the movie never goes there in quite the right way. Overall, it's a boring neo-western that is a far cry from what Eastwood is capable of as both a director and an actor. |
It’s an understatement to say Clint Eastwood is a legend. An icon of both the Western genre and American cinema. He presented a protagonist who wasn’t necessarily morally right in Westerns considerably more violent than what audiences were used to with the John Wayne classics. For many, myself included, these were better as they presented the world as it was, not what we wished it to be. But he wouldn’t just stop at acting. He would go on to hang up the saddle and pursue a directing career. One which would be marked by acclaimed dramas and showing range well beyond the Westerns he has become synonymous with. Again, this would only further solidify his status as one of the greats in Hollywood. Now, at the age of 91, he has released his most recent film he directs and stars in, Cry Macho. A film which seems to meld his two most well-known genres.
I’m happy to say, regardless of his age, Clint Eastwood still has it both behind and in front of the camera. With the former, he delivers the steady and controlled direction he’s become well-known for. With the latter, Eastwood delivers a phenomenal performance of a man reflecting on his past. Something which comes across as incredibly genuine from the actor himself. It may not be the tough guy type of performance we’ve come to expect from him, but one which allows him to reflect on his own career. If only the rest of the film matched the quality of its star. Story-wise, this film was a mess for me. There was this constant thing happening where character motivations would change on a dime and plotlines would stop suddenly. The latter to the point where the few action beats didn’t hit because they just kind of happen. There’s also a love story which is meant to be sweet but comes off weird due to the noticeable age gap between Eastwood and the actress. Finally, the ending is possibly one of the least satisfying endings I’ve seen. Won’t spoil here, but it left me with a bad taste. There’s a moment I want to point out real quick. There’s a scene where Eastwood is in full cowboy attire riding a horse. Not significant or anything. But it still hits. Something about seeing this iconic, legendary figure of cinema doing what we’ve seen him do a thousand times on screen. But now this legend is older. He’s weathered. And we don’t know how much longer we have with him. Because of my knowledge of his career, this scene hit the hardest for me. All the props to Eastwood for doing this movie at his age. I just wished the story matched what he was giving us. |