Clint Eastwood is known for his elaborate and prolific career and filmography. He has not only entertained his audience as an actor, but down the line, he also picked up directing and proved his worth as a talented director. He not only delved into the marvelous Western world but also portrayed characters in different genres, including romantic drama, cop movies, and a lot of thriller flicks. Eastwood also amazed everyone as a musician and composer, and in the 1980s, he even served as the Mayor of the California town Carmel-by-the-Sea.
He surely has an impressive resume to show. Eastwood’s charming screen presence, stoic physique, and serious look on his face gave him success in the war and crime movie genres. He supremely excelled in them and even received 11 Oscar nominations for his acting and directing talents, while winning two Academy Awards as Best Director and Best Picture for Unforgiven. So, let’s take a look at our list where the actor-director’s work has been rated from worst to best.
17. Pale Rider
One of the most underrated Western movies is Pale Rider. It is uniquely made because of the supernatural plotline that revolves around a character named ‘The Preacher’ played by Clint Eastwood. The film focuses on the landowner Coy Lahood (Richard Dysart) who hires a band of hooligans to try to scare off the villagers from gold mining in a small town. The Preacher arrives at that moment to save them from the situation.
Some say that The Preacher is depicted as some sort of ghost or guardian angel. However, when his intervention is not accepted by Lahood, he sends Marshall Stockburn (John Russell) to take the Preacher and the villagers down. The duel that has been shown in the film deserves a special mention here. Even though it has one of the highest rates on Rotten Tomatoes, because of being underrated it often slips the list of best-rated Western movies in Eastwood’s filmography.
It is available for rent on Apple TV.
16. Paint Your Wagon
Clint Eastwood had done a musical Western movie with Paint Your Wagon and garnered a lot of appreciation for portraying the character Pardner. Even though he is known for playing no-nonsense characters, in this one, his audience could see a different side as he showcased his comedic nature. The film revolves around a war commencing between men who came for gold mining because of their shared wife (Jean Seaberg).
It cannot be tagged as the best existing Western movie by Clint Eastwood, but his audience did appreciate his hard work into it. Rotten Tomatoes rated it 43%.
It is available for rent on Apple TV.
15. Two Mules For Sister Sara
Once again, Eastwood comes in to rescue a wayward nun on his travels and eventually grows a bond with her. Shirly MacLaine plays the nun in Two Mules For Sister Sara. It is not Eastwood’s regular Western movies, in this one, the storyline follows a more humorous and light-hearted tone which is set during the French intervention in Mexico.
A Don Siegel and Clint Eastwood combo should have been a masterpiece but it got mixed reviews from the audience as well as the critics. Rotten Tomatoes gave them 71%. However, the sizzling chemistry between the actor and MacLaine was hard to miss.
It can be watched on rent on Apple TV.
14. Bronco Billy
Clint Eastwood’s directed movie Bronco Billy is another Western movie starring himself, Geoffrey Lewis and Sondra Locke. Eastwood plays Bronco Billy and meets Antoinette Lily (Locke) who has been deserted by her scheming husband John Arlington (Lewis). She eventually gets added to Billy’s crew after much convincing but things start to go haywire, and the team starts to blame her for all the bad luck.
The actor’s charming cowboy presence made the audience more intrigued. The audience reviewed the movie as an underrated classic of Clint Eastwood even though it got 75% from Rotten Tomatoes.
It is available for rent on Apple TV and can be watched on Amazon Video.
13. Joe Kidd
Joe Kidd is one of Eastwood’s Western movies that comes under the mediocre list in his filmography. The film revolves around a former bounty hunter Joe Kidd (Clint Eastwood) who gets torn between peasants and wealthy landlords’ violent dispute. What happens next is all about the drama. Even though the cinematography and the actor’s performance have been appreciated by the audience, it does not pass the actor-director’s at par excellence.
Robert Duvall plays the antagonist and while Rotten Tomatoes rated it 80%, the movie will be among some of the weakest of them all.
It is available for rent on Apple TV and can be streamed after subscribing to STARZ.
12. Gran Torino
Clint Eastwood’s another directorial Gran Torino, where the actor gave an outstanding performance as a man who lost his wife of 50 years. Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski, a retired auto worker, and a Korean War vet. However, his life takes a turn after saving an Asian teen from the gangbangers who were forcefully making her steal Kowalski’s treasured car. What happens next and how Kowalski finds more things about his neighbor is all about the drama.
While the audience gave a mixed reaction to the 2008 movie, the critics labeled it as a flawed movie for its poor screenwriting and characterizations. Many viewers pointed out the humorous and heart-touching side of the story.
It is available on Apple TV for rent and free streaming on The Roku Channel.
11. High Plains Drifter
There’s a reason why Clint Eastwood is known as the Western legend, and High Plains Drifter proves that statement. Directed himself in the mystery thriller drama, Eastwood showcased his directorial talents as well as his acting prowess. In this Western movie, Eastwood plays a drifter who enters a small town to protect from its outlaws but eventually finds out about the dark sects of that town. What happens next is all about the drama.
The haunting and intense sequences, along with the complex character dynamics, create a gripping plot. Apart from Eastwood, Verna Bloom and Marianna Hill have also been a part of the project.
High Plains Drifter is available on Apple TV for rent.
10. Coogan’s Bluff
Clint Eastwood has mastered a range of emotions over the years, thanks to his co-stars, who equally dedicated their talents to those projects. Coogan’s Bluff is another deserving movie that should be on this list. In this crime drama, Eastwood plays an Arizona police detective in New York who is entitled to bring back an escaped convict.
The film also stars Lee J. Cobb, who gives such a powerful performance that it becomes easier for Eastwood to delve into the skin of his character and present it with such realism. The crime flick got a 95% from Rotten Tomatoes. The audience and the critics appreciated the intriguing storyline and Clint Eastwood’s serious acting.
It is available on Apple TV.
9. Hang ‘Em High
Hang ‘Em High is a movie that deserves a special mention in Clint Eastwood’s filmography. It was the first Western film that was not directed by Sergio Leone and was produced by Eastwood’s production company. Eastwood plays the lead role in the drama as Jed Cooper, who gets mistaken for a cattle rustler and almost gets hanged by a tree. But gets saved by a marshal and a judge, and they offer him a law enforcement job through which Jed sets out to bring justice to the crimes.
The cowboy hat look on Clint Eastwood and the gripping storyline made the critics believe that the actor-director was back in his game. The movie got 92% from Rotten Tomatoes and even received rave reviews from the audience.
It can be streamed on Apple TV, Fubo TV, MGM+, and more.
8. The Outlaw Josey Wales
Clint Eastwood maintained his genre of movies. The Outlaw Josey Wales is another edgy Western crime drama where Eastwood plays a farmer, Josey Wales, whose family gets murdered by militant soldiers during the American Civil War. To take revenge, he joins the Confederate army. But post-war, when his contemporary comrades die, he takes up his own battle to fight.
Directed and acted by Clint Eastwood, this Western movie depicts an emotional side of the story. One of the audiences even reviewed it as one of the best Eastwood movies. Rotten Tomatoes gave 91%.
It might be available on Apple TV.
7. Cry Macho
Cry Macho is Eastwood’s last Western movie in which he starred. To know Clint Eastwood and his exceptional journey, one must watch this movie. It is a neo-Western flick, where Mike Milo (Eastwood), a one-time rodeo star is trying to reconnect a boy with his father in Mexico. And in the process, they face a rather challenging journey.
Even though the movie doesn’t have those gun-slinging, action-packed sequences like Eastwood had in the early life of his career, it has a more melancholy touch to it. It tried to depict the end of an era with a touch of nostalgic Western world. It might not come under one of the best projects of Eastwood but it definitely is one of the special ones.
It can be streamed on Apple TV and Max (Prime Channels).
6. In The Line Of Fire
Wolfgang Peterson’s directorial In The Line Of Fire features Clint Eastwood as a Secret Service agent who failed to protect President John F. Kennedy from assassination. However, since then, Frank Horrigan (Eastwood) would get threatening calls from the killer. What he wants and what Frank will do is all about the crime drama.
John Malkovich stole the show as the killer, so much so that he even received nominations for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars, Golden Globe, and BAFTA.
It can be streamed on Apple TV.
5. Million Dollar Baby
Million Dollar Baby, directed by Clint Eastwood, has a stellar star cast, including himself, Morgan Freeman, Anthony Mackie, Hillary Swank, and others. This movie even gave Eastwood two among the four Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director.
The film revolves around a boxer, Frankie Dunn (Eastwood), who reluctantly takes up his first female fighter, Maggie Fitzgerald, played by Hillary Swank. Eventually, they form a close bond, which then transpires both of them in a certain direction. Every actor in the movie gave knockout performances that created a buzz about it.
It can be streamed on Apple TV and Netflix.
4. For A Few Dollars More
The second movie of the Dollars trilogy directed by Sergio Leone, For A Few Dollars More stars Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef as two bounty hunters, Monco and Col. Douglas Mortimer, respectively. The two men find themselves as each other’s rivals on their first meet but eventually pair up to fulfill their mutual mission of eradicating the criminal.
For A Few Dollars More is a classic in its genre – the action, the intense drama, the gripping performances by the lead actors, everything falls into the right places.
Stream it on Apple TV, Fubo TV, and more.
3. A Fistful of Dollars
Clint Eastwood’s first collaboration with Sergio Leone happened with A Fistful of Dollars, the first flick of the franchise, and it carved a new genre named spaghetti western films. This means these are movies about the American West made by Italian directors. Eastwood earned a lot of appraisals for his powerful performance.
One of the fans of this movie is none other than Quentin Tarantino, who tagged the film as, “The greatest achievement in the history of Cinema”, during a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival. Even Rotten Tomatoes ranked it at 98%.
It is available for rent on Apple TV and Fubo TV.
2. The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
Another Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood collab that deserves to be mentioned on this list is The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly. This movie wraps up the Dollars trilogy in the most outstanding way. The plot follows three dangerous men who come together to dig out a buried treasure in the Old West during the Civil War.
Apart from Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach gave iconic performances which still get talked about among the audience. This iconic adventure drama set a new era in the movie business.
It is available on Apple TV, Fubo TV, MGM+, The Roku Channel, and more.
1. Unforgiven
Unforgiven gave Clint Eastwood the honor as a director which he deserves. He won two Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture for this movie, and both of them were well deserving. Released in 1992, the film reflected everything Eastwood learned throughout his career graph while doing Western movies.
Clint Eastwood plays a former outlaw who settled into his family life only to get hired by a group of s*x workers who want to kill a man who once scarred one of them. What happens in the movie is quite intriguing. It is Eastwood’s one of the finest achievements to date.
It is available for rent on Apple TV and Max (Prime Video Channels).
The list of Eastwood’s Western movies also includes The Beguiled, The First Travelling Saleslady, Ambush at Cimarron Pass, and a few more.
The 94-year-old actor and director is a maestro in his own way. Clint Eastwood came, stole the limelight as a Western movie actor, became a director, and carved his path in Hollywood. His angry look, shooting pistol, and rifle sequences, action scenes wearing his cowboy hat – a look that we remember when we hear about Western movies. The way he used to smoke his cigar had become ‘a thing’ back then. And, this list of movies celebrates the person who lived this colorful life.
