Unforgiven (1992)

I don't really like Westerns. The movie is fine. Clint Eastwood going back to his Western roots to win Best Picture is a good story. But it's really just not for me.

The Mule (2018)

I admit I missed the first ten minutes. But I think I got the gist. Clint Eastwood plays Earl, an old man who was never there for his family. As a result, he is estranged from his family. His good driving record allows him to become a drug mule for the cartel. And no one ever suspects this crazy old gringo that's just trying to enjoy life. His family wasn't what gave him joy in his earlier years. And he realizes he was wrong. The movie is actually quite enjoyable. Clint Eastwood is intense. His acting is effortless; he basically variations of the same character in all of his later movies, but you suspect that's just him playing himself. He's not charming like Robert Redford, he's more stereotypical old white guy. Nonetheless, the story is engaging as we just wait in anxiety for the law (or the outlaws) to catch up to him.

Sully (2016)

I really like that the film is not all about the landing on the Hudson. It's not even really a pivotal point of the movie. We start after the incident. And see it only in flashbacks, albeit several times. The bulk of the movie is in the unglamorous, no frills NTSB hearings. The movie is more properly about Sully than about the Miracle on the Hudson. It is about the internal struggle he faces post-trauma. Tom Hanks portrays a calm, low-key everyday hero, reminding me of Captain Philips. It is very much a Tom Hanks-kind of character. He does good ole American hero well. 

American Sniper (2014)

The opening scene of American Sniper is intensely suspenseful. We have already seen the opening in the trailer and still I sat at the edge of my seat.  However, I was a little disappointed when the scene abruptly cut to a flashback before Chris Kyle enlisted and then the movie works its way forward in time till it returns to the opening scene.  I admit the second time around was not as suspenseful.  But every scene in the war zone of Iraq is suspenseful, not knowing what awaits behind the door or when the sniper is going to pull the trigger. Including a battle scene in the middle of a sandstorm, in which at times its even a little difficult to tell what is going on. Much like the soldiers, all we see is sand and can barely make out shadows.

War takes a harrowing toll on the human body and mind.  Kyle does several tours in Iraq and the scenes in the United States between tours give the audience a glimpse at the suffering returning soldiers face. Even those physically unharmed are haunted by post traumatic stress.  It ends back at home away from the battlefield, but these soldiers haunted by PTSD bring the war home.  And in war, anything can happen in an instant.  The ending is just as abrupt as the beginning.  This is very much an anti-war movie, highlighting the destruction, physical and mental, wreaked by war.

Bradley Cooper plays Chris Kyle, the deadliest sniper in US military history. He nails the Texas drawl and does a good job showing his post traumatic stress emotionally.  The scene in which he sits in a bar alone speaking on the phone with his wife is surely the reason for his Oscar nomination.  The movie also takes us into the mindset of Kyle.  Despite many protests from his wife Taya, Kyle keeps going back to Iraq.  Kyle is not alone in his mentality. Many soldiers, dare I say most soldiers, go to battle to protect their brothers in arms.  Though they may fight in the name of democracy and freedom and protecting the USA, their true motivation and core desire is to protect their fellow soldiers.  Clint Eastwood captures this mindset of a killing machine and thoughtfully asks his audience to ponder: why do we go to war?

Jersey Boys (2014)

I have not seen the acclaimed Broadway musical, but I imagine it must be better than the film adaptation.  One of the distinctive features of the stage version is that the play is divided into four "seasons" each telling the story from a different point of view.  There are, of course, conflicting accounts of how the famed Four Seasons rose to and fell from fame.  The innovative Rashomon-effect in the stage version gets lost in the movie.

The movie features Tony-winner John Lloyd Young from the original Broadway cast reprising his role as Frankie Valli.  He nails that legendary falsetto, hitting all the high notes.  Christopher Walken provides some comic moments and looks much more comfortable in this movie with music as opposed to the NBC live musical Peter Pan.  Jersey Boys does come off as movie with music, not featuring enough of the great music to really be called a musical.  It has its high moments of musical excitement, but there are too much dramatics in between (in thick Jersey accents).  Clint Eastwood does a good job of capturing an old feel of 1950s/60s New Jersey.  And he makes a cameo appearance in the movie (see if you can spot him).

Dirty Harry (1971)

After a lengthy discussion on 80s New York vigilante Bernhard Goetz in class, we watched this classic featuring Clint Eastwood in his iconic role as inspector Harry Calahan.  Quoting from my course syllabus: "The film is, and was so regarded as, a critique of, and protest against, the Warren Court's imposition of new constitutional rules on police procedures in the 1960s."  The film makes a very clear statement, with the police finding justice when the law fails to do so.  There is the constant conflict between due process and crime control that in a perfect world would not exist.  The law since the 1960s has been designed to deter bad police behavior and protect criminals' rights.  Dirty Harry could not care less about criminals' rights.

Of course, Dirty Harry is known for his famous line: "Go ahead, make my day" which doesn't appear in this film, but instead we get equally glorious "You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?".  Eastwood does what he does best, playing a character is filled with intensity; he is the ultimate tough guy.  The film editing is exciting, the action is enticing, and the score is just perfect.