Clint Eastwood

Clinton “Clint” Eastwood, Jr. was born May 31, 1930 in San Francisco, California. His family relocated often as his father worked at different jobs along the West Coast, including at a pulp mill. As his family moved to different areas he held a series of jobs including lifeguard, paper carrier, grocery clerk, forest firefighter, and golf caddy.

Eastwood is an American film actor, director, producer, and composer. After beginning his acting career exclusively with small uncredited film roles and television appearances, his career has spanned more than 50 years. Eastwood started directing in 1971, and in 1982, his debut as a producer began with two films, Firefox and Honkytonk Man. Eastwood has received multiple accolades and many award nominations for his greatness work in the films Letters From Iwo Jima, Unforgiven, Mystic River, Changeling, White Hunter Black Heart, Bird, Pale Rider, Invictus, Flags of Our Fathers, and Million Dollar Baby.

And for the outstanding dedication to the film industry, especially as a director. These are the top 5 list of Clint Eastwood Films.

5. Invictus (2009)

The story is based on the John Carlin book Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Changed a Nation about the events in South Africa before and during the 1995 Rugby World Cup, hosted in that country following the dismantling of apartheid.

The Plot: In 1994 Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) subsequently elected for the President of South Africa. His immediate challenge is “balancing black aspirations with white fears”, as racial tensions from the apartheid era have not completely disappeared.

While Mandela attempts to tackle the country’s largest problems, he attends a game of the Springboks, the country’s rugby union team. Mandela recognizes that the blacks in the stadium cheer against their home squad, as the Springboks represent prejudice and apartheid in their minds. Knowing that South Africa is set to host the 1995 Rugby World Cup, Mandela convinces a meeting of the newly-black-dominated South African Sports Committee to support the Springboks. He then meets with the captain of the Springboks rugby team, François Pienaar (Matt Damon), and implies that a Springboks victory in the World Cup will make a change and inspire the nation.

Despite the astonishing cast, Eastwood brings us accurate portrayal with surprising details and the solid script with tight story-line combined with great cultural impressions and strong emotion. As for that matters, Eastwood has nominated for Best Director in the 67th Golden Globe Awards.

 

4. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

The film is based on the non-fiction books “Gyokusai sōshikikan” no etegami (“Picture letters from the Commander in Chief”) by General Tadamichi Kuribayashi and So Sad To Fall In Battle: An Account of War by Kumiko Kakehashi about the Battle of Iwo Jima. While some characters such as Saigo are fictional, the overall battle as well as several of the commanders are based upon actual people and events.

The Plot: In 2005, Japanese archaeologists explore tunnels on Iwo Jima, where they find something burried in the dirt. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) assigned in Iwo Jima to take command of the garrison and defended it from Americans. And afterwards he immediately begins an inspection of the island defenses. The next day, Kuribayashi orders the garrison to begin tunneling defenses under Mount Suribachi. He explains that the United States military will take the beaches quickly, and that only subterranean defenses have a chance for holding out.

After the defenses are completely built, the war has occurred and the American strikes them really hard and causing significant casualties for the Japanese Army. Inevitably, fears and despair affects them and also clouded their judgement.

Written by Paul Haggis, the film shows a portrayal of good and evil on both sides of the war. In addition, after released in U.S the film critics heavily praised the writing, direction, cinematography and acting. The review tallying website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 178 out of the 195 reviews they tallied were positive for a score of 91%. As the positive affirmation that achieved, the film won the 79th Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing, and won the 64th Golden Globe Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. This film is also nominated for Best Director and Best Picture in the 79th Academy Awards. And again Eastwood nominated in the 64th Golden Globe Awards for Best Director.

 

3. Gran Torino (2008)

The Film was directed by Eastwood and written by Nick Schenk. In the early 1990s, Schenk became acquainted with the history and culture of the Hmong while working in a factory in Minnesota. Years later, he was deciding how to develop a story involving a widowed Korean War veteran trying to handle the changes in his neighborhood when he decided to place a Hmong family next door and create a culture clash.

The film directed, produced , and played by Eastwood, the film marks Eastwood’s return to a lead acting role after several years, and yet he still unbelievably astonishing.

The Plot: Walt Kowalski (Eastwood), a grumpy, obnoxious, self centered Korean War US Army veteran, has recently been widowed. His neighborhood is now dominated by poor Asian immigrants, and gang violence. Walt’s young Hmong neighbor Thao (Bee Vang), is pressured by his cousin to steal Walt’s 1972 Gran Torino for his initiation into a gang. Walt then develops a relationship with the boy and his family after that shameful incident. The gang continues to intimidate and assault Thao. Later on, a horrifying atrocity afflicts Tao and his sister Sue (Ahney Her).

I describe it as a humble insurgent, deceptively mediocre in appearance and daring in its earnestness. Unfortunately the film didn’t work quite well with the film critics. But yet the film nominated for Best Original Song in the 66th Golden Globe Awards performed by Jamie Cullum.

 

2. Mystic River (2003)

The film based on novel Mystic River by Dennis Lehane. Directed by Clint Eastwood, the mysterious drama Mystic River adapted by screenwriter Brian Helgeland. Set in an Irish neighborhood in Boston, Jimmy, Sean, and Dave are three childhood friends who are reunited after a brutal murder takes place.

The Plot: Three boys, Jimmy Markum (Sean Penn), Sean Devine (Kevin Bacon) and Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins), play hockey in a Boston street in 1975. And the, terrifying moments occurred.

Twenty-five years later, Jimmy running a neighborhood store, while Dave is a middle-class worker, still haunted by his abduction. They’re still neighbors and related by marriage. Jimmy’s 19-year-old daughter Katie (Emmy Rossum) is secretly dating Brendan Harris (Tom Guiry), a boy Jimmy despises. Reformed convict Jimmy and his devoted wife Annabeth (Laura Linney) find out that their daughter Katie  has been beaten and killed. Jimmy’s old friend Sean is the homicide detective assigned to the case, along with partner Whitey Powers (Laurence Fishburne). Jimmy also gets his relatives to conduct an investigation of their own.

It’s exhilarating, to see strong acting like this, Eastwood directs it with an invigorated beauty and charms. It is important to remember that films can look and listen and attentively sympathize with their characters. With a pair of his green thumb Eastwood grow great by fertilize and cultivates, And now the seeds has growing properly with its beauty.

Eastwood nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay in the 76th Academy Awards, as it does Penn and Robbins who have won the Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Actor In a Supporting Role. In 2004 BAFTA Awards the film nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, and Best Screenplay – Adapted. As in the 56th Cannes Film Festival Eastwood nominated for Palme d’Or and he won the Carrosse d’Or (Golden Coach). In the 61st Golden Globe Awards Penn and Robbins again won Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Actor In a Supporting Role, as for Eastwood he nominated for Best Director and for Best Motion Picture.

 

1. Millon Dollar Baby (2004)

A 2004 American sports drama film directed, starring, co-produced, and scored by Eastwood. It’s the story of an under-appreciated boxing trainer, his elusive past, and his quest for atonement by helping an underdog amateur boxer achieve her dream of becoming a professional. The is based on short stories by F.X. Toole, the pen name of fight manager and “cutman” Jerry Boyd. Originally published under the title Rope Burns, the stories have since been republished under the film’s title.

The Plot: Margaret “Maggie” Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank), a waitress shows up in the Hit Pit, a run-down Los Angeles gym which is owned and operated by Frankie Dunn (Eastwood), a brilliant but only marginally successful boxing trainer. Maggie asks Dunn to train her, but he angrily responds that he “doesn’t train girls.” And fortunately, after a magnanimous determination Maggie did, Frankie trains her. And together they’re unite  pursuing her ambition to become a professional boxer.

To be honest this is the best film as best as any movie Eastwood has ever directed. The film was stuck in so-called “development hell” for years before it was filmed. Several studios rejected the project even when he signed on as actor and director. This film is a portrait of the entwine stories of life braided with unfairness and uncertainty of reality, and then leaves us with million of poignancy. This is a film that does both the expected and the unexpected, that has the nerve and the will to be as pitiless as it is sentimental. A dashing proportion of poignant story.

After the unpleasant journey struck, the film is actually managed to harvesting the accolades. In 77th Academy Awards the film won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress in a Leading Role (Hilary Swank), And Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Morgan Freeman). In 62nd Golden Globe Awards the film won Best Actress (Hilary Swank), and Best Director.