Clint Fact #27

Back in the early 60’s Clint released an album titled ‘Rawhide’s Clint Eastwood Sings Cowboy Favourites’.

Oh Clint, if I were alive back then I totally would’ve fan-girled all over you.

Joe Kidd.

In what seemed like a long time, Clint is finally back in the wild west. John Sturges’ 1972 film ‘Joe Kidd’ stars Clint Eastwood and Robert Duvall. With those two name alone, and with Duvall having just starred in The Godfather, you’d expect a totally badass film, right? Well wrong. I found ‘Joe Kidd’ to be the least enjoyable western Clint has starred in so far.

‘Joe Kidd’ is about Joe Kidd, a former bounty hunter who is hired Frank Harlan, (Duvall), to take out the leader of Mexican fighters. Kidd doesn’t like Harlan or what he is doing, but he sees he has no choice but to go. Like your typical western film, the film ends in a good ol’ fashioned shoot out.

Joe Kidd, is similar in some respects to other characters Clint has previously played. Kidd has a sense of right and wrong, and helping the ‘underdog’. If you are a western or Clint fan I would recommend watching this, but if you are just after any western film I would watch another.

50/100

Clint Fact #2

Clint hates violence and supports gun control.

Ummm Clint, I don’t think I’ve seen you in a movie without a gun. Hello kettle!

Dirty Harry.

“You’ve got to ask yourself one question. Do I feel lucky? Well do ya, punk?” One of the most misquoted quotes in society, comes from the iconic ‘Dirty Harry’. ‘Dirty Harry’ is the first of the ‘Dirty Harry’ franchise , made in 1971 and directed by Don Siegel. Set in San Francisco, ‘Dirty Harry’ follows Inspector Harry Callahan, better known as Dirty Harry, as he hunts down the Scorpio killer.

The character Dirty Harry shares many of the same characteristics we have seen Clint play before.  Harry doesn’t follow he ‘rules’ and seems to have his own sense of justice, one that doesn’t include the law. Harry in a nutshell is a paradox. His is moral, in that he sticks up for people and seeks to punish wrong-doers no matter what it takes or if the odds are in his favour. But at the same time is masochistic, a symbol of this being his gun. The name “Dirty Harry” comes because he is given the dirty jobs, the ones no one else wants or jobs that no one else can handle, because his sense of right or wrong won’t allow him to walk away.

I can’t help but think how dramatically different ‘Dirty Harry’ would have been if Frank Sinatra had have been able to hold a gun properly. I certainly think ‘Dirty Harry’ wouldn’t have been totally badass, more so self-loathing.

And Clint, I do feel lucky.

80/100

Clint Fact #32

Clint was mayor of Carmel-By-The-Sea.

Clint Eastwood; Lifeguard, Actor, Director, politician and all round badass.

Play Misty For Me.

 

Introducing Clint Eastwood; the director. ‘Play Misty For Me’ is Clint’s directorial debut. Made in 1971, ‘Play Misty For Me’ is a psychological thriller starring Clint, Jessica Walters (Lucille Bluth anyone?), and Donna Mills.

Okay we’ll get the plot out of the way. Clint plays a radio disc jockey named Dave Garver. Garver broadcasts his show nightly in the town called Carmel-by-the-Sea, and every night a female calls up and asks him “Play misty for me”. Garver then has a fling with a female fan, named Evelyn, (Walters), who he picks up at a bar, and happens to be the caller who requests Misty all the time. Evelyn then starts to show up at his place uninvited, all the while Garver is trying to get back together with his ex-girlfriend Tobie, (Mills).  Evelyn then tries to commit suicide in Garver’s apartment, stabs his housekeeper, and just when he thought Evelyn was out of his life, she moves in with Garver’s now-girlfriend Tobie. Resulting in the climax of the film – the final confrontation between Evelyn and Garver.

Clint’s character Garver, is like many he has played before; a womanizer and all round douche. I believe the real star of the film is Jessica Walters. Evelyn Draper, could give Hannibal Lector and Norman Bates a run for their money. ‘Play Misty For Me’ premise is like that of ‘Fatal Attraction’, ‘Swimfan’ and even ‘Fear’, so if enjoy movies where lovers turn into crazy, psycho stalkers then this definitely for you.

‘Play Misty For Me’ is an excellent directorial debut for Clint. It definitely not up to the standards of what is expected of him nowadays, but it certainly shows he has talent.

Jessica Walters being psycho – 50 points
Clint’s first film as a director – 20 points

70/100

Clint Fact #20

Is an accomplished jazz pianist, and even provides the music for some of his films.

Is there anything this man can’t do?!

The Beguiled.

SPOILERS, SPOILERS, SPOILERS!

One word to sum up ‘The Beguiled’? Weird. Weird, weird, weird, weird, weird. Made in 1971, ‘The Beguiled’ is directed by Don Siegel, previously worked with Clint in ‘Coogan’s Bluff’ and ‘Two Mules For Sister Sara’, and stars Clint Eastwood (obviously), Geraldine Page and Elizabeth Hartman.

Okay, so from the start the film seemed shall I say not quite right?!. The first scene shows Amy, a pre-adolescent girl, stumbling across an injured Yankee soldier, I should mention the film is set towards the end of the American Civil War, anyways so Amy is picking Mushrooms in the forest when she comes upon Clint, John McBurney. He hears patrol soldiers coming so he and Amy hide in some shrub, and then he asks her “What’s your name?”, to which she replies “Amy”, then he asks her “How old are you”, she replies “Twelve”, then he says “Old enough for kisses” and kisses her while the patrol men passes them. EW CLINT NO, JUST NO! I’m sorry but from that the movie was tainted for me. And then the cherry on top of the dodgyness cake that is this movie is the incest relationship the audience learns about between Martha, (Page), and her brother.

Anyways, Clint is then taken to an all women boarding house, where he manages to charm his way into all the ladies hearts. Then the movie takes a ‘Misery’, (Kathy Bates ‘Misery’), turn , with Clint’s leg being amputated. After finding his leg had been cut off, Clint tried to drink his sorrows away (as you would), while drunk Clint threw Amy’s pet turtle across the room, killing it causing Amy to now hate him, like all the other women. Sensing that he was in trouble, McBurney sidles up to Edwina (Hartman), but it is too little too late.

I’m not gonna give a big spiel about how this movie could have taken a different turn and become all about sex, but I’m not. Simply because the movie, just seemed wrong and creepy to me. Message from this movie; house full of women is not a good thing for one man.

Receiving the minimum score of 45/100.

Clint Fact #9

At his peak Clint stood at 6’4″. However due to recent back problems he is now 6’2″.

Shit, that’s still tall.

 

Kelly’s Heroes.

 

SPOILERS AHEAD!

So after a brief stint back in the wild west, Clint has returned back to World War II, in the film ‘Kelly’s Heroes’. Made in 1970, ‘Kelly’s Heroes’ is a war/action/comedy film, it’s directed by Brian G. Hutton, who also directed Clint in the war film ‘Where Eagles Dare’, and stars Clint Eastwood (well duh!), Donald Sutherland and Telly Savalas. Like Clint’s other war film, this too is a long one, but with an easier plot to follow.

Clint plays the title character, Kelly, a former lieutenant bumped down to private, who inadvertently learns of a shipment of gold bars ($16 million worth), from a German soldier whilst interrogating him. The stash of gold bars is located in a bank vault, 30 miles behind enemy lines, in France. In order to steal the gold bars, Kelly recruits the help of his platoon, and along the way other soldiers, including Sargent Oddball (Sutherland). Things go awry when soldiers die during the mission, and an american fighter plane mistakes them for Germans and destroys their vehicles making the platoon continue to France on foot. Needless to say more obstacles face them journey their journey but in the end the platoon get’s the stash and they all divide up the loot and go their separate ways.

Clint’s character, Kelly, isn’t that much different to the characters he has played before, the characters I’m talking about here is The Man With No Name, Coogan and Hogan, in that all these characters don’t do things by the book, they have no respect for bureaucracy, all are loners and are in it just for themselves or money (that money bit doesn’t really apply to Coogan though).

Whilst there may be many action and battle scenes, ‘Kelly’s Heroes’ is more of a comedy war film than an action film. It is a heist film, so think ‘Ocean’s Eleven’, but set in World War II with more stuff blowing up and tanks instead of nice cars. Like Clint’s previous war film ‘Where Eagles Dare’, I couldn’t get into ‘Kelly’s Heroes’. I don’t know whether it was the length of the film or when I saw Donald Sutherland I kept on thinking about ‘MASH’ (I love ‘MASH’) and how good it was so my expectations were inadvertently high. Which doesn’t really make sense since ‘MASH’ is just comedy, and ‘Kelly’s Heroes’ has an action side to it, anyways I’m getting off topic. The reviews I read for ‘Kelly’s Heroes’ were all positive so it’s probably just me.

Clint and Donald together: 40 points
The film itself: 25 points

65/100