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Unforgiven though not by much. I still hold it as some of the best Character acting I have seen. I remember when I watched it for the first time at 16 when I was just getting into film.
The whole movie you hear about the man Munny used to be and its relatively deep and hard to believe that this man your watching used to be this other guy... But then when he hears about the fate of his friend, you see it. Hell you feel it. He is this other guy and now it all ties together what it's all been building to. It's fantastic.
D’oh! Typo and I can’t find an edit function here. My last bullet point, below, should read:
-In the end, a statement on how pointless *violence* is.
I’m voting for the film that is…
-A western.
-About an aging gunslinger who is brought back into the business, against his will.
-Has a young sidekick, needing to be taught the ways of the west.
-In the end, a statement on how pointless is.
No, it’s not Unforgiven. It’s the Outlaw Josey Wales. I have always viewed Unforgiven as a remake of Josey Wales. Unforgiven is, indeed, an excellent film. But, to my tastes, Josey Wales is a masterpiece. It’s one of my favorite films, one that I rewatch often, and one that really makes me appreciate cinema at its best. If you have not seen it yet, do try to catch up with it.
I voted for Million Dollar Baby, which , while definitely not my favorite of these movies, I think is Eastwood's best in the director department, in the way he portrays Swank, the claustrophobia of their relationship, the fight scenes, the bleakness of it. But I really wanted to leave a comment to give a little shout-out to Hereafter, an Eastwood movie that was pretty well panned, but I happened to fall for it, and I urge anyone who was inspired by this poll to hold an Eastwood marathon to include it in their list.
I had to vote in the "other" category for both Gran Torino and the not so good, kind of lame Firefox. I have to be honest and say that I have not seen enough of Eastwood's movies to give a fair vote in this poll, but of the ones I have seen, I really did like Gran Torino. I know that some felt that the story was almost on par with an after-school special, but I enjoyed the acting and was able to enjoy having my heart-strings tugged on (plus when compared with some of the other movies of 2008, Gran Torino was a better film [yeah that's right Bejamin Button]).
As far as Firefox goes, I saw it on one of the movie channels back when I was 10 or 11 and remember thinking that it was going to be an awesome movie about spies and super jets and from what I remember it was pretty darn boring, except for some of the jet fighting scenes. But, 30 years later, I still think about that movie when I think about movies from my childhood, so obviously there was something I liked about it.
"Mystic River" remains an emotionally wrenching viewing experience for me, yet I come back to this gut-punch of a story as one of my favorite films. Powerhouse performances, gritty urban setting and disturbing subject matter combine to make this one of Eastwood's best.
However, I am voting for "Letters from Iwo Jima" as the director's masterwork. I'm sure that audiences who went to theaters expecting an Eastwood war pic were stunned, hopefully in a good way. Its antiwar theme, the P.O.V. from the "enemy," the madness of duty in wartime and, especially, the director and cinematographer's vision make this a truly haunting ghost story.
Thinking back over Clint's career - particularly is later films - there is a recurring them of fathers who abandon their children. A Perfect World, Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino... you could even throw in Changeling and Mystic River. American Sniper may be his strongest indictment yet. This theme of the destruction of the true family at the hands of a false family (military) really resonates with me, and I applaud Clint's courage at calling out American culture for it's screwed up priorities, but it's too early to pick it as my favorite. I have to go with Unforgiven, if only for the line "Duck, I says."
I, too, voted "other" with High Plaiins Drifter the choice.
Cruel, cool and brilliant.
After growing up, renting his spaghetti westerns for my grandfather, I think I've seen almost all of the Eastwood directed films. Unforgiven was a surprising revisionist look at a western tale in a time when most popular films were dealing with post-80's slacker young adults and landmark independents that put many of today's auteurs on the map. He's a good director but he was in his element in Unforgiven.
Gasp... Is THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES not as widely seen as I had thought? That is the only reason I can give for a paltry 5%.
Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby are both powerful films, but for me, the real dilemma comes in having to decide between Unforgiven and "Other" (A Perfect World). I have strong memories of loving both, but the truth is, it's probably been twenty years since watching either. So your poll question gave the perfect excuse for a double-feature.
Unforgiven is virtually flawless, with such a strong sense of time and place; it serves as such a powerful exploration of violence, regret, and legend. Every scene is perfect in tone.
A Perfect World, on the other hand, has about a half-hour worth of scenes that fell flat for me. Most of the exchanges between the Eastwood and Laura Dern feel like light distractions from the heart of the movie, the relationship between Kevin Costner's fugitive "Butch" and his loyal hostage Philip. There is a scene late in the movie, though, that is so powerful that it makes the viewer forget about any wasted time that it took to get there. I won't give it away except to say that in it, Costner plays a song on an old record player twice in a row. During the first play, we are treated to a scene of domestic joy. The second playthrough is so heartbreaking and taut with suspense, it was nearly unbearable. The scene is a brilliantly-executed, well-earned culmination of Eastwood's exploration of duality.
If a movie can deliver a scene like that, I will forgive its flaws and give it my vote.
Although all of the options are fantastic films, I wrote in Gran Torino.
It is a spectacular movie, full of racial and age gap issues and possibly some of the greatest emotional backing behind characters. Unforgiven was a very well made film, as well as Million Dollar Baby and Mystic River, however Gran Torino is my favorite Eastwood Film. It is truly fantastic.
I went with "Unforgiven," because I think it's a masterpiece. But I also want to give some love to "Flags of Our Fathers." It's not a perfect movie, but when it's paired with "Letters From Iwo Jima," they add up to one of the best and most profound anti-war statements I've ever seen in a film.
It's not doing well in the poll right now, but I would encourage "The Outlaw Josey Wales" to endeavor to persevere.
I had a bit of a struggle with this poll. Is the question, what is the greatest film that Clint Eastwood ever made or the best film that only Clint Eastwood could have made? Because I really like Letters from Iwo Jima. It's kind of incredible that we have this movie about that battle that displays so much sympathy for the sacrifices of enemy soldiers, without even remotely hinting at support for their cause or their actions. It's a dirty war that grinds up and spits out everyone and it's an outstanding piece because it avoids the ra-ra America sentimentality that taints Flags of Our Fathers. But, I think there are other directors working today who could handle that material and produce a movie at least as good.
But which movie is most uniquely Clint Eastwood? On this list, it's Unforgiven, which no one else could make or star in, so heavily does it rely on our understanding of the Western and Clint's roll in the history of the genre. But that's not the movie I voted for. I'm really glad that we've already gotten two people talking about High Plains Drifter, which is what I voted for. It's brilliant, brutal, and systematic in dismantling and re-arranging the archetypal characters of the Western. No one comes out clean, including the man with no name exacting a precise revenge on the bad guys, who happen to be not just the outlaws, but the hypocritical cowards among the townspeople as well. Great movie. It's way less sentimental that Unforgiven (which is saying quite a bit), though maybe I won't feel that way when I revisit it. Until then, High Plains Drifter gets my vote.
Agreeing with Ben about High Plains Drifter. Unforgiven is given all the credit for dismantling the romanticism of the Western genre, but Drifter does it better. Instead of repeatedly telling the audience "We did some bad things", Drifter shows our hero commit unspeakable acts. I liken it to reverse "Dogville" where a stranger comes into town and takes advantage of the town's naivete with horrific results. It's an existentialist treat and one of the best Westerns of all time.
Not sure we needed a poll to learn that "Unforgiven" would be voted Eastwood's best film.
Although I'm a big fan of the film (Ben H.: I havent' seen "High Plains Drifter"), my vote goes to "Other" and "A Perfect World." I take every opportunity I can find to trumpet this as Eastwood's finest masterpiece. Oddly underperforming upon release -- it was Eastwood's follow-up to "Unforgiven" and Kevin Costner's first role after "Dances With Wolves" -- it deserves a second look. Costner's greatest performance. The perfect vehicle for Eastwood's understated, classic direction. An ending that is inevitable, surprising and exactly right.
Plus, it has Clint's best line ever: "I do like tater tots."
From the early results it seems this will be yet another Unforgiven love fest so I'll have to once again say that everyone is still looking at the wrong Eastwood revisionist western. If you want the right one see the first of the four he made, High Plains Drifter. The film is not just a fantastically bitter deconstruction of the poetic west, but a brilliantly cynical take on supernatural revenge. The film is the kind of work only a young Eastwood would make; brash, arrogant, brilliant, and brutal. Unforgiven is great but High Plains Drifter is Eastwood's magnum opus.