IMDb/Warner Bros
Audio By Carbonatix
Although the Western genre is no longer as popular, it has undoubtedly influenced some of the most successful filmmakers of our time. And the term Western almost always evokes the greatest Clint Eastwood films ever made. Although Eastwood had a significant role in establishing the genre, he has also played some of his most iconic roles outside of the Western.
Beyond his remarkable work as a director, Clint Eastwood’s presence on the big screen has had a profound impact, inspiring and delighting generations of filmmakers and moviegoers. The list of Eastwood’s greatest and most memorable films as an actor was thus compiled, which proves he’s our last true hero.
Top 5 Westerns Starring Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood’s career was defined by his leadership of the Western genre in the second half of the 20th century; he hardly ever released a poor film. Even while parts like Dirty Harry are fantastic, the actor has always performed best in the Old West, and some movies are more reflective of this than others.
With roles ranging from malicious beings to bounty hunters, Eastwood’s domination at the box office through the Western has few competitors. Here are our top 5 Clint Eastwood Westerns that still make him the hero.
5. Hang ‘Em High (1968)
In Hang ‘Em High, Eastwood is portrayed as the archetypal Western lawman, emphasizing the distinction between justice and revenge. Apart from that, it is the only Western in which Eastwood portrays a lawman in an official capacity.
Every one of his previous police roles, such as Wes Block in Tightrope or Dirty Harry, takes place in the present day. His previous Westerns portrayed him as a hired gun or a bounty hunter.
In Hang ‘Em High, a former lawman named Jed Cooper is lynched by a group of guys who think he is a criminal. Cooper obtains a position as marshal from a local judge, which enables him to apprehend his potential killers.
But because his targets aren’t going down without a fight, the hero’s job is harder than he anticipated, and it gets much harder when he clashes with the judge over unfair penalties.
4. Pale Rider (1985)
Pale Rider recasts the enigmatic gunfighter as the ghost of a deceased man rather than a former gunfighter, making it an obvious supernatural rendition of Shane.
The townspeople are eventually freed from LaHood’s thuggery and are better off as a result of the Preacher’s encouragement to stand up for themselves. The film, which shares the 1953 classic’s ending, is ambiguous, letting spectators solve the story’s puzzles for themselves.
Pale Rider takes place in a prospecting town under the control of Coy LaHood, a vicious landlord, whose savage gunmen terrorize the locals into submitting.
3. A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
The movie that made Eastwood the face of a new generation of Western performers was A Fistful of Dollars, which was also his first outstanding performance.
The movie, which was an obvious and unapproved adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo, changed the course of the Western genre. It did so by prioritizing bounty hunters and morally dubious antiheroes over the iconic John Wayne. However, Kurosawa’s estate actually sued Sergio Leone and won.
In A Fistful of Dollars, the Man with No Name arrives in an obscure town where two rival families are engaged in a power battle. The hero arrives and starts playing both sides against each other, profiting handsomely in the process.
2. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, which follows the Man With No Name in a partnership with a petty outlaw, Tuco, on an Odyssey-style journey across the West, is the pinnacle of the Western adventure genre. It’s got men being imprisoned by the Union Army and engaging in combat with rival gunmen.
And also slinking across a Civil War battlefield, the movie transports audiences to one of America’s most turbulent eras for a timeless treasure hunt. The film is flawless in every way, from the outstanding score by Ennio Morricone to the roles of Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach.
1. Unforgiven (1992)
The story of Unforgiven starts when a cowboy in the town of Big Whiskey brutally assaults a sex worker. Both the brothel owner and the women seek justice from Sheriff “Little Bill” Daggett, but the women are infuriated when the sheriff slaps them on the wrist.
They retaliate by offering the cowboy and his companion a reward. Then, viewers are introduced to Will Munny, a former gunfighter with a bad history who accepts the position in order to support his kids, along with his friend Ned Logan and the Schofield Kid.
Eastwood gives his strongest performance as Will Munny in Unforgiven. The film is both a compelling critique of the Western genre and a brilliant character study.