Go ahead, punks, make your day: Take a look at movies starring Clint Eastwood!
The astonishing career begins withblowing up a giant spider with a jet missile in Tarantula. Eastwood didn’t have any lines in that one, and not many more nine years later in A Fistful of Dollars, but that wasn’t going to stop him from becoming an international star. (That’s currently his best-reviewed movie: It’s Certified Fresh by critics and we list more of those next in the list.) Further movies as the Sergio Leone’s Man With No Name made him the spaghetti Western icon, and the Dirty Harryseries made him a man for modern times. Along the way, he picked up directing, cranking out movies with stunning efficiency, often giving himself the main role for a little career longevity, not to mention Best Picture wins with Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby. In The Mule, Eastwood directs once more and appears on-screen notably for the first time since Trouble With the Curve. He followed that up with 2021’s Cry Macho.
Feelin’ lucky? Pick any movie from Eastwood’s filmography and you just might witness a piece of cinema legend. —Alex Vo
#1
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1967) 97%
#1
Adjusted Score: 106122%
Critics Consensus: Arguably the greatest of the spaghetti westerns, this epic features a compelling story, memorable performances, breathtaking landscapes, and a haunting score.
Synopsis: In the Southwest during the Civil War, a mysterious stranger, Joe (Clint Eastwood), and a Mexican outlaw, Tuco (Eli Wallach),... [More]
#2
A Fistful of Dollars (1964) 98%
#2
Adjusted Score: 103937%
Critics Consensus: With Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo as his template, Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars helped define a new era for the Western and usher in its most iconic star, Clint Eastwood.
Synopsis: Wandering gunfighter Joe arrives in the Mexican village of San Miguel in the midst of a power struggle among sheriff... [More]
#3
Unforgiven (1992) 96%
#3
Adjusted Score: 105972%
Critics Consensus: As both director and star, Clint Eastwood strips away decades of Hollywood varnish applied to the Wild West, and emerges with a series of harshly eloquent statements about the nature of violence.
Synopsis: When prostitute Delilah Fitzgerald (Anna Thomson) is disfigured by a pair of cowboys in Big Whiskey, Wyoming, her fellow brothel... [More]
#4
In the Line of Fire (1993) 96%
#4
Adjusted Score: 102906%
Critics Consensus: A straightforward thriller of the highest order, In the Line of Fire benefits from Wolfgang Peterson's taut direction and charismatic performances from Clint Eastwood and John Malkovich.
Synopsis: A Secret Service agent is taunted by calls from a would-be killer who has detailed information about the agent -... [More]
#5
Million Dollar Baby (2004) 90%
#5
Adjusted Score: 99233%
Critics Consensus: Clint Eastwood's assured direction - combined with knockout performances from Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman - help Million Dollar Baby to transcend its clichés, and the result is deeply heartfelt and moving.
Synopsis: Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) is a veteran Los Angeles boxing trainer who keeps almost everyone at arm's length, except his... [More]
#6
The Bridges of Madison County (1995) 90%
#6
Adjusted Score: 94144%
Critics Consensus: Sentimental, slow, schmaltzy, and very satisfying, The Bridges of Madison County finds Clint Eastwood adapting a bestseller with heft, wit, and grace.
Synopsis: A moving love story about a photographer on assignment to shoot the historic bridges of Madison County. He meets a... [More]
#7
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) 91%
#7
Adjusted Score: 96316%
Critics Consensus: Recreating the essence of his iconic Man With No Name in a post-Civil War Western, director Clint Eastwood delivered the first of his great revisionist works of the genre.
Synopsis: Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) watches helplessly as his wife and child are murdered, by Union men led by Capt. Terrill... [More]
#8
Dirty Harry (1971) 89%
#8
Adjusted Score: 95216%
Critics Consensus: As tough and taciturn as its no-nonsense hero, Dirty Harry delivers a deceptively layered message without sacrificing an ounce of its solid action impact.
Synopsis: Cop Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) attempts to track down a psychopathic rooftop killer before a kidnapped girl dies. When he... [More]
#9
Gran Torino (2008) 81%
#9
Adjusted Score: 90641%
Critics Consensus: Though a minor entry in Eastwood's body of work, Gran Torino is nevertheless a humorous, touching, and intriguing old-school parable.
Synopsis: Retired auto worker and Korean War vet Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) fills emptiness in his life with beer and home... [More]
#10
Space Cowboys (2000) 78%
#10
Adjusted Score: 82612%
Critics Consensus: While the plot is overly cliched, the suberb acting by the stars (especially the tense interactions between Clint Eastwood and Tommy Lee Jones) and the spectacular special effects make this a movie worth seeing.
Synopsis: Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland and James Garner star as a group of pilots whose time has come... [More]
#11
Escape From Alcatraz (1979) 97%
#11
Adjusted Score: 99441%
Critics Consensus: Escape from Alcatraz makes brilliant use of the tense claustrophobia of its infamous setting -- as well as its leading man's legendarily flinty resolve.
Synopsis: Frank Morris (Clint Eastwood), a hardened con with a history of prison breaks, is sent to serve the rest of... [More]
#12
Coogan's Bluff (1968) 95%
#12
Adjusted Score: 96693%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Arizona lawman Walt Coogan (Clint Eastwood) hopes to make a short business trip to the big city, but his journey... [More]
#13
High Plains Drifter (1973) 94%
#13
Adjusted Score: 96756%
Critics Consensus: Clint Eastwood's sophomore outing as director sees him back in the saddle as a mysterious stranger, and the result is one of his most memorable Westerns.
Synopsis: In this Western, a drifter with no name (Clint Eastwood) wanders into a small town, where his gun-slinging abilities are... [More]
#14
Pale Rider (1985) 93%
#14
Adjusted Score: 95072%
Critics Consensus: Nearly a decade after The Outlaw Josey Wales, Clint Eastwood returns as a director to the genre that made his name with this elegant, spiritual Western that riffs on the classic Shane.
Synopsis: When property owner Coy LaHood (Richard Dysart) starts using a band of hooligans to terrorize a group of small-town gold... [More]
#15
Honkytonk Man (1982) 93%
#15
Adjusted Score: 93582%
Critics Consensus: Clint Eastwood succeeds in revealing his softer side in Honkytonk Man, a surprisingly sweet and heartwarming road movie that hums along at a pleasant pace.
Synopsis: A 1930s country singer (Clint Eastwood) tries to reach Nashville sober, with his nephew (Kyle Eastwood), to audition at the... [More]
#16
For a Few Dollars More (1965) 92%
#16
Adjusted Score: 96645%
Critics Consensus: With Clint Eastwood in the lead, Ennio Morricone on the score, and Sergio Leone's stylish direction, For a Few Dollars More earns its recognition as a genre classic.
Synopsis: In the Wild West, a murderous outlaw known as El Indio (Gian Maria Volonte) and his gang are terrorizing and... [More]
#17
Hang 'Em High (1968) 92%
#17
Adjusted Score: 92843%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: After a gang of men unsuccessfully attempts to lynch him for a cattle rustling crime he did not commit, Jed... [More]
#18
The Beguiled (1971) 90%
#18
Adjusted Score: 91755%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Offbeat Civil War drama in which a wounded Yankee soldier, after finding refuge in an isolated girls' school in the... [More]
#19
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) 89%
#19
Adjusted Score: 92359%
Critics Consensus: This likable buddy/road picture deftly mixes action and comedy, and features excellent work from stars Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges and first-time director Michael Cimino.
Synopsis: While stealing a car, free-spirited drifter Lightfoot (Jeff Bridges) crosses paths with legendary thief Thunderbolt (Clint Eastwood) in the midst... [More]
#20
Where Eagles Dare (1969) 84%
#20
Adjusted Score: 86917%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A crack team of Allied soldiers stages a daring rescue during World War II. A U.S. general is being held... [More]
#21
White Hunter, Black Heart (1990) 83%
#21
Adjusted Score: 85387%
Critics Consensus: White Hunter Black Heart is powerful, intelligent, and subtly moving, a fascinating meditation on masculinity and the insecurities of artists.
Synopsis: Hard-living, macho movie director John Wilson (Clint Eastwood) arrives in 1950s Zimbabwe to prepare for his next film. Accompanied by... [More]
#22
Tightrope (1984) 86%
#22
Adjusted Score: 86434%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A New Orleans police detective (Clint Eastwood) finds he has some of the same traits as a serial killer of... [More]
#23
Play Misty for Me (1971) 85%
#23
Adjusted Score: 89248%
Critics Consensus: A coolly calculating psychological thriller that manages to scare the audience even if it is just using textbook thrills.
Synopsis: Popular radio show host Dave Garver (Clint Eastwood) becomes restless in his relationship with his girlfriend (Donna Mills). Impulsively, he... [More]
#24
Joe Kidd (1972) 80%
#24
Adjusted Score: 80551%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In New Mexico, one-time bounty hunter Joe Kidd (Clint Eastwood) owns a ranch where a nearby group of Mexican revolutionaries,... [More]
#25
A Perfect World (1993) 78%
#25
Adjusted Score: 80466%
Critics Consensus: Despite some formulaic touches, Clint Eastwood's haunting, ambiguous crime drama is smart and gritty, and features a bravura performance from Kevin Costner as a prison escapee on the run.
Synopsis: Butch (Kevin Costner), a escaped state prisoner from a Texas jail, kidnaps Philip (T.J. Lowther), a young, impressionable boy. As... [More]
#26
Kelly's Heroes (1970) 79%
#26
Adjusted Score: 81621%
Critics Consensus: Kelly's Heroes subverts its World War II setting with pointed satirical commentary on modern military efforts, offering an entertaining hybrid of heist caper and battlefield action.
Synopsis: In the midst of World War II, an array of colorful American soldiers gets inside information from a drunk German... [More]
#27
Bronco Billy (1980) 75%
#27
Adjusted Score: 76347%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: As the leader of a struggling Wild West show, Bronco Billy (Clint Eastwood) gives it his all to keep his... [More]
#28
The Gauntlet (1977) 75%
#28
Adjusted Score: 77362%
Critics Consensus: Eastwood has a good time playing a dolt in the surprisingly funny Gauntlet, which otherwise has the typical Clint trappings.
Synopsis: A cop who has seen better days, hard-living Ben Shockley (Clint Eastwood) is recruited to escort Augustina "Gus" Mally (Sondra... [More]
#29
Magnum Force (1973) 67%
#29
Adjusted Score: 69521%
Critics Consensus: Magnum Force ups the ante for the Dirty Harry franchise with faster action and thrilling stuntwork.
Synopsis: Rogue San Francisco cop "Dirty Harry" Callahan (Clint Eastwood) doesn't believe in blind obedience to the rules, but when a... [More]
#30
The Enforcer (1976) 69%
#30
Adjusted Score: 73473%
Critics Consensus: Though the slightest hints of series fatigue begin to emerge, The Enforcer delivers riveting action and better humor than its predecessors.
Synopsis: Police officer "Dirty Harry" Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is reassigned from homicide to personnel after his latest use of excessive force.... [More]
#31
Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970) 71%
#31
Adjusted Score: 72565%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: When gunslinger Hogan (Clint Eastwood) discovers a group of men attempting to rape a young nun, Sara (Shirley MacLaine), he... [More]
#32
Heartbreak Ridge (1986) 68%
#32
Adjusted Score: 70162%
Critics Consensus: With Heartbreak Ridge, director Clint Eastwood gets one of his best performances out of himself, even if the story struggles to engage.
Synopsis: Marine Sgt. Thomas Highway (Clint Eastwood) is a decorated veteran of two wars. On his last posting before retirement, he... [More]
#33
The Eiger Sanction (1975) 67%
#33
Adjusted Score: 68647%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Former government assassin Jonathan Hemlock (Clint Eastwood) now devotes his time to teaching and collecting paintings, but his quiet life... [More]
#34
Sudden Impact (1983) 51%
#34
Adjusted Score: 54763%
Critics Consensus: Sudden Impact delivers all the firepower -- and the most enduring catchphrase -- fans associate with the Dirty Harry franchise, but it's far from the best film in the series.
Synopsis: Jennifer Spencer (Sondra Locke) was gang raped, but the crime went unpunished. Now she demands revenge, killing off the men... [More]
#35
Absolute Power (1997) 56%
#35
Adjusted Score: 59392%
Critics Consensus: Absolute Power collapses under its preposterous plotting despite an all-star cast and Clint Eastwood's deft direction.
Synopsis: While robbing the home of aging billionaire Walter Sullivan (E.G. Marshall), Luther Whitney (Clint Eastwood) is interrupted by an amorous... [More]
#36
True Crime (1999) 56%
#36
Adjusted Score: 57343%
Critics Consensus: True Crime has the potential for a gripping character-driven mystery, but a pedestrian story and a miscast Clint Eastwood undermine its effectiveness.
Synopsis: Journalist Steve Everett (Clint Eastwood) has been sober two months, but things are still going badly. Steve's marriage to Barbara... [More]
#37
The Dead Pool (1988) 53%
#37
Adjusted Score: 55411%
Critics Consensus: While it offers its fair share of violent thrills and tough wit, The Dead Pool ends the Dirty Harry series on an uninspired note.
Synopsis: In the fifth installment of the Dirty Harry series, gritty cop Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is fresh off the conviction... [More]
#38
Blood Work (2002) 52%
#38
Adjusted Score: 56947%
Critics Consensus: Blood Work is a routine, but competently made thriller marred by lethargic pacing.
Synopsis: FBI profiler Terry McCaleb (Clint Eastwood) was hot on the trail of "The Code Killer" when a heart attack put... [More]
#39
Trouble With the Curve (2012) 51%
#39
Adjusted Score: 60613%
Critics Consensus: Though predictable and somewhat dramatically underwhelming, Trouble with the Curve benefits from Clint Eastwood's grizzled charisma and his easy chemistry with a charming Amy Adams.
Synopsis: For decades Gus Lobel (Clint Eastwood) has been one of baseball's best scouts -- but now his age is catching... [More]
#40
Every Which Way But Loose (1978) 41%
#40
Adjusted Score: 43222%
Critics Consensus: The inexplicable pairing of Clint Eastwood with an orangutan is the least of Every Which Way But Loose's problems -- a slack action-comedy with a haphazardly assembled story.
Synopsis: A tough trucker with a cheeky pet orangutan, Philo Beddoe (Clint Eastwood) moonlights as a fighter, with his close friend... [More]
#41
Firefox (1982) 41%
#41
Adjusted Score: 41921%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Mitchell Gant (Clint Eastwood) is a veteran American pilot who becomes involved in a top-secret mission to steal a high-tech... [More]
#42
The Rookie (1990) 33%
#42
Adjusted Score: 33411%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Police Det. Nick Pulovski (Clint Eastwood) isn't so happy when he gets paired with young rookie David Ackerman (Charlie Sheen).... [More]
#43
Paint Your Wagon (1969) 43%
#43
Adjusted Score: 45290%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In this musical based on the Broadway show, Ben Rumson (Lee Marvin) happens upon a wrecked wagon containing a dead... [More]
#44
Pink Cadillac (1989) 24%
#44
Adjusted Score: 25131%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Bounty hunter Tommy Nowak (Clint Eastwood) is on the trail of Lou Ann McGuinn (Bernadette Peters), a bail jumper last... [More]
#45
City Heat (1984) 22%
#45
Adjusted Score: 22844%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In 1933, private investigator Mike Murphy (Burt Reynolds) is shocked when his partner, Dehl Swift (Richard Roundtree), is killed by... [More]
#46
Any Which Way You Can (1980) 20%
#46
Adjusted Score: 20174%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Just as underground bare-knuckle fighter Philo Beddoe (Clint Eastwood) is about to retire, he is asked by the Mafia to... [More]
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