Top 10 Best Films Directed by Clint Eastwood

Bird is a 1988 American biographical film about jazz saxophonist Charlie 'Bird' Parker, directed and produced by Clint Eastwood from a screenplay by Joel Oliansky. The film stars Forest Whitaker as Parker, with Diane Venora, Michael Zelniker, Samuel E. Wright, and Keith David in supporting roles. It is constructed as a montage of scenes depicting Parker's life, from his childhood in Kansas City to his premature death at the age of 34.

The film moves back and forth through Parker's history, blending moments to uncover some truth about his life. The majority of the film revolves around his singular foundational relationship with his wife Chan Parker (Venora), groundbreaking bebop player and bandleader Dizzy Gillespie (Wright), and his influence (both musically and in the world of heroin addiction) on fellow trumpeter Red Rodney (Zelniker).

Despite commercially underperforming, the film was warmly received by critics, particularly praising Whitaker's performance, making it a breakthrough project for him. He won the Best Actor award at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role - Motion Picture at the 46th Golden Globe Awards, while Eastwood won Best Director. Cahiers du Cinéma ranked Bird 5th on their Top 10 year-end list.

DETAILS:
Release Year: 1988
Genre: Biography
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Forest Whitaker, Diane Venora
IMDb Rating: 7.2/10

Pale Rider is an American Western film from 1985 produced and directed by Clint Eastwood, who also stars as the main character. The title relates to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, as the pale rider (Eastwood) represents Death. The film grossed over $41 million at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing Western film of the 1980s.

In the Old West, outside LaHood, California, in the Carbon Canyon, mining tycoon Coy LaHood is waging a threatening war against independent prospectors and their families, including Hull Barret, who is courting Sarah Wheeler. Sarah's teenage daughter, Megan, prays for deliverance from LaHood after a group of his men attacks the prospectors' camp and kills her dog. Right after that, a man riding on a pale horse rides into Carbon Canyon. When Hull goes to town to get supplies, LaHood's four men attack him with clubs before the stranger retaliates with his own club. Later, Hull invites his rescuer to dinner, and while the stranger is bathing, it is noticed that he seems to have six bullet wounds on his back. As the stranger comes to the table, he is wearing a clerical collar and is subsequently called the 'Preacher.' Coy LaHood's son, Joshua, tries to drive Preacher away with a giant worker named Club.

However, Preacher disables Club with a sledgehammer blow to the groin. Stockburn and his deputies arrive in LaHood. Coy provides him with a preliminary description of the Preacher, which surprises Stockburn as the man Coy describes is supposed to be dead. Spider Conway, one of the miners and a former partner of Coy's, discovers a large gold nugget in a dry stream bed and rides into town with his teenage sons, where he yells at LaHood in a drunken stupor from the street. Stockburn and his deputies shoot him, and Stockburn sends a message that he wants Preacher to meet him in town the next morning. Sarah pleads with Preacher not to go and tells him that she will marry Hull despite her feelings for Preacher.

DETAILS:
Release Year: 1985
Genre: Western
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress, Christopher Penn, Richard Dysart, Sydney Penny, Richard Kiel, Doug McGrath, John Russell
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10

Heartbreak Ridge is a 1986 American war film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood, who also stars in the film. The movie features Marsha Mason, Everett McGill, and Mario Van Peebles and was released in the United States on December 5, 1986. The story focuses on a retiring U.S. Marine, who establishes and leads a disciplined Marine reconnaissance platoon during the U.S. invasion of Grenada in 1983.

The title derives from the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge in the Korean War, where Eastwood's character earned the Congressional Medal of Honor.

In 1983, Gunnery Sergeant Marine Recon Thomas Highway completes his transfer back to his old unit, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division. On the way, he encounters a hitchhiker and aspiring rock musician Lance Corporal 'Stitch' Jones, who borrowed money from Highway for a meal at a rest stop and later stole his bus ticket, leaving him stranded.

Eventually, when Highway arrives, his new commanding officer, Major Malcolm Powers, deems him outdated, assigning him to the Recon Platoon (part of his commando battalion), which incidentally includes Jones. His former platoon sergeant, awaiting retirement, had allowed them to be inactive, but Highway quickly institutes a rigorous training program. Their desperate plan to intimidate him with resident bodybuilder 'Swede' Johanson, just released from the brig, fails after Highway easily overpowers Swede in a combat encounter. Their conditions yield positive results, and they develop camaraderie and respect for Highway.

DETAILS:
Release Year: 1986
Genre: War
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Marsha Mason
IMDb Rating: 6.9/10

Honkytonk Man is a 1982 American Western musical comedy film set during the Great Depression. Clint Eastwood, the producer, director, and star, appears alongside his son, Kyle Eastwood. The screenplay by Clancy Carlile is based on his 1980 novel of the same name. This marks Marty Robbins' final appearance before his passing. The story follows Clint's character, Red Stovall, based on the life of Jimmie Rodgers.

Wandering Western singer Red Stovall is afflicted with tuberculosis but gets a chance to make it big at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, accompanied by his young grandson, Whit. After a series of adventures, including Whit's first sexual encounter in a brothel, they eventually reach their destination.

While a cough during the audition ruins his chances, talent scouts for a recording company impressed enough to arrange a recording session realize he only has a few days to live. Tuberculosis reaches a critical stage midway through this, where Red's dialogue is replaced by Smokey, a backup guitarist (country singer Marty Robbins in his final film role). Red ultimately succumbs while Whit vows to tell his uncle's story. Red's iconic vintage Lincoln Model K touring car, prevalent throughout the film, finally 'dies' at the cemetery where Red rests in peace.

DETAILS:
Release Year: 1982
Genre: Western musical comedy
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Kyle Eastwood
IMDb Rating: 6.6/10

5. Sudden Impact

Sudden Impact is a 1983 American horror action thriller film, the fourth installment in the Dirty Harry film series. Clint Eastwood directs, produces, and stars in the lead role (this is the only Dirty Harry film Eastwood directed) alongside Sondra Locke. The film follows the story of a gang rape victim (Locke) who decides to seek revenge on her attackers ten years after the assault by killing each one. Inspector Callahan (Eastwood), renowned for his unique and ruthless crime-fighting tactics, is tasked with hunting down the serial killer.

The film is notable for the catchphrase 'Go ahead, make my day,' written by John Milius and uttered by Clint Eastwood's gun-wielding character at the beginning of the film as he stares down an armed robber holding a hostage.

In 1973, artist Jennifer Spencer and her sister Beth were gang-raped. The attack leaves Beth in a catatonic state. Ten years later, a vengeful Spencer seeks to get even and kills George Wilburn, one of the rapists. She then moves to the town of San Paulo, seeking the remaining criminals.

Meanwhile, Inspector Harry Callahan is frustrated when a judge dismisses a case due to his unorthodox methods. At his favorite diner, he disrupts a robbery, killing three criminals in the process. Callahan subsequently causes crime lord Threlkis to suffer a life-threatening heart attack after threatening to indict him in a murder case.

Unable to fire him due to his methods 'getting results,' instead, Callahan's superiors order him to take a break. However, his respite is short-lived when four of Threlkis's hitmen attack him. Callahan dispatches three while the fourth escapes. Subsequently, a suspect in the case is acquitted, and Callahan's associates throw Molotov cocktails at his car. Acting in self-defense, he causes the attackers to crash their car and die. Callahan's overseer, Lieutenant Donnelly, immediately sends him to San Paulo to investigate the Wilburn murder.

DETAILS:
Release Year: 1983
Genre: Horror action thriller
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke
IMDb Rating: 6.6/10

6. The Gauntlet

The Gauntlet is a gripping American action film from 1977 directed by Clint Eastwood, who stars alongside Sondra Locke. The supporting cast includes Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney, and Mara Corday. Eastwood plays a failed cop who falls in love with a prostitute (Locke), whom he is tasked to escort from Las Vegas to Phoenix to testify against a mob.

Ben Shockley, an alcoholic cop from Phoenix, is assigned to escort witness Augustina 'Gus' Mally from Las Vegas. His superior, Officer Edgar A. Blakelock, claims she's a 'nothing witness' for a 'nothing trial.' Mally argues that they're both set up to be killed in a setup, something Shockley suspects. Mally reveals she's a feisty prostitute with ties to the mob and possesses incriminating information about a high society figure.

Her suspicion is confirmed as their transport is bombed, and Mally's house is set ablaze. Shockley and Mally are then pursued across vast open country with no official help, and the police see them as fugitives. They kidnap a local cop, whom they later release, as Mally knows there will be another attack. The cop is killed by men armed with machine guns. Eventually, they encounter a group of bikers, whom Shockley intimidates with his revolver, seizes one of their motorcycles, and rides off with Mally.

Blakelock is revealed to want both of them dead because Mally knows about Blakelock's secret life. Assistant county prosecutor John Feyderspiel is implicated in the plot to kill Shockley and Mally. They are also blamed for the cop's death.

DETAILS:

Release Year: 1977
Genre: Action Thriller
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke
IMDb Rating: 6.4/10

7. Bronco Billy

Bronco Billy is a 1980 American Western comedy film starring Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke. It was directed by Eastwood and written by Dennis Hackin.

Bronco Billy McCoy (Clint Eastwood) is a stuntman performing for a small audience in 'Bronco Billy's Wild West Show,' a run-down circus reminiscent of the Wild West of Buffalo Bill, where he is the owner and manager. For the final part of the show, Bronco Billy is blindfolded and throws knives around a female assistant on a rotating wooden disc. However, his assistant accidentally moves her leg, getting cut and forcing her to quit. Due to low ticket sales, Billy has been unable to pay his staff for six months.

The show moves to a new town, and Bronco Billy goes to city hall to apply for a license. There he meets Antoinette Lily (Sondra Locke) and John Arlington (Geoffrey Lewis), who are there to get married. Antoinette looks down on her future husband but has to get married before the age of thirty to inherit a large fortune. Their car breaks down at the motel opposite the Wild West Show. The next morning, Arlington steals all her money and their repaired car. She has to fend for herself and seeks help from Billy McCoy.

Bronco Billy proposes Antoinette become his new assistant, 'Miss Lily,' although she only agrees to perform in one show. Her first performance is unusually successful, though Miss Lily irritates Billy by not sticking to the script.

Antoinette discovers that Arlington has been arrested for attempting to murder her (framed by her stepmother and scheming lawyer friend who stand to gain the inheritance). Seizing the opportunity to retaliate against Arlington, Antoinette rejoins the Wild West Show.

DETAILS:
Release Year: 1980
Genre: Comedy
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke
IMDb Rating: 6.1/10

The Eiger Sanction is a 1975 American action film directed and starred in by Clint Eastwood. Based on Trevanian's 1972 novel of the same name, the film follows Jonathan Hemlock, an art history professor, mountain climber, and former assassin who is coerced back into his deadly profession for one last mission. He agrees to join an international mountaineering team in Switzerland, planning to ascend the north face of the Eiger to avenge the death of an old friend. The Eiger Sanction was produced by Robert Daley for Eastwood's Malpaso Company, with Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown as executive producers, and features George Kennedy, Vonetta McGee, and Jack Cassidy.

Principal photography began on August 12, 1974, and concluded in late September 1974. The film was shot on location on the Eiger mountain and in Zurich, Switzerland, Monument Valley and Zion National Park in the southwestern United States, and Carmel-by-the-Sea and Monterey in California. Special equipment and handheld cameras were used to shoot the climbing scenes. Eastwood personally climbed and performed stunts in hazardous conditions. 26-year-old British mountaineer David Knowles died on the Eiger during production. The musical score was composed by John Williams.

The Eiger Sanction premiered in New York City on May 21, 1975, and received mixed reviews. The general reaction from many critics was to criticize the story and screenplay while praising the climbing scenes and action sequences. Made with a budget of $9 million, it grossed $14.2 million at the box office. The Eiger Sanction was first released on DVD in 1998 and on Blu-ray in 2015 by Universal Studios.

DETAILS:
Release Year: 1975
Genre: Action
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, George Kennedy, Vonetta McGee, Jack Cassidy
IMDb Rating: 6.4/10

The Outlaw Josey Wales is a 1976 American revisionist Western set during and after the American Civil War. Directed by Clint Eastwood, who also stars (as Josey Wales), it features Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Sam Bottoms, and Geraldine Keams. The film follows Josey Wales, a Missouri farmer whose family is murdered by Union militants during the Civil War. Driven to seek revenge, Wales joins a Confederate guerrilla band and becomes a formidable gunslinger. After the war, all the warriors in Wales' group, except him, surrender to Union officers, only to be massacred. Wales becomes an outlaw pursued by bounty hunters and Union soldiers as he tries to build a new life for himself.

The film was adapted by Sonia Chernus and Philip Kaufman from the 1972 novel by Asa Earl 'Forrest' Carter, The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales (reissued, as shown in the film's opening credits, with the title Gone to Texas). The film was a commercial success, grossing $31.8 million against a budget of $3.7 million. In 1996, the film was selected by the United States Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry for being 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.'

Josey Wales is portrayed by Michael Parks in the 1986 sequel, The Return of Josey Wales. His wife, Laura Lee, is played by Mary Ann Averett in the follow-up.

DETAILS:
Release Year: 1976
Genre: Western
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Bill McKinney, John Vernon, Geraldine Keams
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10

Play Misty for Me is a 1971 American psychological horror film directed by Clint Eastwood, who also stars in his directorial debut. The screenplay, written by Eastwood's frequent collaborators Jo Heims and Dean Riesner, follows a disc jockey (Eastwood) who is stalked by an obsessed female fan (Walter).

The film was a modest financial and critical success, with Walter receiving praise for her performance in her first major film role, earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.

Dave Garver is a disc jockey on KRML, broadcasting nightly from a studio in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, often incorporating poetry into his show. After playing his usual on-air game involving a bottle cap and bottle cap top with the waitress as a prop, he intentionally attracts the attention of a woman named Evelyn Draper. Dave gives her a ride home, where she reveals that her presence at the bar was no coincidence; in fact, she is the one who has been seeking him after hearing the bar mentioned on his radio show. He correctly guesses that she is the regular caller who always requests the jazz standard 'Misty.' The two engage in sexual relations.

A casual relationship begins between Dave and Evelyn. However, soon after, Evelyn starts exhibiting obsessive behavior. She comes to Dave's house uninvited, follows him to work, and calls him demanding not to leave her alone for even a minute. The trouble culminates when Evelyn disrupts a business meeting, mistaking Dave's lunch companion for a romantic interest.

Dave establishes a connection between Tobie's roommate and a quote from 'Annabel Lee.' When he calls Tobie to warn her, Evelyn answers and says she and Tobie are waiting for him. Dave switches from the live show to recorded music and rushes to the house, where he finds Tobie bound and gagged. Evelyn attacks him with a butcher knife, slashing Dave multiple times. He punches Evelyn, propelling her through a window, over the railing, and onto the rocks below, killing her. He and Tobie leave the house as his voice on the radio leads into the song 'Misty.'

DETAILS:
Release Year: 1971
Genre: psychological horror
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Jessica Walter, Donna Mills, John Larch
IMDb Rating: 7.0/10