Few people can ever achieve iconic status in the film industry, however, Clint Eastwood has down so with two professionals. Eastwood has become perhaps the most successful actor-director in Hollywood history, creating several projects under each job title that have gone down as some of cinema's best.
From his start in Spaghetti Westerns to his Dirty Harry series to directing Oscar-winning films, Eastwood's filmography is filled with classics. But like every actor or director, they can't all be winners. Revisit some of his most popular work as well as those projects we all try to forget about. Here are Clint Eastwood's best and worst movies, according to IMDb.
Best: Million Dollar Baby (8.1)
In the early 2000s, Eastwood had an amazing string of acclaimed films that were nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Million Dollar Baby is the film that finally won the trophy, as well as winning Eastwood his second Oscar for Best Director.
Eastwood stars in the film as a grizzled and lonely boxing trainer who reluctantly begins training a female boxer (Hilary Swank). Though there are plenty of boxing movies out there, Million Dollar Baby is possibly the most intimate and heartbreaking. In the end, it comes down to this bittersweet relationship between these two troubled individuals.
Worst: City Heat (5.5)
In the 80s, the matchup of Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds would seem like the makings of a sure-fire hit. Unfortunately, when it comes to City Heat, that was just not the case. The action-comedy followed a private eye and a cop who are former partners turned enemies. They are forced to team-up to solve a murder.
The star power is there in the film, but not much else is going on. The tone of the film is off, not willing to commit to being a comedy but not interesting enough to be a straight hard-boiled thriller. The result is a dull film that wastes its stars.
Best: Gran Torino (8.1)
As his career went on, Eastwood tended to focus more on the directing side and taking fewer acting roles. However, this role in his own film must have seemed too perfect to pass up. Eastwood plays a grumpy war veteran who forms an unlikely bond with his neighbors and seeks to protect them from local gangs.
Eastwood's tough-guy growling is still intimidating and watching him stand up to punks less than half his age is great fun. The film is almost like a glimpse at Dirty Harry's life in retirement.
Worst: The First Traveling Saleslady (5.5)
This Western comedy marks Eastwood's first onscreen credit in a feature film. Luckily, things only seemed to improve for him from there. The film tells the story of an ambitious businesswoman and her friend who set out to sell barbed wire to a community of cowboys.
The movie is about as interesting as that premise makes it seem. The lifeless and dull comedy is without laughs and is especially cringeworthy to look back on now. Eastwood in a small romantic supporting role doesn't leave much of an impression.
Best: Unforgiven (8.2)
Eastwood is probably best known for his work in Westerns and he directed quite a few of them in his career. However, it is extremely interesting to see him take on this film that helped mark a new era in the genre.
Eastwood plays William Money, a former outlaw who is hired to track down and kill the men responsible for beating a whore. In revisiting his old violent ways, Money must confront who he really is. Featuring amazing performances from Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman and Eastwood himself, this is a somber, thrilling and masterful Western drama.
Worst: Pink Cadillac (5.4)
Pink Cadillac doesn't sound like the kind of movie Eastwood usually makes, and in the end, he probably shouldn't have made it. Eastwood plays a bounty hunter tracking down a woman with a trunk filled with money and a gang of killers on her trail.
Putting aside the age difference between Eastwood and Bernadette Peters in the film, this would-be comedy is a plain dud. Eastwood can be a lot of fun in a comedy, but he seems lost here. The "wacky" antics of the movie feel forced and get tiresome very quickly.
Best: For A Few Dollars More (8.3)
This is the second film in the terrific and ground-breaking Dollars Trilogy from Eastwood and Sergio Leone. The story follows two bounty hunters (Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef) who partner together to track down an outlaw who is planning a major robbery.
This film is sometimes forgotten among the two more famous film in the trilogy. However, it is a mesmerizing and beautiful film and one of the best in the genre. The style of Leone's direction is incredible and unique while Eastwood seems to effortlessly command the screen as the anti-hero.
Worst: Ambush at Cimarron Pass (5.4)
With all the classic Westerns on Eastwood's resume, there is bound to be a few stinkers. So if you haven't heard of his film Ambush at Cimarron Pass there's probably a good reason why. The film is about a ground of Yankee soldiers and a group of Confederate soldiers who must work together to cross dangerous Apache territory.
The premise sounds like it has the potential to be an entertaining adventure but it's actually a very dull film with not even excitement in its action scenes. The only reason to watch it would be to see a very young Eastwood as a hotheaded Confederate soldier.
Best: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (8.8)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is the final and best film in the Dollars Trilogy as well as one of the best movies ever made. The film follows three deadly men who cross paths on a dangerous journey to uncover hidden gold during the Civil War.
Eastwood is instantly iconic in one of his most famous roles and the film around him is equally brilliant. From the massive and beautiful set-pieces to the incredible score to the famous Mexican standoff, it is no wonder the film has inspired so many filmmakers to this day.
Worst: The 15:17 to Paris (5.2)
Eastwood is no stranger to taking on real-life stories and especially seems interested in the stories of real heroes. This film tells the story of three American friends traveling through Europe who risk their lives to stop a terrorist shooting aboard their train.
In a shocking and risky move, Eastwood cast the real men involved in the incident as themselves. Though their heroism cannot be denied, asking them to carry an entire film was maybe not the best idea. More importantly, Eastwood tried to make an entire movie out of an incident that was over in seconds. The result is one exciting sequence and a lot of filler.