Clint Eastwood drama Cry Macho actually benefited from the fact it took so long to make. A film adaptation of the 1975 novel by N. Richard Nash could have been made back in the 1980s, but it didn’t come together until just recently thanks to Eastwood, who both directed and played the lead role. Even though it was over 30 years ago when a Cry Macho movie was on the table, Eastwood was one of the first choices to play Mike Milo.
However, the actor felt he was too young for the role and told the studio to look at Robert Mitchum instead. As a result, numerous other actors were tied to the part over the next few years, including versions with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Roy Schneider, Burt Lancaster, and Pierce Brosnan. In fact, the Schneider movie even began production in Mexico in 1991 but was shot down before being finished. Over the decades every attempt to make Cry Macho fell through, until it was announced in 2020 that it was being revived – and surprisingly, Eastwood was back on board as director and star.
Following the release of the film, one of the most common complaints aimed at the movie is Clint Eastwood’s age. Some are saying that Eastwood playing a lead role at age 91 doesn’t make sense, but when taking into consideration the meaning behind Cry Macho and the underlying themes, it works better this way. Fundamentally, the film tackles toxic masculinity and the idea a man must be strong and brave in the face of danger. What Cry Macho depicts is a hero who stands in stark contrast to the actor’s earlier roles, and that’s what makes a 91-year-old Eastwood perfect for the part.
Eastwood characters like Dirty Harry, the Man With No Name, and so many others are people who can outshoot and outfight anyone. So in a sense, these figures are actually embodiments of masculinity. That’s part of why Eastwood was such a huge role model and icon to young boys during those years. Though Eastwood was 58 in 1988, he still represented those things at that point in his career. After all, he was still able to convincingly play “tough guy” cowboys in movies such as 1985 western Pale Rider and 1992’s Unforgiven. So had Eastwood starred in Cry Macho in the late 1980s or even the early 1990s, the movie wouldn’t have been able to distance him from that screen persona.
That’s why it’s a good thing the movie hasn’t happened until now, where Eastwood really can’t be the crack-shot, unbeatable gunslinger he portrayed on-screen for decades. By depicting a 91-year-old Eastwood as Mike, a retired ranch-hand who recognizes he can no longer do the things he once did and the issues with being “macho”, Cry Macho succeeded in delivering its message in a more memorable and effective way.