‘Cry Macho’ – Eastwood shows his gentler side

CLINT EAST WOOD has an unmatched productivity. Since turning 80, the actor and director has starred in four films and directed twice as much. At 91, the living legend is pulling double duty in the movie Cry

Macho, where he plays Mike, a rodeo cowboy taken out of the game by a crippling injury. Mike’s a former tough guy, past his prime with just enough fuel in the tank for one more adventure. Needless to say, It’s not a role that Eastwood has to stretch too far to play.

The adventure at hand is something of

‘While he’s isn’t giving the performance of his career, it’s a refreshing side to an actor with a lifetime’s worth of roles. Eastwood shows his gentler side, but still maintains some of his signature edge. Yet, the overall sentiment of the movie is clear.’

a rescue. Mike gets fired by his boss in an exposition-filled scolding, but to make up for his transgressions, he’s asked to collect his employer’s offspring from his supposedly abusive mother in Mexico. With not much to do anyway, Mike takes it upon himself to deliver.

While he’s isn’t giving the performance of his career, it’s a refreshing side to an actor with a lifetime’s worth of roles. Eastwood shows his gentler side, but still maintains some of his signature edge. Yet, the overall sentiment of the movie is clear. Conversations are favoured over violence and empathy over resentment. The film comments on the idiocy of masculinity in a way that only a legend like Eastwood can. After watching decades of movies exploring what it means to be a man, Cry Macho is a fascinating analysis from a film-maker known for putting forward the opposite stance.

Though it functions as a final touchstone of a prolific career, Cry Macho has something of a messy delivery. The dialogue is excessively pointed and leaves little to the imagination, and the film is devoid of tension for most of its progression. Not to mention, the film has a tendency to meander and could do well with about 15 minutes shaved off its runtime. Thankfully, the film also features Eastwood taking care of injured farm animals, and having regular conversations with a rooster, so the film’s sins don’t go unforgiven.

* Rating: Half Price

Clint Eastwood (left), who plays the character Mike Milo and Eduardo Minett, who plays Rafo.

AP PHOTOS Eduardo Minett (left), Natalia Traven and Clint Eastwood in a scene from ‘Cry Macho’.