Coolest Movie Icons: Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood is an all round movie icon but he is more likely to be praised for his directing work today that his work in front of the camera.

And I'm, not suggesting that he has lost his touch simply directing is now his focus, Gran Torino was the last time that was saw him take up an acting role.

But he has enjoyed a career that has spanned over fifty years and brought some of cinema's most famous characters to life. Despite having a few small roles in television and film his big break came courtesy of Sergio Leone and A Fistful of Dollars.

Eastwood created the character the Man With No Name and he would appear throughout the Dollars trilogy, going on to star in For A Few Dollars More and The Good the Bad and the Ugly.

As well as being the finest European example of the wild West the films also cemented actor Clint Eastwood as a bona fide leading man and a major international star.

While The Good the Bad and the Ugly was criticised on release for Leone's depiction of violence. But the director held on to his belief that the west was made by violent men and the movies have all gone on to become classics of the genre.

This success brought him a role in war movie Where Eagles Dare, where he was second billing to Richard Burton.

The seventies also brought a second iconic character for the actor as he reunited with filmmaker Don Siegel to bring Harry Callaghan to the big screen.

When Dirty Harry was released Callahan became the first of a new kind of movie cop: a borderline vigilante who doesn't hesitate when crossing professional and ethical boundaries in pursuit of his own vision of justice, an idea that would be copied over and over in the years to come.

Despite his somewhat unorthodox and often violent methods of apprehending criminals is devoted to protecting and avenging the victims of violent crime.

With Dirty Harry, Magnum Force, The Enforcer, Sudden Impact and The Dead Pool Callaghan became the actor's most famous role.

A comedy role was next for the actor at the end of the seventies as he teamed up with an orangutan in Every Which Way But Loose which, despite being panned by the critics, was one of the biggest grossing movies of 1978.

Into the eighties and the Dirty Harry series of movies continued as well as a sequel to Every Which Way But Loose, Any Which Way You Can which was another box office hit.

But Bird was the actor's first high profile movie that he directed, starring Forrest Whitaker earning  Eastwood a Golden Palm nomination at Cannes.

Unforgiven was Eastwood's movie of the nineties, one which he directed and starred in, and today Unforgiven is still considered one of the greatest film's in it's genre, ironically produced years after the Western's hayday of the fifties and sixties.

Unforgiven shatters every myth of the Old West showing it as a hard brutal place where no one dies easily or quietly instead it's a world of killing and a vicious cycle of revenge.

The film earnt a Best Picture Oscar and Best Director for Eastwood.

Acting roles have been few and far between for Eastwood in recent years as he concentrated on directing producing movies such as Mystic River, Flags of our Fathers and Changeling. But Million Dollar Baby saw him juggle directing and directing duties.

The film was a critical hit and another Best Picture and Best Director Oscar came Eastwood's way.

Gran Torino, as I have already mentioned was the last time that we saw him in front of the camera - which went on to be a major success both critically and commercially.

Eastwood starred as Walt Kowalski is a widower, grumpy, tough-minded, borderline-hateful, unhappy old man who can't get along with either his kids or his neighbours, a Korean War veteran whose prize possession is a 1973 Gran Torino he keeps in cherry condition.

When his neighbour Tao, a young Hmong teenager, tries to steal his Gran Torino, Kowalski sets out to reform the youth. Drawn against his will into the life of Tao's family, Kowalski is soon taking steps to protect them form the gangs that foul their neighbourhood.

This was a performance that Eastwood should have been Oscar nominated for, sadly he was overlooked as was the movie.

But if this is to be Clint Eastwood's lat appearance on the big screen then it's a fine performance to end such a great career on.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw