It’s hard to believe that Clint Eastwood is not only still acting and directing in his 90s, but still putting out quality work. His latest film Cry Macho is a screenplay that has been around off and on since the 70s, but has now finally found life thanks to Eastwood who once again both directs and stars. The film also stars Eduardo Minett in his feature film debut, Natalia Traven, Dwight Yoakam, Howard Polk, Fernanda Urrejola, and Horacio Garcia-Rojas. Could this be yet another hit to his filmography or will it fail to cross the border?

​

Cry Macho follows Mike Milo, a one-time rodeo star and washed-up horse breeder who, in 1979, takes a job from an ex-boss to bring the man’s young son home from Mexico. Forced to take the backroads on their way to Texas, the unlikely pair faces an unexpectedly challenging journey, during which the world-weary horseman finds unexpected connections and his own sense of redemption.

​

I am always interested to see where Eastwood’s film go especially when he stars in them. This latest film is his first return to the western of sorts with him taking on the role of an aging rodeo star and fits the role to perfection. He steps right in bringing his usual gruff and rough persona to the role, but this time around shows signs of cracks in his exterior. Minett does a good job as well holding his own with Eastwood bringing the lighter approach to the character, but also still struggling with a physical and emotional past.

​

The story is pretty simple focusing on the dialogue and character study to carry the film as opposed to trying to infuse more to it. This does make for a slow paced film that is by design as it is trying to allow the viewer to go along with their journey. This is not just a story about this man picking up the boy, but about two lost souls finding something more in each other. It’s not exciting, it’s not breaking any new ground in film, but instead taking on real life and being just that.

​

​