Magnum Force (1973)

Some refer to this movie as Dirty Harry 2, and in a way there are absolutely correct. It IS the perfect sequel. I say perfect because it directly addresses the controversy created by the first movie. It is almost as if the creative team thought "okay, you think THIS is fascism in America, we'll show you fascism in America". Dirty Harry was not about fascism but about law, order and justice in a broken system. And the system can be broken in both directions as this installment shows.

Clint Eastwood reprises his iconic folk hero of a San Francisco cop who gets bad guys, regardless of what side of the law they are on. Hal Holbrook does a wonderful job of being his boss.

If you have not seen this series in a long time, watch to see how many familiar faces you can spot and how many other rogue cop shows follow this pattern. If you have not seen the series at all, put this on your list and see how the genre was perfected 30 years ago.

Watch this movie with someone who thinks law and order is the solution.

Dirty Harry (1971)

Forty years ago a genre of cop stories was perfected and an iconic American folk hero character was "born". Before there was "I'll be back" and "Yippee-ki-yay, mother...", there was ""Do ya feel lucky punk?" and "Go ahead, make my day."

Clint Eastwood's Harry Callahan expressed what many were thinking at a time in our country when the concept of political correctness just getting it's legs. Some say the phrase "anti-hero" was coined to describe Dirty Harry. Was it a pro-fascism movie? Was it anti-liberal? You decide.

If you have not seen this movie or it's sequels, you owe it to yourself as movie fan to see what some consider the Father of Rogue Cop movies. Truth be told this genre was not new, but it was never done better. Dirty Harry was released the same year as The French Connection, another great in the same theme. They may have just been a reflection of what a large segment of the population was thinking then. Have times come full circle? Notice any familiar notions?

Watch this movie with someone who remembers the Silent Majority.

Kelly's Heros (1970)

Chronologically the second movie in the "Clint" DVD boxed set, this set the bar very high for the buddy/ensemble comedies. Forty years ago somebody had a fun idea - take some of the biggest stars around and put them all in a movie together. That formula still works most of the time.

Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland, Don Rickles, and Gavin MacLeod play a very different band of brothers. This group is scheming to steal $16 million in gold from the German army and keeping the American army from finding out about it. A near perfect crime.

You have comedy of course with some great one-liners from the king of the zingers Mr. Rickles. There is some action, some battle scenes, and some great dialogues between flamboyant characters.

Watch this movie with someone who does not take their war movies too seriously.

Where Eagles Dare (1968)

This is the first movie in the Clint Eastwood boxed set aptly titled "Clint". I say first only because it is the oldest. The movies are actually organized by genre; cop, western, war, etc.

Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood - at the time the old guard and the new Turk. The extra features on the DVD have a very interesting interview with Richard Burton where he describes the differences between them. Classic Burton and an interesting Hollywood interview.

In the movie Burton plays a British intelligence officer and Eastwood plays an American special forces officer. They are tasked with leading a rescue of a British pilot downed in German territory. They dress as German troops and work their way towards the prisoner.

If you like war movies, this is a classic. If you like movies where you are kept guessing who is really who they say they are, this is a good story well told. If you like big stars and defining roles, you should like this.

Watch this movie in a very cold room to help create the proper atmosphere.

Gran Torino

You have to be patient with this movie. You cannot be like the main character and rush to judgement. If you can do those things you are in store for a delicious, tidy, satisfying ending.

Clint Eastwood, in his 66th screen appearance over the 6 decades he has been working, does his usual accomplished job of acting. He also directed and produced this film. I've yet to see anything he has done which I don't like. Eastwood makes good choices.

With a group of relative unknowns, Eastwood tells a story vaguely familiar to all of us, and painfully real to certain segments of society.

If you enjoy a fairly slow but methodical character-development drama, you may like this one. If you can sit through the main character's constant racist dialogue, you may see how it evolves. There are life lessons to be learned by young and old here. Lessons for natives and those born elsewhere too.

Watch this with someone who WAS born outside the United States and see how they react.

Letters From Iwo Jima

Nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Writing, but it won only for Best Sound Editing. But, then again, when was the last time a foreign language film won any of the other Oscars? Clint Eastwood did a magnificent job of telling one story from two totally different points of view (despite what Spike Lee says).

If you have not see this or it's companion piece "Flags of Our Fathers", I highly recommend it. Yes, they are classic WWII films. But, they are done so well, and told is a very different way, that film-lovers everywhere should see these movies. If for no other reason than their unique spin on the story.

It is always good to see some of one's traditional history from someone else's traditional point-of-view. This half of the duo will make you laugh and cry. It will give you insights into Japanese culture and history. Please keep an open mind. Are the soldiers of our country really so different from the young soldiers of other countries? To quote of the of main characters of this story: "Son, have you ever met one?"

Ken Watanabe does another masterful job of making his kinsmen proud of their heritage. Unless you are a huge fan of Japanese cinema, I doubt you will recognize many other names or faces however.

Watch this movie with someone who appreciates a good story well-told, especially retelling of such a hugely historic story as this one.

Space Cowboys

Clint Eastwood stars in and directs this very fun story based on the old axiom "Age and treachery with always overcome youth and vigor".

With the popularity of Senator John Glenn's geriatric space experiments in 1998 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery, timing of Space Cowboys was perfect.

Eastwood was able to bring huge talent to the project with the expected magical results.

Tommy Lee Jones (Coal Miner's Daughter, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and The Fugitive) plays yet another role he seemed born to play. A very touching scene sums it up for him late in the film when he lovingly compares himself to an aging aircraft. This type of writing and acting is throughout the movie. Each character has a Hollywood moment.

Donald Sutherland (Kelly's Heroes, M*A*S*H, Backdraft, and Kiefer's father) plays the role every man over 60 dreams of. He is an uber-hip ex-astronaut who designs roller coasters. Who would not want this guy as a Grandfather?

James Garner (The Great Escape, Support Your Local Sheriff, and Victor Victoria) rounds the group of senior ex-jet-jockeys brought back into service to save the planet from sure destruction from antiquated nuclear weapons in decaying earth orbit.

Marcia Gay Harden (First Wives Club, Meet Joe Black, and recently Into the Wild) adds enough feminine touch to the main character group to keep things in balance.

Other names of note who come and go in the story are James Cromwell, Blair Brown, Jay Leno, William Devane, Loren Dean, and Rade Serbedijza.

Watch it with someone who is older and wiser.