10 Best Movies Starring Clint Eastwood, Ranked

10. The Mule (2018)

• Directed by: Clint Eastwood
• Written by: Nick Schenk

Look, any movie where Clint Eastwood has multiple three-somes is going to make the list. But I do think this is an underrated performance by him. He plays an old man who has to make amends for a lifetime he spent doing wrong as the clock begins to run out.

Eastwood directs himself as Earl Stone, a broke, elderly horticulturist who becomes a drug courier for a Mexican cartel. What could have been a standard thriller becomes a surprisingly gentle character study that Eastwood carefully brings to life.

9. In the Line of Fire (2003)

• Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
• Written by: Jeff Maguire

I love this movie. It's such a great high-concept idea. Eastwood plays Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan, a guy haunted by his failure to save JFK. He's old, his time is running out at work, and no one thinks he's useful.

But then he gets pitted against John Malkovich's brilliant, taunting assassin, and you get a cat-and-mouse movie with a lot of twists and turns.

Eastwood's physical limitations become a source of dramatic tension, so it feels like no one else can play the role.

8. The Bridges of Madison County (1995)

• Directed by: Clint Eastwood
• Written by: Richard LaGravenese

Eastwood was understated as a romantic interest. I think he could have done a ton of these roles if he wanted. I mean, who knew the Man with No Name could break your heart?

In this movie, Eastwood again directs himself, but he gives a very soulful performance as photographer Robert Kincaid. He plays opposite Meryl Streep, and they have so much chemistry.

His work here is a lesson in subtlety, showing the deep well of emotion that always lies beneath the stoic exterior and playing on our preconceived notions of who he is and subverting them into a tenderness.

7. Escape from Alcatraz (1979)

• Directed by: Don Siegel
• Written by: Richard Tuggle

This used to play on TBS when I was a kid. I watched it so much., It was so exciting and such a thrilling look at a prison escape. It sort of made me want to go to prison, but as I got older, I realized that was pretty dumb.

Eastwood plays the movie's engine. He's driving the plot and the emotional core of guys trying to get out of their hell. He's smart, calculated, and a man with a plan.

Director Don Siegel trusts his star’s face to carry entire scenes without dialogue. The film is a clinic in visual storytelling, showing instead of telling. Eastwood’s minimalist performance is the anchor that makes the unbelievable feel terrifyingly possible.

6. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

• Directed by: Clint Eastwood
• Written by: Philip Kaufman and Sonia Chernus

Maybe one of the most underrated movies of all time, this movie is cited by Eastwood as his favorite of the westerns he’s made, and it’s easy to see why: he carries a movie steeped in violence, regret, and forgiveness all in his character arc.

After his family is murdered, Missouri farmer Josey Wales becomes a feared Confederate guerrilla fighter on the run. The film balances brutal action with moments of humor and humanity, as Wales reluctantly accumulates a makeshift family of outcasts.

He's hellbent on revenge, but the life he leads now is good and beautiful. But that won't stop him from being hunted and killed.

It’s the first film where the Eastwood persona truly merges with the sensitive director. He creates a complex and emotionally resonant western.

5. Gran Torino (2008)

• Directed by: Clint Eastwood
• Written by: Nick Schenk (Screenplay), Dave Johannson & Nick Schenk (Story)

Eastwood excels when he's directing himself. Perhaps because he understands the movie on two different levels. I know the movie gets some slack from people, but I think they're wrong and think this is a great artistic work.

Eastwood delivers one of his best performances as disgruntled Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski. He cradles a beer on his porch and mutters, “Get off my lawn."

This is the tough guy culmination of every character Eastwood has played. A man who is steeped in violence is finally trying to find peace. It’s a powerful, funny, and surprisingly moving look at redemption and connection in a changing world.

4. Million Dollar Baby (2004)

• Directed by: Clint Eastwood
• Written by: Paul Haggis

This is one of those movies that makes you want to tear up just thinking about it. Eastwood won his second Oscar for directing and was nominated for Best Actor for his performance as Frankie Dunn.

Eastwood perfectly embodies the weary boxing trainer who takes on an eager female fighter (Hilary Swank) who opens his heart. She becomes like a daughter to him, and after a tragic accident, he is forced to wrestle with his role in it.

This movie's heart lies within Eastwood's performance. It's full of pain, regret, hope, and forgiveness. It’s raw, unflinching, and devastating.

3. Dirty Harry (1971)

• Directed by: Don Siegel
• Written by: Harry Julian Fink, R.M. Fink, and Dean Riesner

“Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?” With one line, Eastwood cemented his place as cinema's all-time badass.

Eastwood is iconic as Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan. He's not just a cop; he's a force of nature, a cynical response to a society he sees as broken and criminals who are tearing it apart. He is their reckoning.

His performance is pure star power. He embodies righteous fury with a cold, terrifying calm. He is a character archetype people have been trying to copy for years.

2. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

• Directed by: Sergio Leone
• Written by: Luciano Vincenzoni and Sergio Leone

I often wrestle with whether or not this is the best movie ever made. It's certainly in the top 10 and should be considered by anyone who loves movies.

As "Blondie," the "Good" part of the title trio, Eastwood perfected the Man with No Name. Chomps a cigar, shoots with ease, and wants gold. We get him.

Eastwood is the quiet center of Sergio Leone's operatic, sprawling masterpiece. It only works because it's him. It has to be him.

This is the ultimate lesson in screen presence. Eastwood communicates everything through his eyes, the set of his jaw, and the way he handles his cigar.

1. Unforgiven (1992)

• Directed by: Clint Eastwood
• Written by: David Webb Peoples

This is Eastwood’s magnum opus. As an actor and director, he takes every trope he helped create in the western genre and systematically deconstructs them.

Everything you know about him, he subverts. He plays William Munny, a retired killer, now a pig farmer, haunted by his violent past. Like these stories go, he gets lured back for one last job to make the money his farm and kids need to survive.

There's no glamour here. Just an ugly and soul-crushing reality of violence and the cycle that continues. Eastwood’s performance is a study in weariness. It’s the ghost of all his past cowboys coming back to reckon with the myths they created.

Summing It All Up 

Clint Eastwood is such a magical guy when you see him on screen. He's easy to root for and draws you into any story. This list reflects his range and encompasses all the genres he was able to explore.

Did I name your favorite Clint Eastwood movie? Or was there a few I left off the list that you think should be on here?