Cry Macho

by Julian Spivey

Photo: Warner Bros.

Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Eduardo Minett & Natalia Traven
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 1 hour & 44 minutes 

“Cry Macho,” which premiered in theaters and on HBO Max on Friday, Sept. 17, is Clint Eastwood’s 40th feature film as a director, most of which have starred himself in either the lead or a major supporting role.
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At 91-years old Eastwood is still putting out at least one film a year, which is truly amazing. Rarely, if ever, in the history of film have we seen a director this prolific in his late career output and it’s certainly never happened in which he’s also the lead in many of those films.

“Cry Macho,” based on the 1975 American novel of the same name by N. Richard Nash (who was also a screenwriter most known for penning director Otto Preminger’s 1959 adaptation of the Gershwin opera “Porgy and Bess”), has been attempted to be adapted into film for nearly as long as it’s been around, but finally came to fruition with Eastwood at the helm.

The film, set in 1980, sees grizzled old Texan Mike Milo (Eastwood), a retired former rodeo star and horse trainer hired by his ex-boss Howard Polk (Dwight Yoakam) to go down to Mexico and rescue his 13-year old son Rafo (Eduardo Minett) from his estranged wife and her boyfriend, whom he believes to be abusing Rafo. Later we find out there’s a bit more to why Polk wants Rafo in the United States with him that kind of puts a damper on the film’s ending, but it doesn’t do a whole lot to sway Mike from doing this job.

What results in “Cry Macho” is ultimately a nice buddy flick between Mike and Rafo. Mike represents the “American Dream” to Rafo, who admires the cowboy lifestyle, even if Mike is a gringo. The chemistry between Eastwood and Minett, in his American film debut, is good enough for the film, which truly relies on it. This is mostly the story of this old man and this Mexican teen, with a bit of a love story added on involving Mike and a widowed café keeper Marta, played by Natalia Traven.

I enjoyed “Cry Macho” and I believe if you’re looking for a simple film for an easy evening viewing it’s well-worth your time, especially if you’re into cowboy movies (even though it’s not an outright traditional Western).

I had one major issue with the film and it’s Eastwood the actor as chosen by Eastwood the director. Eastwood’s performance in “Cry Macho” is good. It’s just not very believable, as he’s a 91-year old man doing things a 91-year old man shouldn’t be doing, except for a scene or two where he saunters around so slowly you can’t help but wonder if much of the film’s one hour and 44 minute runtime is just going to be him shuffling around.

I understand Eastwood not wanting to give up the reigns as an actor and he’s done enough in the industry to truly be able to do whatever he wants to do, but this movie would’ve been better off with a younger actor in the lead. Now, I don’t necessarily mean we need to see Ryan Gosling slip down to Mexico and save Rafo – no, I get that you need someone older and grizzled in this role. But Eastwood in a role where he punches somebody in the face and in one particularly cringy scene is being seduced by an actress who’s 52 years his junior is just laughable. I think the movie would’ve been a bit better off if Eastwood had put someone like maybe Kevin Costner, who’s 66-years old, but a bit more believable to be doing such things in the role.