Why "Cry Macho" is a Mediocre Outing From a Great Filmmaker

Note: There are minor spoilers ahead! You have been warned.

The new Clint Eastwood movie arrived in theaters this past September to a relatively low box office perfomance and pretty mediocre reviews. As a fan of the iconic actor/director myself, I took the reviews with a grain of salt. I thought the idea of Eastwood potentially taking on an issue such as toxic masculinity would be pretty cool, especially considering many toxic men use Eastwood as a model for the "Shut up and take it like a man" mantra. But, after seeing the movie myself, I can say that it was indeed pretty mediocre. Let me try and explain why.

First off, let's dive into the plot. The film follows Eastwood as Mike Milo, a washed up rodeo star, as he takes a job from his former boss Howard to travel to Mexico to pick up and return his son to him from his absuive mother. The movie sets this up pretty quickly, which isn't necessarily a bad thing because it gives it more time to focus on the film's strong point, which is the relationship between Eastwood and Rafael, Howard's son. But, some of the dialogue in the beginning is...a little flat.

For instance, Eastwood enters Howard's office and is berated by him for being late. Howard then goes on about how Eastwood's character used to be a great rodeo star but "that was before the accident." Meh. This is, albeit forgivable, a line that made me cringe when I saw it in the theater. After some more questionably lazy dialogue, Eastwood sets out to Mexico to kidnap/rescue Rafael. This is where the movie hits it's second snag.

Eastwood arrives at Howard's Ex-Wife's house to look for Rafael. He sneaks inside and is caught by a couple of guards. Then, he meets Howard's Ex-Wife, Leta. She saunters into the room and looks at the contents of Eastwood's pockets, which have been strewn across the table. She finds a picture of young Rafael, given to Eastwood by Howard himself.

After taking a moment to tell Eastwood about the other men Howard had sent in the past to get Rafael, all of which had failed, she leads him to a bed where she tries to seduce him. That's not a typo. I'm being serious. If this movie was made twenty years ago, I'd understand. Heck, even ten years. But now?!

Thankfully, Eastwood declines, saying he's got a job to do. She gets angry and tells him to leave. So, Eastwood does. He goes to see a chicken fight, a hot tip given to him by Leta because "you'll never get him to go with you anyway." There, he finds Rafael and after some persuasion, does in fact get him to go with him. This is where the movie starts to get interesting.

Once Mike and Rafael get on the road, the film starts to pick up some steam. Their banter is funny and at times heartwarming. Their dynamic relationship is the best part of the movie and for the majority of the 2nd Act, it really shines. They are followed by some of Leta's goons because she doesn't want Howard to have control over Rafael.

They take refuge in a small town where they befriend a local restaurant owner Marta and her family. Eastwood becomes smitten with Marta and Rafael gets close with her daughter. The relationship between Mike and Marta is much more realistic than his encounter with Leta and it's very sweet. Mike and Rafael end up spending a good chunk of time in the small town, where they try to fix their broken down car and hide out from the men chasing them.

I won't go into too much depth about what happens in Act 3, but I will say that I thought it was a little anti-climactic. It kind've just ends abruptly. Unlike past Eastwood movies like Gran Torino or even The Mule, this movie doesn't have a satisfying or even memorable ending.

Overall, this movie boasts some good cinematography and Eastwood proves he can still act, but there are just too many things with the plot that stand out, and not in a good way. I feel like if this movie had come out a decade or two earlier and had a more memorable ending it could've really been one of the Eastwood classics. Instead, we've got a mediocre movie that, if it is Eastwood's last, isn't the worst way to go out. But it's not the best either.