Cry Macho is a fairly standard Western hampered by a thin story, which prevents it from reaching the heights of Eastwood’s storied filmography.
Over Clint Eastwood’s decades-long career, the Western is a genre in which he’s made a considerable impact. Some of his finest works, including Best Picture winner Unforgiven, were Westerns, which is why it’s always interesting to see the Hollywood legend return to this well. Never one to slow down, the now 91-year-old Eastwood directs and stars in Cry Macho, based on the novel of the same name by N. Richard Nash (who also co-wrote the screenplay). A few of Eastwood’s late-period films have been well-received, but this one falls short of the mark a bit. Cry Macho is a fairly standard Western hampered by a thin story, which prevents it from reaching the heights of Eastwood’s storied filmography.
Eastwood stars as Mike Milo, a former rodeo star who fell on hard times after suffering a tragedy. One day, Mike’s former boss Howard Polk (Dwight Yoakam) asks him for a favor. Howard wants Mike to travel to Mexico and bring Howard’s son, Rafael (Eduardo Minett) to Texas, citing concerns the boy’s mother, Leta (Fernanda Urrejola), is constantly abusing him. Mike agrees to take the job and goes south of the border to find Rafael. From there, the two have to avoid the authorities and Leta’s hired muscle in order to get back to the United States.
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