If Unforgiven was a sobering deconstruction on the heroic Cowboy archetype, then Cry Macho may be Clint Eastwood‘s own reflection on the iconic masculine persona that so much of his career was built on.
Looking like a narrative and thematic mashup of Unforgiven, Gran Tarino and The Mule (with hints and beats from a few other Eastwood films from the last thirty years), Cry Macho plays like a definitive swan song — at least in its first trailer (seen above, which includes an inspiring music cue from Ennio Morricone‘s score of The Mission).
Based on the novel by N. Richard Nash, Cry Macho is the story of an old rodeo star who, in 1979, crosses into Mexico to bring a friend’s wayward teenage son back home. Along the way, Eastwood’s Miko reflects on what it is to be a man as he tries to steer the teenager toward the right life path.
At 91 years old, this is Clint Eastwood’s latest directorial effort in which he also stars. According to IMDB, there are no other films slated in Eastwood’s future, so this very well may be the Hollywood legend’s final big screen ride.
Co-written by Nick Schenk (Gran Torino, The Mule) and co-starring Eduardo Minett in his film debut, Natalia Traven (Collateral Damage, TV’s Soulmates), and singer/actor Dwight Yoakam, Cry Macho (Rated PG-13) is slated for a hybrid platform release when it opens in theaters and on streamer HBO Max on September 17, 2021.
Click on any image for larger gallery
