Clint Eastwood wore a secret smile at last night's Golden Globe awards. Who cares if those schmucks from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association didn't nominate his career-capping performance in Gran Torino? Eastwood, 78, had the last laugh. Gran Torino, which opened nationwide this weekend after a month in limited release, scored $29 million at the box office. That's a record opening for an Eastwood movie, and way more than enough to trounce Bride Wars, the critically-decimated Kate Hudson-Anne Hathaway exercise in female self-loathing that was predicted to take the top spot. I guess the brides didn't count on Dirty Harry showing up and telling them to, "get off my lawn." Look out for Eastwood when the Oscar nominations are announced on Jan. 22nd. All the talk is about Sean Penn (Milk) vs. Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler). Back in 1969 all the Oscar talk was about Dustin Hoffman duking it out for the gold with his Midnight Cowboy costar Jon Voight. But who rode off with the prize? John Wayne, then 62, delivering his career-capping performance in True Grit. It was a first acting Oscar for Wayne, just as a Torino win would be a first acting prize for Eastwood, who has a quartet of Oscars for directing and producing Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby. So here's my question for today:
If Clint Eastwood wins an acting Oscar for Gran Torino would it be for his best screen performance? What movie do you think should have won Eastwood an acting Oscar? Personally, I'd go for his wised-up cowboy in Unforgiven, followed by his tormented Secret Service agent in In the Line of Fire, his conflicted fight manager in Million Dollar Baby, and his sexually screwed up cop in 1984's little-seen Tightrope. Eastwood has always been a better actor than critics give him credit for. In Gran Torino he's as iconic as he was in Dirty Harry, just older. Will Oscar finally make his day?
Share
Email
Stumble
AIM
Del.icio.us
DiggThis
Fark It!
- Portions of Album Content Provided by All Music Guide © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC.
Get RS Mobile
RSS
robert a maiuri | October 28, 2009 11:27 PM
Eastwood has it all!! always has! I dont think he even knows how talented of a actor or director he is? Hes the best, at all aspects of movie making, can play any role, and does it with upmost confidence, and always captures the publics eye at the theaters! Clint has always been my fav. And what a performance in Grand Torino! I take my hat off to you Mr. Eastwood, keep them coming. I am hoping you get an Oscar for your great performance in Grand Torino! God Bless You, and keep them coming, you will always stay young that way, Robert---
Dave Logan | January 26, 2009 3:56 AM
Unforgiven is the performance he deserved an Oscar for the most, but can you really say he was better than Paccino. And Mickey Rourke was the best this year in a lead role. Face the facts.
The thing about Eastwood is that he is consistently good actor but he is always just below the mark for greatness or is outdone by a talent that is simply dynamite.
I think Eastwood is satisfied with his phenomenal direction raking in two Oscars. He is a screen icon who goes beyond the Oscars really
alex | January 21, 2009 2:09 PM
White Hunter Black Heart
Joe | January 15, 2009 2:08 PM
I'm a pretty big Eastwood fan, but...
there's a reason he's never won a best actor Oscar. The dude is a master at minimalism, but there's also a reason why his technique is minimalist.
If anything, he should've won for Unforgiven, but I don't understand how anyone who's seen The Wrestler can say Clint Eastwood, even if Gran Torino was his best performance (it's not), out-acted Micky Rourke this year.
I don't care if Gran Torino is Eastwood's "career capper," Micky Rourke gave the best performance I saw last year, and actually one of the better performances this decade....
JPatt | January 15, 2009 7:55 AM
Eastwood has been great in many roles and is equally impressive in front of and behind the camera but his all time best screen performance for me is as Blondie in The Good the Bad and the Ugly.
Juan Carlo | January 14, 2009 4:00 PM
What, and ignoring THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY? No way! :) Just kidding. I think an Oscar would be a fair way to close one heck of a career, and mostly if it IS a close. But I think he deserved it for UNFORGIVEN (not having seen GRAN TORINO) or at least MILLION DOLLAR BABY.
Anonymous | January 13, 2009 5:02 PM
I agree with John, and I think the Scorsese comparison is a great way of putting it in perspective. I would like to add to that my opinion that the year Scorsese won his "to make up for" Oscar, it should have rightfully gone to Eastwood, whose Letters From Iwo Jima was a far superior picture, not to mention the fact that it was partnered with Flags of Our Fathers which, if it came out on it's own any other year, would probably receive its own nominations for Picture and Director. If he hadn't of won just two years before do you think the results would be the same as they were?
To list his best characters would be similar to saying which variation of Jack or Woody do you like most?...it's all really a matter of preference. If I had to make a list, for me it:s
1. Unforgiven
2. Dirty Harry
3. Gran Torino
4. Escape From Alcatraz
5. Million Dollar Baby
6. The Man w/ no name series
7. Absolute Power
8. In the Line of Fire
Rob | January 12, 2009 10:23 PM
On the strength of his performance I'd say he deserves to win for Gran Torino. That aside, Million Dollar Baby would be my other pick. Clint gave a stunning, heartfelt performance in that film. Following up would be his turn as the bitter secret service agent 'In the Line of Fire.'
At the risk of sounding mildly heretical I don't think Eastwood should have won an acting Oscar for 'Unforgiven.' There's only one great performance in that movie & that's Hackman's. Clint is very good for sure but it's not a career best performance in the way that his roles in 'Baby' & 'Torino' are.
Matt09m | January 12, 2009 5:31 PM
In my opinion, the race for best actor this year is more interesting then that for Best Picture. I don't see the Academy giving nominations to Milk or The Dark Knight, and those are the two best movies of the year. This year had tons of great acting though. Penn, Eastwood, and Rourke are all great and Oscar-worthy, but don't count out Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon. The Academy loves to revel in politics, especially when it's not about the homosexual politics of Milk. This four-pack of acting is great competition, and I think the award should go to any of them.
John | January 12, 2009 3:34 PM
I think that it's completely acceptable for Eastwood to win the Oscar for Gran Torino, and for whoever just sees it as that would be fine. I personally think, that if Scorsese can be given his "to make up for" Oscar for The Departed (which is a fine movie, in itself, but honestly, that's the one they give him the award for?) then Eastwood deserves the same honor for his acting career. Which, may not be as character or differing on the surface as someone like Daniel Day Lewis, but was iconic in the way that Jack Nicholson winning an acting award for any one particular role would be. He's always jack, and Eastwood is pretty much always Eastwood. (Something made even more apparent when his latest characters all seem to have the same disdain for the church and people around him)
I do agree that Unforgiven or Million Dollar Baby are probably his two main other roles that I'd say he "could" have won for. But, Gran Torino caps a career - and an archetype - that Eastwood will leave in Cinema history forever. And yeah, I think that ought to be honored...even in a ridiculous ceremony like the Oscars.
RLee | January 12, 2009 3:27 PM
Kudos to Eastwood, but I don't see how the Oscar goes to anyone other than Penn or Rourke. That being said, Hoffman gave an award-calibur performance in Doubt. There will be some really good choices this year.
Deon | January 12, 2009 2:36 PM
Your question should have been ,How will Rourke Screw this up? Don't get me wrong,I love the guy,I wanted to see this come back but what happens now,has he "grown" in mind and soul enough to handle this? May be on other pages I will look around. Oh your question yes and who cares