‘Cry Macho‘ is a Western drama film that is co-produced and directed by Clint Eastwood. It was shot by Malpaso Productions and released by Warner Bros. and HBO Max.

In 1980, retired rodeo star and horse trainer Mike Milo (Clint Eastwood) is hired by his former boss Howard Polk (Dwight Yoakam) to go into Mexico and get his teenage son Rafael “Rafo” Polk (Eduardo Minett). The teen’s wealthy mother Leta (Fernanda Urrejola) does not want to let him go, but Rafo agrees to head to his father’s Texas ranch, desiring to be a cowboy as long as his chicken “Macho” can tag along. However, they have to dodge his mother’s henchmen and take refuge in a village where a local chef named Marta (Natalia Traven) hides them. Soon, Mike discovers a shocking secret as he and Rafo seek refuge.

As the rest of Hollywood is churning out unoriginal, shallow, pretentious, or woke content, Clint Eastwood shows that he can outdo them. He does it with a script that was turned into a novel before returning to screenplay form and gestated in development limbo before he got a hold of it.

My one gripe with this movie is that a few scenes do linger for a little bit longer than they should, which sometimes made the already slow-burn drama drag just a bit. Outside of that, I found this to be one of the best movies of the year with its straightforward plot, tense situations, and characters that actually have depth. The scenery, music, and cinematography are all done in an excellent fashion, making the film a treat to the eye.

The movie is a slow-burn Western drama that does not rely on action, CGI, or self-righteous scolds to move it along. Instead, its plot of a boy seeking a better life and one man who lost his bond over their mutual love of horses to form a friendship propels us. I found myself never once wandering away as Mike and Rafo dodge corrupt Federales, henchmen, and carjackers to find their mutual way home. It is almost lost cinema from Hollywood, but this one reminds us what creativity can bring us.

The critics seem to be divided on Eastwood’s role in this film. I do not know why. The man still has it. Since this movie did not have choreographed action sequences, it had to rely on his talent as an aging, haunted cowboy and he did it to perfection. I will be the first to admit, it is not the best he has played, but he was the right man for this job.

Likewise, the rest of the cast does a good job and that goes for Minett. He delivers an excellent performance as the young man searching for something and trying to find himself. The supporting cast also brought it home to help make the movie something special.

Bottom line, Cry Macho is an excellent film with incredible production values, a solid plot, and a leading man who delivers on every level as its protagonist.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Strong foul language, Violence, Some sexual content

FAVORITE QUOTE: This macho thing is overrated. Just people trying to show that they’ve got grit. That’s about all they end up with. It’s like anything else in life: you think you got all the answers, then you realize, as you get older, you don’t have any of them.

Check out the trailer:

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