PLOT SUMMARY:

C-L-I-N-T. That single short, sharp syllable has stood as an emblem of American manhood and morality and sheer bloody-minded will, on-screen and off-screen, for more than sixty years. Whether he’s facing down bad guys on a Western street (Old West or new, no matter), staring through the lens of a camera, or accepting one of his movies’ thirteen Oscars (including two for Best Picture), he is as blunt, curt, and solid as his name, a star of the old-school stripe and one of the most accomplished directors of his time, a man of rock and iron and brute force: Clint.

To read the story of Clint Eastwood is to understand nearly a century of American culture. No Hollywood figure has so completely and complexly stood inside the changing climates of post–World War II America. At age ninety-five, he has lived a tumultuous century and embodied much of his time and many of its contradictions.

We picture Clint squinting through cigarillo smoke in A Fistful of Dol­lars or The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; imposing rough justice at the point of a .44 Magnum in Dirty Harry; sowing vengeance in The Outlaw Josey Wales or Pale Rider or Unforgiven; grudgingly training a woman boxer in Million Dollar Baby; and standing up for his neighbors despite his racism in Gran Torino. Or we feel him present, powerfully, behind the camera, creating complex tales of violence, morality, and humanity, such as Mystic River, Letters from Iwo Jima, and American Sniper. But his roles and his films, however well cast and convincing, are two-dimensional in comparison to his whole life.

As Shawn Levy reveals in this masterful biography—the most com­plete portrait yet of Eastwood—the reality is richer, knottier, and more absorbing. Clint: The Man and the Movies is a saga of cunning, determi­nation, and conquest, a story about a man ascending to the Hollywood pantheon while keeping one foot firmly planted outside its door.

GRADE: A

REVIEW:

Yes, this book is long — but when you’re covering the life of Clint Eastwood, a towering figure in Hollywood for over half a century, how could it not be?

I’ve always admired Eastwood’s work, both in front of and behind the camera, but I knew very little about the man himself. Clint pulls back the curtain on his personal life, revealing a complex and often controversial figure. Levy doesn’t shy away from Eastwood’s flaws, including his well-documented struggles with fidelity and the ruthless way he sometimes handled personal and professional relationships. (Just ask Sondra Locke.)

What really stood out to me, though, was the story of how Eastwood built his career. He wasn’t always taken seriously as an actor, in fact, many doubted his talent early on. But through a mix of grit, luck, and relentless ambition, he carved out a legendary place in film history. That journey is fascinating to follow.

If you’re a fan of Clint Eastwood or just love Hollywood history, this book is absolutely worth your time. Shawn Levy does a fantastic job digging deep and telling the full story, warts and all.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley & HarperAudio for the audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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