Summary

Legend of the Western genreClint Eastwoodhas played several pestilent gunslingers across his acclaimed life history . From Spaghetti Westerns to Hollywood blockbusters , Eastwood perfect the archetype of the witty , fast - shot , lone anti - hero who was consistently embroiled in shootout , tie , and vicious bar battle . Through Eastwood ’s work with acclaimed conductor like Sergio Leone and Don Siegel , as well as the many flick he directed himself , Eastwood played unnumberable intimidating , hard , and skilled gunslinger who left their mark on the often unrelenting and deadly landscape of the Wild West .

While Eastwood did appear in plenty of westerly movies , not all his roles were deadly gun , weigh that his small roles inStar in the DustandThe First Traveling Saleslady , and non - outlaw personation inAmbush at Cimarron PassandPaint Your Wagonmust be excluded . However , when Eastwood did play gun for hire , they were rarely modest - mannered and always appeared as someone whose bad side was well void at all price . The deadly gunslingers play by Eastwoodwere fearsome foes who , through both larger-than-life and timorous acts , became some ofthe most iconic fictional character ever figure in the westerly genre .

9John ‘McBee’ McBurney

The Beguiled (1971)

Cast

The Beguiled , release in 1971 , is a Civil War dramatic play featuring a wounded Union soldier get refuge in a Southern girls ' school . As he becomes the nerve centre of the women ’s desires , he control the dynamics to his advantage , take to complex and tense interaction with his caretaker .

As the first adaptation of Thomas P. Cullinan’sA Painted Devil , The Beguiledstarred Clint Eastwood as Corporal John ' McBee ' McBurney , a wounded shooter and soldier recuperating in a Confederate girls ' embarkment school . A variety of pace from Eastwood ’s normal Western roles , McBee inThe Beguiledspent more time entangled in complex amatory affairs than he did in Mexican repulsion , ginmill battle , or gunplay . Through rook his way into several lone women ’s hearts , before long McBee memorize that he messed with the incorrect Lady .

Full of conflict , jealousy , and sexual confrontation , The Beguiledpowerfully present a feminist messageas the mesa were change state on the man who thought he could work some genial - hearted women ’s goodwill . WhileThe Beguiledwas a westerly film , it lean heavily into the psychological thriller genre and focalize far more on slow - construction tension than it did fast - paced gunslinging . ThisSouthern Gothic talewas just one of five collaborations between Eastwood and director Don Siegel , who together also madeCoogan ’s Bluff , Two Mules for Sister Sara , Dirty Harry , andEscape from Alcatraz .

Imagery from Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

Thomas P. Cullinan’sA Painted Devilreceived a second theatrical adaption in 2017 following the release of Sofia Coppola’sThe Beguiledstarring Nicole Kidman , Colin Farrell , Kirsten Dunst , and Elle Fanning .

8Hogan

Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970)

Clint Eastwood followed up his carrying out as the tattle cowboy Pardner inPaint Your Wagonwith a westerly movie that was much more in his tough - guy persona wheelhouse titledTwo Mules for Sister Sara . HereEastwood played the tight - shooting gunslinger Hoganin a Western adventure set during the French intervention in Mexico . With a storey about a Civil War soldier saving a conical buoy from a gang of brigand , Two Mules for Sister Sarafeatured the two unconvincing partners teaming up to help the Mexicans in their state of war against the French .

While Hogan showed resilience and imagination , he was also full of compassion for his distaff spouse which pointed toward a soft interior behind all his baffling - guy bravado .

Like so many of Eastwood ’s Western characters , Hogan was a rebel who had no issues with dart first and asking interrogative sentence later . However , althoughTwo Mules for Sister Sarawas full of explosions , shot , and fast - pace action , his role as Hogan did not populate up to the deadliness of other Western gunslingers that Eastwood portrayed . While Hogan showed resiliency and resource , he was also full of compassion for his distaff partner which designate toward a soft interior behind all his problematic - guy rope bluster .

Josh Hartnett looking shocked in Fight or Flight

7Joe Kidd

Joe Kidd (1972)

This westerly film star a tough former bounteousness hunter who is hired by a wealthy landowner to cross down Mexican revolutionaries . gear up in the rough terrains of New Mexico , the taradiddle unfolds as the champion confronts his own moral and the injustices faced by the local people , leading to an acute struggle .

The loudness of deadly hired gun portrayed byClint Eastwood really kicked into train with his role as the titular crook inJoe Kidd . A troublesome former bounteousness hunter with a report that preceded him , Joe Kidd was drawn back into his violent ways after being hired by the wealthy landlord Frank Harlan to tail down a Mexican drawing card named Luis Chama . As a Revisionist Western that deal with yield of land reform , Eastwood bring his touch renegade mental attitude to his role inJoe Kidd .

As a team - up Western movie that paired Eastwood with the as talented Robert Duvall , Joe Kiddpresented its lead character with intensity and a rough - around - the - border nature . However , throughoutJoe Kiddthere was always an undercurrent of honor and integrity which held him back from beingamong the deadliest hitman Eastwood ever bring . Full of witty dialogue , classic risky venture , and one-time Western archetypes , Joe Kiddembodied old - fashioned Wild West heroism in its purest shape .

A collage image of Luke Skywalker in A New Hope

6Preacher

Pale Rider (1985)

This Western film rotate around a mysterious preacher who arrives in a struggling mining camp , where the residents are pit against a grabby minelaying company encroaching on their body politic . With his enigmatic past times and formidable skills , the preacher helps the miners defend their rights , bring up subject of redemption and conflict .

With a name like Preacher , audience would be forgiven for believing that Clint Eastwood would be a mild - mannered man of God in the 1985 WesternPale Rider . However , thisPreacher proved he was far from gun - shyas he did everything in his power to protect a base prospector Greenwich Village from a greedy mining company that endeavored to take over their landed estate . Full of fast - step action , Eastwood evidence he still had what it took to present deadly gunslinger thrillers extremely acclaim westerly movie that he also directed himself .

Having solidified his reputation as a caption of the Western genre , discover an older beardedEastwood donning a cowboy chapeau and pistol inPale Riderwas a cinematic treat that became rarified as he entered the later part of his career . Shrouded in mystery story for much of Pale Rider , it was often unmanageable to mold just how deadly this Preacher could be , but this secretive menacing nature just made him all the more frightful . A complex hero , Preacher was portrayed as a stoic persona whose limits were best left untested .

The-Man-with-no-Name-Dollars-Trilogy-Josey-Wales-The-Outlaw-Josey-Wales-and-Munny-Unforgiven

Custom image by Yeider Chacon.

5Jed Cooper

Hang ‘Em High (1968)

This Western moving-picture show postdate a former law officer who survives a lynching after being wrongfully accuse of cattle rustling and larceny . Seeking justice , he becomes a U.S. Marshal determined to take his attempted murderers to legal retribution . sic against the backcloth of the Oklahoma Territory , the story turn over into themes of law , order , and vengeance in the early frontier days .

AsClint Eastwood ’s forgotten first spark advance Hollywood theatrical role , Jed Cooper inHang ‘ Em Highwas a dark characterwith an even more agonising backstory . As an ingenuous humans unjustly hung to the peak of near dying , Cooper miraculously outlast and return as a peace officer set to bring the vigilante who tried to lynch him to DoJ . A knock-down story of vengeance and retribution , only somebody with tier - head trust , and stern macho screen presence as Eastwood could have pulled off the complex portrayal of Cooper .

advert ‘ Em Highcontained all the tenets of a Spaghetti Western with the sleek production value of a Hollywood video , and Eastwood ramp up up his experience as the Man With no Man to add deepness and intrigue to the case of Cooper . Bursting with wrath at those who had tried to terminate his life , Cooper also maintained restraint and resiliency as came face to expression with his foes . Through sheer finding and incredible skill , Cooper evidence himself one of Eastwood ’s pestilent gunman .

Headshot Of Clint Eastwood In The AFI Fest 2011

The Beguiled, released in 1971, is a Civil War drama featuring a wounded Union soldier taking refuge in a Southern girls' school. As he becomes the center of the women’s desires, he manipulates the dynamics to his advantage, leading to complex and tense interactions with his caretakers.

4The Stranger

High Plains Drifter (1973)

High Plains Drifternot only featured the story of those responsible for buy an Old West mining town face the consequences of their actions but also included one of the westerly musical style ’s deadliest hired gun who was simply call the Stranger . Directed by Eastwood himself , High Plains Drifterandthe character of the Stranger utilize the influence of his former theater director like Sergio Leone and Don Siegelto produce one of his best Western . With an endlessly entertaining tarradiddle and style to give up , the Stranger in High Plains Drifter felt like the full encapsulation of Eastwood ’s stereotyped avenging Western anti - hero pilot .

The Stranger was never mention throughoutHigh Plains Drifterwhich added to his cryptic nature and unsung but challenging backstory . Through minimal negotiation and a brooding and intimating nature , the Stranger was on a quest for revenge for a murdered womanbut also hinted at layer of unseen complexity . With unquestionable mogul , the Stranger had the slug to declare a downtrodden midget the city manager , and the lack of expostulation showcased that those around him did not even wish to discover just how mortal he was capable of being .

3Josey Wales

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

As a brigand out for revenge , Clint Eastwood was a peculiarly deadly gunslinger as the claim grapheme inThe Outlaw Josey Wales . establish on a fictional character creature by the generator Asa Earl Carter , Josey Wales took viewers on a revisionist Western adventure that ascertain the gun - toting crook join a Confederate irregular bandas he embarked on a bloody-minded quest for retaliation . With a grisly byssus and tatterdemalion well - worn apparel , Josey Wales come across as a human with nothing left to miss , whose explosive and unpredictable nature was due to go off at any mo .

The triggerman gradually grow from a vengeful man , seeking justice for the murder of his family , into a reluctant grinder of literal complexity .

Throughout the spirited story ofThe Outlaw Josey Wales , the hitman bit by bit spring up from a vengeful man , assay justice for the execution of his sept , into a reluctant Heron of existent complexness . Asa standout carrying into action in Eastwood ’s filmography , Josey Wales was a deadly felon whose story had a lot to say about America ’s legacy and the wake of the Civil War . A timeless lineament that required the skill of Eastwood ’s portrayal to make it work , Josey Wales did not feel nearly as mortal in the sequelThe Return of Josey Wales , where he was supercede by Michael Parks .

Cast Placeholder Image

2The Man with No Name

The Dollars Trilogy (1964 – 1966)

A Fistful of Dollars is a spaghetti Western film from director Sergio Leone starring Clint Eastwood . A Fistful of Dollars is notable for being Clint Eastwood ’s enceinte rupture in Hollywood and also for being the beginning of the " Dollars Trilogy . " The film was followed by For a Few dollar More in 1965 and The Good , The Bad and the Ugly in 1966 .

Across the integral Western writing style there was no portrait more iconic than Clint Eastwood ’s turn as the Man with No Name in Sergio Leone’sDollars Trilogy . In three acclaimed films , Eastwood deliver some of his good quote , perfected the archetype of the lone Western anti - champion , and create a graphic symbol so imbued in popular culture that even those who have never ascertain a westerly movie sympathize him intuitively . As a gentleman of few word , when he did verbalise it was always witty , the Man with No Name was as clever and coolheaded as he was deadly .

While the unnamed character reference would take on a Modern identity in each flick , TV audience were aware that it was the same lineament who appeared in A handful of dollar sign , For a Few Dollars More , and The Good , the Bad and the Ugly . Through fast - fighting duel , Mexican standoffs , and countless close calls , the Man with No Name was always the deadly shooter in every confrontation he chance himself in . The Man with No Name was not just an icon of the westerly musical genre , but one of the most influential and deadly characters in the story of filmmaking .

Headshot Of Shirley MacLaine

1William ‘Will’ Munny

Unforgiven (1992)

While the Man with No Name was Clint Eastwood ’s most iconic character reference , his deadliest gunslinger came much later on with the discharge of his final Western movie and magnum opusUnforgiven . The story of an aged killer who reluctantly took on one last job , the true extent of William Munny ’s deadly nature was merely hint at as his sinister past sign a life-time plastic film with unspeakable horror and flagitious human action . After yr by from his old violent life and go peacefully as a sodbuster , before longMunny ’s coldblooded nature come up back to the head as he come face - to - face with murderous outlaws .

Unforgivenwas directed by Eastwood himself who intentionally made the movie as his last traditional Western and play as his definitive affirmation on the genre that made him a star . A major decisive success , Unforgivenwent on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awardsfor its powerful dismantling of Western figure and clichés . Will Munny stood as the mop up of every deadly Western gun thatClint Eastwoodplayed over the previous more than 30 old age in showbusiness .

Headshot Of Robert Duvall In The 40th Anniversary and World Premiere of Apocalypse

Headshot Of John Saxon

HeaDSHOT oF Gene Hackman

Headshot Of Morgan Freeman In The 63rd International Television Festival - ‘The Gray House’