Directed By Clint Eastwood

Starring – Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam, Eduardo Minett

The Plot – Based on the book of the same name, stars Eastwood as a one-time rodeo star and washed-up horse breeder who, in 1978, takes a job from an ex-boss to bring the man’s young son home and away from his alcoholic mom. Crossing rural Mexico on their way back to Texas, the unlikely pair faces an unexpectedly challenging journey, during which the world-weary horseman may find his own sense of redemption through teaching the boy what it means to be a good man

Rated PG-13 for adult language and thematic elements

CRY MACHO – Official Trailer – YouTube

POSITIVES

– Heartfelt dynamic. Without question, the single most nourishing aspect to the movie is the bond between Eastwood and Minett, which brings with it some defining characteristics to the staple and importance of parenthood. Being that these are two strangers who meet for the first time within the opening twenty minutes of the film, it’s interesting to see the transformation that their long distance trip takes in supplanting in each other what the other one needs. For Eastwood, it’s the loneliness and isolation of a life that unfortunately waived goodbye to family long ago, due to some unforeseen circumstances. For Minett’s adolescent, it’s the absence of an influential presence in his life, which up until the meeting with Eastwood has caused him a turbulent destination through the seedy nightlife of underworld Mexican gambling. Each of them fill these voids seamlessly while fleshing out a connection that naturally evolves with the passage of time, etching out an angle in the narrative that carves out a valuable friendship, but also a comforting healing from within.

– Iconic presence. Even at the tender age of 91, Eastwood still makes for such an imposing, charismatic demeanor on-screen that vibrantly brings to life the many tragedies of the ensuing characterization. In this respect, Clint is eagerly up to the task, embodying a somber bravado that is still as tough and sturdy as nails, but one that simultaneously doesn’t waste an ounce of heart for the portrayal, making for some of his best acting work since the Oscar-winning “Million Dollar Baby”. Thankfully, Eastwood doesn’t have to do the heavy lifting alone, as a blossoming chemistry with Minett gives way to a generational crossroads with no shortage of wisdom or feels for the occasion. Talent like this far exceeds the limitations in the lack of depth that they’re given to work with in the script, and for one more day eagerly turns back the hands of time to give us one more chapter in the career of one of the most prolific influences in American cinema.

– Geographic beauty. It’s easy to interpret that “Cry Macho” was made on a shoestring budget, for the limitations in sets and prolonged scenes that often overstay their welcome. But the periodic scopes of some breathtaking scenery in cinematography momentarily transcended these gaps, certifying it with a big screen captivity that paves the way for the western flavor of influence to the presentation. Aside from this presenting us with an abundance of wide angle navigating shots across the Mexican desert, it’s the use of color grading and shadows that Ben Davis weaves into the fabric of the visuals that is most appealing, combining 21st century technology with the iconography of yesterday’s westerns that didn’t go unnoticed from this admirer. It’s that same colorful allure that allowed Davis the capabilities to transfer the imagination of fantastical lands from the comics to the Marvel Cinematic Universe accordingly with “Guardians of the Galaxy”, and with his splash of extraordinary illumination paints an immensity that stretches as far as the eyes can see.

NEGATIVES

– Self-indulgence. I’m just going to say this now; Eastwood should not have been cast as the lead in this film. Whether in the intense moments of fight sequences, which require trickery editing to steer his slow movements believably against guys a quarter his age, or in the couple of romantic interests in ladies who find him irresistibly attractive, there’s an overwhelming pandering of Eastwood clinging to his youth in this film that feels stronger than even 2017’s “The Mule”, and required me to suspend disbelief constantly throughout the narrative. None of what I’m saying is an insult to Clint. As I previously stated, he’s very much a captivating presence still on screen, it’s just when the scenes turn to physicality, and require the braun to his constant brains, which isn’t always up to the task, it leaves the movie reeking of desperation, and solidifies why Eastwood should remain in the director’s chair for the twilight of his legendary career.

– Dully lifeless. I’m not in favor of calling a movie boring, and using it as a means to enhance my argument. However, the narrative falls so flat and uninteresting by the midway point of this movie that it gives up on it completely. Instead of scenes of urgency pushing along the dire situation of our two leads, there’s a down period so long and condemning to the pacing of the movie’s inferior second half that nearly put me to sleep, and reshaped the beats of the narrative into a movie that wasn’t the one I eagerly invested my time into. Instead of Mike and Rafo constantly dodging a combination of authorities and hired guns by the latter’s mother, this becomes a slice of life movie where Mike teaches Rafo things like riding horses, or life lessons to hammer home their dynamic and pad out the overstuffed run time. Slowburns are easy enough if they supplant something compelling to the integrity of its persistence, but considering a majority of the screenplay revels in redundancy, it never evolves into something palpable for what is hanging in the balance, making for a film that was an arduous chore to get through.

– Horrendous dialogue. Much of the lines of dialogue and exposition feel geared towards a first draft screenplay that is only meant to further along the scenes without any degree of naturalism to their deposit. This is most realized any time Dwight Yoakam’s Howard is on screen, as everything just sort of grinds to a screeching halt for padded lines that feel like they heavily play into the attaining the plot in a two minute trailer. Minett’s is just as bad, which makes his pleasant turn all the more shocking because of the horrible hand he’s dealt continuously throughout. Such an example pertains to a scene in which he tells Eastwood that he hates his father, only for Eastwood to change his mind with the ideal that he’s got lots of horses. I’m not exaggerating in the slightest. That is literally the internal struggle within Minett’s Rafo that is solved with Hallmark levels of cheese in their interaction.

– Unnerving conscience. “Cry Macho” is the latest in white savior movies, which has been a staple of Eastwood direction since 2004’s “Gran Torino” showed black youths the error of their ways. For this depiction, we instead focus on a Mexican youth who is taken out of the slums for a poor white character who somehow has the knowledge and connection to inspire the former into reaching for something higher in his life. Aside from this, I also felt dirty from the lack of characterization within the only two female speaking characters, whose only true necessity is to sleep with a man 40 to 50 years their senior. Maybe if the script earned this aspect with some time and energy devoted to their influence, I could’ve easily bought the appeal in what they see in him, but considering they’re swooning from the moment his stuck-in-sitting-mode comes into their lives, it speaks volumes to the value of their influence, which is nothing more than to whet his pallet. Here comes lunch.

– Conveyor belt subgenre. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to hear that “Cry Macho” doesn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to road trip movies, nor does it even remotely tighten the nuts with its buffet of tropes and telegraphed movements that prove no ounce of originality went into its manufacturing. There’s a cheesy antagonist who is easily outsmarted by the two in the scenes the movie chooses to include him, various calls home to continuously re-evaluate the stakes (Or lack there of) to an audience firmly losing interest, car trouble resulting in help from a local, and of course the bonding evolution from the two forced to endure themselves and nothing but the open road at their disposal. Because of such “Cry Macho” feels lazily uninspired from the perspective of an obligation movie, and one whose predictability can be summoned by a two minute trailer that included any semblance of substance to its appeal.

– Technical mishaps. The brutality of the engagement isn’t just limited to a material level, as the production behind the screen equally conveys the disjointed approach by Eastwood as a director. It’s been known that Clint doesn’t like to waste time with additional takes or reshoots, and it certainly shows in an editing scheme that is every bit clunky as it is unintentionally comical for what it stitches together. One such scene involving Eastwood and Yoakam at the beginning of the film is completely illogical from a continuity perspective, with body movements of Eastwood moving back and forth while still, despite the editing conveying to us that he has moved his body at least twice while standing completely still in place. What equally confirms that two or even three different takes were stitched together to make something passable, is the inconsistencies in sound design, which increase and decrease in volume each time a cut takes shape. For a major motion picture, this is sloppy to say the least, and drew attention to aspects that should naturally mold into the creative fabric of a film, but don’t because of its dishonest tricks that tumble with turmoil.

My Grade: 4/10 or D