5 Clint Eastwood Movies That Are Extremely Overrated

There's little denying that Clint Eastwood is a great filmmaker, on both sides of the camera. His acting accolades and directing achievements have produced plenty of hits and classics. Eastwood's best Westerns alone have made him a genre great. His massive number of award wins, including four Academy Awards, prove that if anything, this Hollywood icon truly has nothing left to prove.

On the other hand, though, Eastwood has made so many movies that statistics alone dictate that a few of them must enjoy a somewhat overblown reputation. Today, we'll take a look at five such movies. Not all the films on this list are bad. In fact, some of them are very good. However, be it because of their overblown success compared to their quality or the uncomfortable elements they contain, they all have one thing in common — they stand among the most overrated Clint Eastwood movies ever. 

Clint Eastwood's 1973 Western masterpiece is his most disturbing film in many ways. In "High Plains Drifter," Eastwood plays an unnamed stranger who's all but stated to be the spirit of a sheriff (Buddy Van Horn) that unfairly died in the hands of outlaws. Upon his arrival, the protagonist proceeds to completely upend the power balance of the town, painting it red and rebranding it as Hell to unnerve the returning outlaws — but also the townspeople themselves, for reasons that eventually unfold. 

In many ways, "High Plains Drifter" is a good and impressive movie. However, one aspect instantly takes it down a few pegs in Eastwood's filmography. The Stranger is a truly cruel man who almost immediately sexually assaults a woman called Callie Travers (Mariana Hill) over a minor slight when he arrives in town. Later, an intimate scene between the Stranger and Sarah Belding (Verna Bloom) is also preceded by extremely heavy assault overtones. 

This isn't a good look now and it shouldn't have been in the 1970s, either. The assault and threats are the most uncomfortable elements in a movie that would be pretty dark even without them. They come across as completely unnecessary, landing "High Plains Drifter" as one of Eastwood's most overappreciated movies.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Joshua Logan's 1969 film "Paint Your Wagon" is a curiosity in Clint Eastwood's career. Admittedly, it isn't a particular critical darling, and was somewhat of a disappointment at the box office with its $31.6 million haul against a $20 million production budget. It's also a Western musical, of all things, starring Western heavyweights (and less than impressive singers) Eastwood and Lee Marvin, of all people. 

Eastwood himself has had some pretty harsh words about it, so who are we to say otherwise? While he hasn't outright insulted the movie, he has specifically noted that he considers it pretty overrated. "It wasn't that it was a bad movie," Eastwood once told Rolling Stone (via Far Out Magazine). "A lot of people just thought it was the greatest." 

In a 2017 interview with Empire, he was somewhat more forthright, quoting both the movie's surprisingly light tone and its difficult production as reasons for his distaste. "It was much lighter, it just didn't have the dynamics that the original script did. And that was another long shoot," Eastwood said. "That was not as pleasant an experience as I was used to."

With a decent 81% Rotten Tomatoes score, 2008's "Gran Torino" is one of the more esteemed late-period works by Clint Eastwood. But compared to the rest of his grand filmography, the movie really doesn't have a lot going for it. 

In fact, "Gran Torino" relies almost entirely on recycling themes and plot points from his earlier works. Once again, we see Eastwood play out the grumpy aging man routine he's been perfecting since at least 1992's "Unforgiven." Only, instead of a tragic, aging gunslinger, "Gran Torino" uses this arguably overused trope to paint a picture of a prejudiced man who wants you as far off his lawn as humanly possible, with some nuance thrown in for good measure. Once again, Eastwood has a touching relationship with a younger protégé in Thao Vang Lor (Bee Vang), but 2004's "Million Dollar Baby" already did that much better. And once again, Eastwood takes on a brutal gang that controls the area, just as in his spaghetti Western days.  

None of this is a slight on "Gran Torino," per se. It's a charming little movie about an elderly man who's set in his ways, but unexpectedly finds new people to care about. However, in many ways, it comes across as microwaved leftovers of truly great Eastwood pictures, which makes its tendency to turn up whenever his greatest efforts are discussed somewhat confusing. 

"Million Dollar Baby" is generally considered one of the best Clint Eastwood movies. It has four Academy Awards to its name, including best picture and best directing, making it one of the most successful films in Clint Eastwood's massive résumé by default. Still, a film can be great and overrated — and "Million Dollar Baby" definitely belongs in this category. 

Here, Eastwood plays the same grumpy old man archetype that's a staple of much of his late-game work. As boxing trainer Frankie Dunn, this works well enough, but it doesn't lend this particular film much distinction from all the others that see him playing the exact same part. The movie's secret weapon and most deserving Academy Award winner is Hillary Swank, who owns her role as Maggie Fitzgerald from beginning to the end. But the surrounding film doesn't quite match what she brings to the table. Did Morgan Freeman really deserve an Oscar for his role as Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris, as opposed to something like "The Shawshank Redemption?" 

Is "Million Dollar Baby" a good movie? Yes. is it a great movie? That depends on where you're coming from, but an argument could be made that the answer is also yes. But is it a movie that deserves four Academy Awards and countless other prizes that put it in the conversation of best movies ever? On that front, we'd argue that "Million Dollar Baby" is overrated.

It took some serious guts for Eastwood to make "Every Which Way But Loose," the 1978 comedy that truly played with his hard man image by turning him into a hard-hitting trucker and fighter — and giving him an orangutan sidekick to boot. On paper, it probably should have failed, with Eastwood's own agent feeling it wasn't right for him. Yet, Eastwood chose to star in the movie, and it was a good move. The adventures of Philo Beddoe and his simian friend Clyde became a massive box office success, with a $104 million box office haul — nearly $500 million, adjusted for inflation. It also gave birth to a successful sequel, "Any Which Way You Can." As such, there's little denying that the film was a hit.

Unfortunately, there's equally little denying that "Every Which Way But Loose" is also frankly bad. With a 41% Rotten Tomatoes rating, the movie is a sore and sordid affair that should have no business being as popular as it is, and it's not shocking that Eastwood has steered clear from primate-themed comedies after wrapping up the duology.