Here's How Director Paul Schrader Really Feels About Clint Eastwood's Cry Macho
Paul Schrader is a legendary director and writer. He's famous for the screenplays he's written for Martin Scorsese, which include "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull," as well as his own films as a writer-director, which include "American Gigolo," "First Reformed," and "The Card Counter," which stars Oscar Isaac and is in theaters now. He's also famous -– or perhaps infamous –- for his Facebook account, where the outspoken 75-year-old posts unfiltered missives about culture and cinema.
His most recent attention-grabbing take posted to Facebook is his review of Clint Eastwood's "Cry Macho." Schrader is not a fan. As a matter of fact, he thinks it's an historically bad movie.
"Cry Macho" is the 91-year-old actor-director's latest film. He plays a retired Texas cowboy who goes to Mexico to bring back his former boss' son, who is heading down a bad path, including participating in cockfights with his rooster, named Macho. The film has generally received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics ,– with a "Rotten" score of 56% on Rotten Tomatoes, but Schrader really hated it.
"I can appreciate the inclination to give Clint Eastwood a pass but has an important American director made a film as bad as 'Cry Macho' since Howard Hawks' 'Man's Favorite Sport?'" Schrader wrote on Facebook. It only gets harsher from there.
Paul Schrader is using Facebook the right way
Schrader went in on "Cry Macho" in a way that's rare for one filmmaker to publicly do to another, especially without being asked about it. "It fails in every area: screenwriting, lighting, locations, sets, props, wardrobe and casting," he wrote. "When, early on, Eastwood employs an under the car shot of a boot hitting the ground I thought, 'Great, he's going to riff on the stylizations of macho westerns' — but that was the last interesting composition in the film."
Schrader found the film's commentary on manhood obvious and out-of-date. "Sure, Clint is given a few cliché ridden passages about the futility of machismo but these only have value because a shrunken Dirty Harry is giving voice to them," Schrader continued. "These character insights had value thirty years ago. It was like listening to a criminal apologize to the family of his victims in hopes that the judge will cut him a lesser sentence."
Paul Schrader, in addition to being a great filmmaker, is a sharp and astute film critic.
(By the way, "Man's Favorite Sport?" is a late-career romantic comedy about fishing from Howard Hawks, the director of classics like "Bringing Up Baby," "His Girl Friday," and "The Big Sleep.")