Cry Macho is a film that plays to Clint Eastwood’s strengths as a director and actor. It allows him to frame a story about questioning age, youth, and regret. It allows him to once more slip into the role of bitter curmudgeon that could use a lesson to learn.
It’s a formula that has worked for films like Gran Torino and others. It also is a refreshing change of pace from his past few duds. That being said, it feels very much like predictable Eastwood drama.
The Old Cowboy
Eastwood plays the retired rodeo star Mike Milo. Having been disgraced, he can’t even muster a job as a rancher. He’s fired and wallows in his own tragic past.
Mike’s former employer, Howard (Dwight Yoakam), comes to him with a quest. Calling a favor, Howard tasks Mike with finding his estranged son in Mexico. Howard’s reasoning is that he believes his mother is abusing him.
The Misguided Youth
The son Mike seeks is Rafael “Rafo” Polk (Eduardo Minett). While Rafo’s mother is wealthy, Rafo prefers a life on the street. He indulges in cockfights and hangs out with the wrong crowd.
It’s only when gangsters and cops become involved that Rafo even thinks of following Mike. Their relationship becomes a reluctant one, where Mike starts regretting his journey. He regrets it all the more since Rafo’s pet chicken is joining the trip.
The Dusty Road
Eastwood’s journey from Mexico to the states is filled with familiar beats. We have our bitter meeting where Mike and Rafo despise each other. We have the tension that comes with evading the law as well as gangsters.
We also have moments of quiet charm. There’s a wonderfully reflective moment where Mike and Rafo have a campfire in the desert. The bitter Mike opens up about his love of animals and the grief of his lost family.
Rafo also gets his moments to shine. He tries to stick up for himself and learns what it means to be a man. This lesson is thankfully not delivered in mundane platitudes of grit.
To Be a Man
The most interesting aspects of Cry Macho come in moments of questioning masculinity. This is almost bluntly delivered by Rafo naming his chicken fighter Macho. To Rafo, being macho means being deceptive and a loner.
Of course, Mike needs to prove him wrong. But he first has to fix himself before he can fix a kid. It’s a simple yet emotionally effective assembly for a road trip drama.
Once Mike starts to get his priorities straight, he showcases his positive aspects. He teaches Rafo how to ride a horse and even wrangle one. They later meet a Mexican family where Mike shows off his sign-language abilities to some deaf kids.
A Familiar Journey
The real problem with such a picture is that not much of this is new. Anyone familiar with Eastwood’s twilight roles will know this character. The bitter grump seems to be all he’s destined to play or want to play based on his direction.
To his credit, the role fits Eastwood like a glove. But he doesn’t really place any new spin on the character. His goals are also quite similar to other Eastwood and old-man movies.
In terms of how much new blood Eastwood breathes into this picture, it’s not much. The direction is still meaningful and contemplative. The script, however, is filled with so many familiar scenes you can time them to the second.
A Handful of Acting
In bits and pieces, the film does work quite well. I enjoyed Eastwood’s bickering with Yoakam that showcases an old relationship being tested. The scenes between Eastwood and Minett really grow on you with enough time to boil.
Most of the film, however, just sort of meanders around good scenes. Rarely do they connect together in a way that shows a notable progression. There’s only so much Eastwood growling one can snicker at before it becomes tiresome and this film certainly tests that limit.
Holding Back
After Eastwood’s lesser neo-Western of The Mule, this film is thankfully more subdued. For being set in the 1970s, I fully expected Eastwood to go more politically incorrect for his flawed character. Color me surprised he doesn’t retreat to his Gran Torino grunting of racist insults.
There was one scene I particularly enjoyed. Mike and Rafo are pulled over by Federales and have their car searched for drugs. Eastwood, knowing their innocent, spends the whole time bad-mouthing the law enforcement.
That is easily my favorite moment. Eastwood, a man who once played a cop who went too far, now curses out cops who went too far. There’s something so cathartically interesting about that scene.
Conclusion: Cry Macho
The entertainment of Cry Macho comes down to how much you dig the Eastwood formula. If you enjoy watching the old man learn to not be so grump, you’ll get that with gusto direction. If you’re seeking something more, well…look, he’s old and that bag of tricks is growing thin.
I enjoyed parts of the film and it has its occasional bursts of western wonder. As a whole, however, it just felt like another routine yet heartfelt picture. It’s basically just another film of Eastwood playing a character who realizes, “Maybe youth isn’t all that bad.”
What did you think of Cry Macho? Did you see it in the theaters or did you catch it on HBO Max? How does it compare to Mighty Oak? Let us know in the comments below.
The Review
Cry Macho
A mostly by-the-numbers road drama about getting old and being a man.
PROS
- Good Chemistry
- Strong Themes of Questioning Masculinity
- Beautifully Introspective
CONS
- Eastwood Plays The Same Role
- Fails To Dig Deeper On The Topic of Manhood
- Meanders Too Much
