This has got to be one the greatest box set I have ever had the pleasure to review. Clint Eastwood is a quintessential part of American cinema both in front of and behind the camera. He is an icon. A legend. An actor who can play comedy, drama, and action with ease and whose screen presence lets you know you’re in for a good time at the movies.
This massive collection is a comprehensive look at Eastwood’s career with Warner Bros. that has spanned over four decades. It truly is amazing to think about how varied his body of work is and how many times he’s played a cop! And believe me, he’s played a cop or some form of law enforcement a lot over the span of his career.
When I first got the box set in the mail, it was pretty overwhelming. It’s 38 movies after all (and two documentaries)! That’s a lot of flicks to get through on top of two documentaries about Eastwood as both an actor and director. Of course, the very fact that it is Clint Eastwood makes the task of watching these movies a huge treat; he’s one of those rare actors that you never get tired of watching over and over again.
Eastwood shines no matter what the movie or the genre. Whether the movie is silly (Every Which Way But Loose), gritty (Dirty Harry), thought-provoking (Million Dollar Baby), dramatic (The Bridges of Madison County), fun (Space Cowboys), or a classic buddy cop genre flick (The Rookie), the Clint Eastwood 40-Film Collection is the perfect tribute to an amazing artist.
So, what are the films included in this collection? Here’s the list: Dirty Harry; Magnum Force; The Enforcer; The Gauntlet; Sudden Impact; Tightrope; The Dead Pool; The Rookie; Where Eagles Dare; Kelly’s Heroes; Firefox; Heartbreak Ridge; Absolute Power; True Crime; Space Cowboys; Blood Work; Every Which Way But Loose; Any Which Way You Can; Bronco Billy; Honkytonk Man; City Heat; Pink Cadillac; A Perfect World; The Bridges of Madison County; The Outlaw Josey Wales; Pale Rider; Bird; White Hunter, Black Heart; Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil; Mystic River; Million Dollar Baby; Letters from Iwo Jima; Unforgiven; Gran Torino; Invictus; Hereafter; J. Edgar; and Trouble with the Curve.
Since they were done with other studios and not Warner Bros, Eastwood’s films High Plains Drifter, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Changeling, and others are not included in this collection.
Along with the 38 films and two documentaries (The Eastwood Factor; Eastwood Directs: The Untold Story), you also get an abridged version of the book, Clint Eastwood: Master Filmmaker at Work with a preface by Morgan Freeman.
Needless to say this is an awesome collection of films and totally worth owning for any fan of Clint Eastwood’s work as either an actor or a director. I’m really enjoying going through this box set and seeing movies I’ve never seen before, and rewatching those I have seen once again. I highly, highly recommend Clint Eastwood: 40-Film Collection!
Clint Eastwood: 40-Film Collection is available NOW on Blu-ray and DVD!
What’s your favorite Clint Eastwood movie? How many have you seen that are part of this collection? Leave a comment and let us know!