All Rise...

The Appellate Judge James A. Stewart Factor is a vital part of mathematics.

Editor's Note

Our review of The Eastwood Factor: Extended Version, published June 1st, 2010, is also available.

The Charge

"Last summer, we did something we never thought to do before. We wandered the Warner lot, collecting Clint's reminiscences of his many years making films at the studio."—Richard Schickel, on the genesis of The Eastwood Factor

The Case

[Editor's Note: The Eastwood Factor is one of several bonus features on Warner Home Video's Clint Eastwood: 35 Films, 35 Years. WHV did not provide final product for the collector's set, and only sent over a check disc for this documentary.]

To contradict a movie title, Clint Eastwood's impact on Hollywood hasn't been sudden. He first became a household name as cowhand Rowdy Yates on Rawhide, but that role only showed hints of his future as "The Man With No Name" in spaghetti Westerns, Dirty Harry Callahan, and the honored director of Million Dollar Baby and Bird, the aspects of his career examined in The Eastwood Factor.

In Factor, Eastwood visits the Warner Bros. lot, talking to a costumer about his outfits from Dirty Harry and Unforgiven, visits the New York street backlot set of Bird, and visits the set for a key scene from Million Dollar Baby. Each of these scenes is used as a springboard for an examination of his films, particularly Mystic River, Dirty Harry, Unforgiven, Bird, and Million Dollar Baby.

What struck me most during this documentary was the contrast between the tough onscreen Clint Eastwood in clips—even in an early Maverick appearance—and the good-natured Clint Eastwood of reality. Not only is antihero persona well-crafted, but it's an outward sign of a thoughtful actor and filmmaker.

What you see here is only a work in progress, as Richard Schickel says in an introduction; a longer version will be included in a collector's edition of Eastwood's movies. I was impressed with what I saw—it could stand up on its own—and have high expectations for the final result. Still, it's just a rough draft.

The Verdict

What's here is acquitted, but I'm disappointed that I couldn't see more for a final verdict.

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