All Five of Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-Nominated Films, Ranked

Clint Eastwood He earned his reputation as one of Hollywood’s all-time greats and was honored with multiple Oscar nominations for his acclaimed films. The list of Oscar nominations in every film category Eastwood has been involved in would be extraordinarily long, but when it comes to nominations and wins relating specifically to Eastwood and not the various actors, producers, editors or writers with whom he worked, the number was only five films. This included his personal nominations and wins for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor in his 60+ year career.

Although many know Eastwood as the legendary Man With No Name in Sergio Leone’s film Dollar TrilogyMany of Eastwood’s best films featured him behind the camera in the director’s chair. From surprising explorations of trauma and grief to foreign-language films that address the complexities of war, Eastwood has continually strived toward artistic greatness and won many accolades for his work. With several Oscars to his name, Eastwood was an essential figure in Hollywood throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.

5

American Sniper (2014)

Clint Eastwood was nominated for Best Picture

American sniper was a powerful late-career hit for director Clint Eastwood, which remains his highest-grossing film to date, grossing over $547 million at the global box office. The film told the story of the deadliest sniper in United States military history, Chris Kyle, who caused 255 deaths in four missions in the Iraq War (via Navy SEAL.) American sniper explored how this celebrated soldier struggled to adapt to life at home, was tormented by the feeling that his mission was not over, and suffered the devastating effects of PTSD.

Led by a strong performance from Bradley Cooper as KyleCooper was nominated for an Oscar for his role, but lost to Eddie Redmayne in The theory of everything. American sniper explored the darker sides of the American psyche, as military personnel were lauded as heroes after carrying out acts that will haunt them for the rest of their lives. With a mix of action, drama and humor, American sniper it acted as both a tribute to Kyle and a complex critique of the moral issues of the mass bloodshed in Iraq.

While American sniper earned Eastwood his fifth and most recent Best Picture nomination, the film lost to Birdman. With American sniperEastwood addressed important themes that showed how military life embodied both heroism and heartache, with an overall message that no matter how righteous one believed the U.S. to be, Americans must pay a high price for a violent war, regardless of the target. Although Eastwood made more effective and nuanced films American sniper it was a commercial high point that proved, even at age 80, that he was still capable of making films that resonated deeply with the American people.

4

Rio Místico (2003)

Clint Eastwood was nominated for Best Film and Best Director

After Clint Eastwood’s great success as winner of Best Film with Unforgivable in 1992, the director was unable to reach the same acclaimed heights again until the release of Mystic River in 2003. This intense neo-noir crime thriller proved Eastwood’s status as a major director in the 21st century, as its story of a tragic murder brought to light themes relating to how the past can profoundly affect people’s lives in the present. With a strong script and extraordinary performances Mystic River it earned six Oscar nominations and won two.

Mystic River starred Sean Penn in the Oscar-winning role of Jimmy Markum and told the story of three Boston boys who were forever hurt after one of them was captured by a child molester. This dark event cast a heavy cloud over all of their lives, which Jimmy was forced to face after his 19-year-old daughter was killed. Although a large part Mystic River follows the classic template of a procedural story, its thematic depth and brooding intensity make it stand out as a dark and effective story of grief, family, trauma and violence.

The union of Eastwood’s impeccable direction and incredible performances Mystic River a haunting and unforgettable movie viewing experience. Penn’s portrayal of Jimmy explored the cyclical nature of violence as his survivor’s guilt and intense commitment to his family tore him apart, while Tim Robbins gave an equally compelling, Oscar-winning supporting performance as Dave Boyle, an isolated and alienated friend who suffered sexual abuse.. Mystic River struck at the heart of the tragedy and sadness hidden beneath the surface of countless American lives, as the dark effect of heinous acts continued to harm and haunt victims long after the fact.

3

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

Clint Eastwood was nominated for Best Film and Best Director

It’s a testament to Clint Eastwood’s determination as an artist that, even at age 80, he was stepping out of his comfort zone with unique cinematic challenges. This was exemplified by his consecutive releases of films from Flags of our fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima in 2006. Both films were based on the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II in 1945, with Flags for our parents portraying the conflict from an American perspective, while Letters from Iwo Jima it was about the Japanese experience.

While Flags for our parents was an accomplished war film, Eastwood really outdid himself with Letters from Iwo Jima. This nuanced and thoughtful story was told almost entirely in Japanese and highlighted the profound honor and uncompromising courage of Japanese soldiers. By showing good and evil on both sides of the battle, Letters from Iwo Jima spreading the powerful message that no matter which side of the divide people are on, at the end of the day, war only leads to the unnecessary deaths of innocent people who would rather see peace than put their lives at risk.

The emotional intensity Letters from Iwo Jima It earned four Oscar nominations and best sound editing for the powerful way it took viewers into the middle of the relentless battle. Letters from Iwo Jima it also received praise in Japan, as Eastwood was praised for casting mostly Japanese actors in the lead roles and for avoiding the typical stereotypes that often plague Hollywood films featuring Japanese characters. As another important milestone in Eastwood’s direction, Letters from Iwo Jima saw the filmmaker triumph with an ambitious and highly nuanced project.

2

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Clint Eastwood won Best Picture and Best Director and was nominated for Best Actor

Clint Eastwood followed Mystic River extraordinary success with yet another career-defining film, Million Dollar Baby. With the powerful cinematic trio of Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman and Eastwood himself, all three were nominated for Oscars for their roles, and both Swank and Freeman took home awards. This powerful sports story began as the exploration of a female boxer reluctantly trained by an elderly, cantankerous coach, only to transform into a harrowing drama of survival and ethics in the face of unspeakable tragedy.

Million Dollar Baby starred Swank in perhaps her greatest role as Maggie Fitzgerald, an aspiring boxer trained by Eastwood as Frankie Dunn, a gruff, no-nonsense mentor who becomes something of a father to Maggie. With Frank estranged from his biological daughter, Maggie fills the holes in his heart, and the pair embark on a long, arduous journey to make Maggie a champion. However, Million Dollar Baby took a drastic turn when Maggie was injured in the ringShe broke her neck and became ventilator-dependent quadriplegic.

The innate power of Million Dollar Baby was the way she subverted public expectations of a woman Rockyunderdog-style story becomes an intensely uncompromising pontification of grief in the face of life-altering circumstances. Eastwood used his reputation as a tough-guy movie icon to portray a deeply vulnerable story and the sudden challenges life throws at people when they least suspect it. With fully developed characters and a story of enormous emotional impact, Million Dollar Baby It was one of Eastwood’s greatest achievements as a director.

1

Unforgiven (1992)

Clint Eastwood won Best Picture and Best Director and was nominated for Best Actor

Clint Eastwood was one of the most recognized Western stars Hollywood has ever seen, such as his portrayal of the Man with No Name in Sergio Leone’s film. Dollar Trilogy turned him into a cinema icon. Eastwood continued his association with the Western genre while carving out a name for himself as a great director, making revisionist classics like Outlaw Josey Wales or box office hits like Pale Knight. However, Eastwood’s greatest achievement in the genre was winning Best Picture in 1992 Unforgivable.

Unforgivable it was the summation of Eastwood’s entire Western filmography and served to comment on and subvert the ultraviolent and revenge tropes of the genre itself. Eastwood played retired gunslinger William Munny in an Oscar-nominated role that saw the once-violent outlaw take on one last job in a story of revenge and retribution. While Unforgivable worked well as a standalone film, it was even more powerful considering Eastwood’s acting legacy, as Munny was informed by every Western character in his vast filmography.

Not only did Unforgivable deconstructed the myth of the Old West, but did so through visually spectacular sequences that captured the stunning beauty of the American landscape. Like a keen exploration of mortality and revenge, Unforgivable meditated on age, courage and heroism through a colorful story of a farmer forced to relive once again the violence and bloodshed of his heinous past. Unforgivable it was truly Clint Eastwood masterpiece and was deservedly rewarded with Best Picture and Best Director awards at the Oscars.

Sources: box office numbers from Mojo Box Office, Navy SEAL