Director Clint Eastwood has helmed fourteen movies since hitting the age of 70. Has any director come close to that feat at this late stage in their career? Yes, Woody Allen‘s nearly been there thirteen films post-70, but Eastwood is still making hyper-relevant films at the near twilight of his career and sometime breaking the box office in the process with something like “American Sniper.” Case in point his last two films: ‘Sniper‘ and “Sully,” both of which had the classicism of old-school Hollywood filmmaking, and yet, felt vitally alive and current. The resonant theme that binded both was the cost of hero worship. Both films have male characters who feel isolated and flawed, despite being deemed heroes by those around them.
His next film is “The 15:17 to Paris,” which will be treading that line as well. Eastwood shot the film in the span of a month, which is based on the true story of the three American students who stopped a terrorist attack two years ago in Paris. But in the ballsiest twist in recent mainstream filmmaking, the 87-year-old director has decided to screw conventional Hollywood casting and tapped the actual three real-life American students who stopped the terrorist on the train as the leads of the film. A risk that has had people talking, but it seems like Eastwood saw something in these young men that made him believe he could pull this off. My advice? Trust Clint. Also, Eastwood really gives zero fucks these days so he probably doesn’t care anyhow.
“The 15:17 to Paris,” is being released on February 9th, 2018
2018 The 15:17 to Prais2016 Sully
2014 American Sniper
2014 Jersey Boys
2011 J. Edgar
2010 Hereafter
2009 Invictus
2008 Gran Torino
2008 Changeling
2006 Letters from Iwo Jima
2006 Flags of Our Fathers
2004 Million Dollar Baby
2003 Mystic River
2002 Blood Work
2000 Space Cowboys