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 sometimes 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 bound 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.
It looks like “The 15:17 to Paris,” 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 film was breezily supposed to be ready for an Awards-Season release in December. However, Deadline is now reporting that they've decided to release it in February, no word on a possible single day Oscar-qualifying run, but it sure seems unlikely as February 9th, 2018 is the date in which they have settled upon. Did the WB think that the film just wasn't good enough to be advertised for Oscar season? Who knows, Eastwood's last few films have failed to ignite critics and there's a sense that the director is just making movies to pass the time. I say that's nonsense. To say I'm looking forward to “The 15:17 to Paris” would be an understatement, anything Eastwood does is welcome in my books, Oscar season or not.