The 10 Most Underrated Clint Eastwood Movies, Ranked (from least to most underrated)

Clint Eastwood has spent decades moving between acting and directing, building a filmography that ranges from westerns and thrillers to war dramas and intimate character studies. Many of his titles are household names, yet a surprising number of strong films sit outside the usual greatest hits conversations and deserve another look.

This list focuses on projects that often fly under the radar in his body of work. You will find brief production context, key cast information, and plot essentials for each title, along with details like source material and notable accolades or craft choices that help explain why these films matter.

10. ‘Space Cowboys’ (2000)

Clint Eastwood directs and stars alongside Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, and James Garner in a story about retired test pilots called back by NASA to fix a failing satellite that uses guidance code from their early career. The film blends astronaut training, mission logistics, and crew dynamics with location work that included real NASA facilities.

The production features practical effects mixed with digital work for orbital sequences and a score that supports the film’s mix of humor and tension. The story uses the satellite crisis to revisit Cold War era technology and to explore how veteran expertise is redeployed for a high risk mission in the present.

9. ‘True Crime’ (1999)

Eastwood directs and plays investigative reporter Steve Everett, who races to reexamine the case of a death row inmate played by Isaiah Washington on the day of the scheduled execution. The film adapts the novel by Andrew Klavan and follows newsroom process, police records work, and interview strategy as Everett reconstructs events.

The production situates the action in a metropolitan newsroom where deadline pressure shapes every choice, and it frames the legal clock through prison procedure and gubernatorial staff scheduling. The supporting cast includes Denis Leary and James Woods, and the script tracks how small factual inconsistencies can reopen a case at the last possible moment.

8. ‘Honkytonk Man’ (1982)

Eastwood directs and stars as Depression era singer Red Stovall on a road trip to Nashville with his young nephew, played by Kyle Eastwood. The story follows stops at rural farms, roadside towns, and music venues as Red pursues a coveted audition while fighting a serious illness that affects his travel and performance.

The film is based on the novel by Clancy Carlile and includes appearances by country musicians, which grounds the recording sessions and stage scenes in real music culture. Period cars, wardrobe, and locations place the journey firmly in the economic realities of the time, while the narrative tracks how talent, family duty, and health intersect in the pursuit of a break.

7. ‘White Hunter Black Heart’ (1990)

Eastwood directs and plays filmmaker John Wilson, a character inspired by John Huston, during a pre production trip to Africa before shooting a film similar to ‘The African Queen’. The story centers on Wilson’s fixation on hunting an elephant, which delays the start of filming and puts crew plans at risk.

Adapted from Peter Viertel’s novel, the film examines how creative ambition, personal obsession, and colonial era leisure intersect on a working location. The production was shot on African locations and recreates the logistics of scouting, camp life, and equipment transport, while the script uses the hunt as a parallel to the moral choices involved in making a movie.

6. ‘Absolute Power’ (1997)

Eastwood directs and stars as master thief Luther Whitney, who witnesses a violent crime that implicates the sitting president, played by Gene Hackman. The plot follows evidence handling, Secret Service containment efforts, and a homicide investigation led by Ed Harris as multiple agencies converge on the same incident.

Based on David Baldacci’s novel, the film uses secure residences, tunnels, and museum spaces to stage break ins and cover ups. Laura Linney appears as Whitney’s daughter, and the story tracks how surveillance, chain of custody, and media optics shape the response to a crime that reaches the highest office.

5. ‘The Beguiled’ (1971)

Directed by Don Siegel and starring Eastwood with Geraldine Page and Elizabeth Hartman, the film is set at a girls school in the American South during the Civil War. A wounded Union soldier is taken in, and the story details medical treatment, rationing, and rules inside the school as the war isolates the household.

The script adapts Thomas Cullinan’s novel ‘A Painted Devil’ and uses candlelit interiors and tight corridors to create a closed environment where shifting alliances affect care decisions. Production design emphasizes uniforms, surgical tools, and classroom spaces to show how education, religion, and wartime codes collide within a single building.

4. ‘Flags of Our Fathers’ (2006)

Eastwood directs this companion piece to ‘Letters from Iwo Jima’, focusing on the Marines who raised the flag on Mount Suribachi and the aftermath during the stateside bond tour. The film follows Ryan Phillippe, Adam Beach, and Jesse Bradford through combat depictions, battlefield medical support, and the public events that followed the iconic photograph.

Based on the book by James Bradley and Ron Powers, the production reconstructs amphibious landings, trench works, and artillery positions, then shifts to parade routes, stadium appearances, and press calls. The film received Academy Award recognition in sound categories, reflecting the scale and detail of its combat audio and mixing work.

3. ‘Bird’ (1988)

Eastwood directs Forest Whitaker as saxophonist Charlie Parker, charting club dates, tours, and hospital stays as Parker’s music life intersects with personal struggles. Diane Venora portrays Chan Parker, and the film incorporates archival recordings that were separated and reworked so modern musicians could accompany Parker’s original solos.

The production uses nightclubs, apartment interiors, and studio spaces to show how bookings, royalties, and travel shaped a jazz career. Whitaker received the Best Actor award at Cannes for his performance, and the film’s approach to sound places real session material at the center of its musical sequences.

2. ‘Richard Jewell’ (2019)

Eastwood directs the story of security guard Richard Jewell, played by Paul Walter Hauser, whose alert at Centennial Olympic Park saved lives during the bombing and who later became the focus of a federal investigation. The film follows evidence collection, press conferences, and counsel strategy with Sam Rockwell as attorney Watson Bryant and Kathy Bates as Bobi Jewell.

The production was filmed in Georgia and recreates the park, nearby streets, and media workrooms to detail how a major event is secured and covered. The film brought widespread attention to investigative procedures and newsroom practices related to the case, and Kathy Bates earned an Academy Award nomination for supporting actress.

1. ‘A Perfect World’ (1993)

Directed by Eastwood and starring Kevin Costner with T J Lowther and Laura Dern, the film tracks an escaped convict who forms a complex bond with a young boy during a cross state pursuit. Eastwood appears as a Texas lawman coordinating roadblocks and airborne surveillance as the manhunt unfolds.

The production maps the journey across back roads, farmhouses, and small town stops, paying close attention to era specific vehicles and police communications. The script explores how custody decisions, patrol tactics, and jurisdictional cooperation shape a search, while the cinematography emphasizes open landscapes that define the route.

Share your own picks for overlooked Clint Eastwood titles in the comments so everyone can compare notes.