Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Cry Macho Blu-ray Movie Review

New country for old man.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III December 5, 2021

Besides for the fact that it's directed by and starring a 91 year-old living legend who just won't quit, perhaps the most interesting thing about Clint Eastwood's Cry Macho is that he's been sitting on the script for five full decades. This slow, methodical film follows retired cowboy Mike Milo (Eastwood) as he drives to Mexico City on a mission to bring back his former boss's 13 year-old son, Raphael (Eduardo Minett), who now lives with his mother Leta (Fernanda Urrejola). The reason? Mike's exactly the kind of guy that Raphael (or "Rafo") might listen to... and as the parent of a near-teenager, I can certainly understand the notion that, sometimes, your kids just need advice from someone else.

Mike's is a long and languorous journey; one that was only supposed to take a few days on the fistful of cash from Rafo's dad, Howard (Dwight Yoakam), but the job balloons to several weeks after Mike is forced to deal with a few roadblocks along the way. For starters, his first stop at Leta's luxurious home leaves him empty-handed: she flatly informs him that Rafo's turned to crime and spends most of his days cockfighting with a prize rooster named Macho. Once the two finally meet, Rafo surprisingly seems interested in returning to his father and grabs a few belongings (including the rooster, just for fun) but Leta intervenes, threatening Mike and sending a few henchmen to follow them. This makes their return trip to Texas a bit more difficult; that, and Howard's reasons for wanting his son back have changed. Mike and Rafo end up hiding out in a cantina owned by kindly Marta (Natalia Traven), a single grandmother who lets them stay the night. But it's still a long road home, with Mike biding his time while teaching Rafo about life, machismo, and regret, hoping to strengthen the boy into a young man in time to meet his waiting father.

It's a nice sentiment and the journey shared by Mike and Rafo is fitfully entertaining, with episodic breaks that include cattle rustling, an abandoned church, a relaxing evening bonfire, two or three bursts of action, and even a bit of Horse Whisperer-style animal rehab (which the film actually ends up sharing strands of spiritual DNA with). But Cry Macho is mostly thin and frustratingly uneventful, asking a lot of patience with only the bare minimum of emotionally engaging drama to tie everything together. The supporting performances are hit-or-miss, which has plagued more than a few Eastwood-directed films, including Gran Torino, and the editing is just as loose as you'd expect. Even Eastwood, who still gets around amazingly well -- and apparently hadn't hidden a horse since the Unforgiven days -- is more than a few years late to the role, which can't help but strain the credibility of several action and romance-related scenes. Had a 70 or 75 year-old Eastwood hopped back in the saddle, this would have been a more believable ride.

Full disclosure: I'm not the biggest fan of Eastwood's late-late period work (both as an actor and director, although I'm more likely to enjoy his output in the latter department), so I didn't exactly have sky-high expectations going in. Even so, any themes beyond its core narrative just feel too lightweight and familiar for their own good, which never allows Cry Macho to build any kind of lasting emotional momentum. And while it's always good to see the living legend doing what he obviously loves, the 50-year journey from script to screen -- which included a pitch to Eastwood in 1988 (who said he was too young for it, ironically), an unfinished project in 1991 starring Roy Scheider, and another one in 2001 starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, of all people -- just doesn't seem like it was worth the wait. Regardless, Warner Bros. has doubled down on Cry Macho (despite its crushing box-office disappointment) by issuing separate Blu-ray and 4K releases, even though at least two more deserving films were limited to Blu-ray only earlier this year.

For a similarly lukewarm take on the film, please see Brian Orndorf's theatrical review.

Cry Macho Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Like most of Warner Bros.' recent 4K discs (sparse as they are), Cry Macho has proven a little tougher to come by than most mainstream releases and an advance copy was not available. That disc will be covered in the near future but, in the meantime, this Blu-ray disc stands as a surprisingly solid disc in its own right. Truth be told, Cry Macho isn't exactly a visually ambitious film but this 1080p transfer does a fantastic job with its workmanlike visuals, mostly desolate landscapes, and crisp close-ups of Eastwood's weathered face. Fine detail and textures are respectably good within format limitations, black levels are smooth and deep, and color reproduction runs mostly muted with few exceptions, most in the form of background details (stained glass, clothing), warm fires, and a few attractive magic-hour moments. The film runs at a reasonably high bit rate (there are, after all, barely two hours of content including the extras on this dual-layered disc) and thus displays only a few very light compression issues common to this format including slight banding on harsh gradients, such as the aforementioned fires and other bright lights. Overall, it's a great transfer and should play just fine on smaller displays. While I'm expecting more from its 4K counterpart, there probably won't be night and day differences -- Cry Macho has 2K source material, so it'll be an upscale with HDR enhancement.

Cry Macho Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix packs a bit more weight than expected: while Cry Macho clearly offers a dialogue-driven story (and a rather subdued one at that), it opens up nicely during different stops on Mike and Rafo's journey. From a few convincing weather-related effects to sporadic bursts of action and even a few outdoor conversations heightened by discrete channel activity, this can be a surprisingly active mix at unexpected moments and one that also benefits from a solid original score by Mark Mancina. While it won't exactly test the limits of your surround system from start to finish, there's little room for improvement here and that's enough to earn it decently high marks.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the film and bonus features.

Cry Macho Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with rugged cover art and a matching slipcover; a Digital Copy redemption slip and promotional insert are also included. The extras are minimal but certainly welcome.

• Back in the Saddle: The Making Of "Cry Macho" (12:17) - A fairly basic but enjoyable behind-the-scenes documentary, this piece includes comments from Eastwood, co-writer Nick Shenk, producer Albert S. Ruddy (also 91!), and all key members of the cast including Dwight Yoakam, Eduardo Minett, Natalia Traven, Fernanda Urrejola, and Horacio Garcia Rojas (as "Aurelio", one of the henchmen pursuing Mike and Rafo).

• Macho and the Mustangs (7:13) - Eastwood and a few returning participants go into a little more detail about Clint's long-time love of animals and the horse-riding scenes in the movie, from learning to ride again to tight camerawork in close, dangerous quarters and even a bit of on-set horseplay (*rim shot*).

Cry Macho Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Clint Eastwood's Cry Macho is a well-meaning but ultimately flat return to the the actor/director's cowboy years, with a mostly slow and uninvolving story that never builds real momentum aside for a few intermittent highlights. Even so, the living legend's most die-hard fans might find more magic in its framework and, at the very least, it's good to see Eastwood clearly enjoying himself. Warner Bros.' Blu-ray offers great A/V specs with a little room for improvement... but that's what the forthcoming 4K is for. Even so, this one's definitely a "try before you buy" disc.