The Last Movie I Saw

I'm starting to wonder if there's anything in the long history of cinema that can possible match the totally unexpected awesomeness (and I mean that in the undiluted, pre-Spicoli sense) of Clint Eastwood's late stage directorial career. The man was always a fine entertainer, both behind and in front of the camera, but I can't imagine anyone would have predicted what has to be the most sublime run of movies produced by any individual filmmaker over the past fifteen or twenty years. I'd argue that even his earliest directorial efforts betrayed a clear willingness to stretch himself thematically (Play Misty for Me, Bronco Billy, Honkytonk Man), even if his abilities weren't quite on a par with his ambitions. That clearly is no longer the case, and Hereafter is just the latest piece of evidence. It's not that the movie is without flaws (the ending is a bit contrived), but the construction of the film-- its deliberate pace and thoughtful execution-- make that almost irrelevant to its ultimate impact. The subject-- what happens after we die-- is potentially a bleak one, especially since Eastwood and writer Peter Morgan do not approach the premise from a religious or fantasy perspective (which is not to say those elements are entirely absent). But the care that goes into expressing the emotional need of the protagonists (of three ultimately intertwined stories) to come to terms with the connection between life and afterlife proceeds so calmly as to allow the viewer to absorb and process the ideas without being distracted by arbitrary or artificial dramatic highlights. Just a really, really good movie that may be worlds away from The Outlaw Josie Wales, but is just as satisfying if you give it the chance.