Five Clint Eastwood movies can be streamed completely for free, and four of them are among the actor’s greatest Westerns. Throughout his career, the actor and director was responsible for a multitude of now-legendary movies. During the early years of his stardom, Westerns were where Clint Eastwood really shined, but as time passed, his legacy grew far beyond the limits of the genre.
Admittedly, Clint Eastwood didn’t find success in every attempt to branch out from his roots as a Western icon. The star had his fair share of flops, but proved he could excel in other areas, both with and without the “tough guy” image he had cultivated in Westerns, as evidenced by hits that remain iconic today, like Dirty Harry, not to mention the masterpieces he’s made as a director.
Of course, many of the classics that made Clint Eastwood the legend he is today can be revisited on various streaming services. And, perhaps surprisingly, some can be watched at no cost, via free streaming services like Tubi.
Hang ‘Em High
After starring in three Sergio Leone Spaghetti Westerns and passing on a fourth outing as the Man With No Name, Eastwood made his first of many Hollywood Westerns, Hang ‘Em High. Directed by Ted Post, the 1968 film marked a unique twist on the revenge narrative in the Western movie genre, making it a more than worthwhile watch.
In most Western movies where the hero’s goal is revenge, the villain is a wicked gunslinger, the leader of an outlaw gang, or perhaps a corrupt sheriff or business owner. Hang ‘Em High, went in a completely different direction, pitting Eastwood’s Jed Cooper against nine somewhat average, lawfully behaving people.
In the movie, Eastwood plays a character who survived a lynching that he suffered over a crime he didn’t commit. Afterward, he becomes a marshal and strives to take revenge on the people he holds responsible, regardless of the fact that none are necessarily evil. They’re not traditional Western movie villains, and this formula helps Jed Cooper become one of Eastwood’s best anti-hero characters.
Fistful Of Dollars
The movie that kicked off Clint Eastwood’s reign as the Western king of the 1960s and 1970s was Fistful of Dollars. Fistful of Dollars single-handedly reset Clint Eastwood’s image, leaving behind his past as the heroic and morally upright Rowdy Yates to play the Man With No Name, a quiet, gunslinging drifter with an opportunistic agenda.
In the first installment of Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy, Clint Eastwood’s character deftly plays both sides of a Mexican gang war to his financial advantage, setting off a conflict between him and the movie’s main villain, Ramón, played by Gian Maria Volonté.
In addition to a great story, Fistful of Dollars also boasts of one of Clint Eastwood’s greatest movie moments of all time. In a particularly gripping scene, a cold and unforgiving Clint Eastwood has a faceoff with four ruffians who refuse to apologize for spooking his horse, sparking the unforgettable line, “Get three coffins ready.”
The only non-Western Clint Eastwood movie currently streaming on Tubi, Thunderbolt & Lightfoot saw Eastwood share the big screen with two other major stars, George Kennedy and Jeff Bridges. A movie that allowed Eastwood to play against type, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot cast Eastwood in the role of a bank robber who poses as a preacher.
One half of the titular duo, Eastwood’s “Thunderbolt” teams up with Bridges’ “Lightfoot” to hunt down hidden loot, rob a bank, outwit police, and withstand turmoil from within their gang. A buddy heist comedy was clearly outside Eastwood’s wheelhouse at the time, but certainly wasn’t rejected by the public, earning a then-impressive $25 million against a budget of $4 million.
Sitting with a welcome Rotten Tomatoes score of 89%, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot went over quite well with critics, and continues to be remembered as a fun outing for Clint Eastwood that does a good job of mixing action and comedy.
For A Few Dollars More
For A Few Dollars More is the second entry in the Dollars Trilogy. Like many great Westerns, revenge is at the heart of the 1965 movie’s story. However, it’s not Clint Eastwood’s character that’s seeking vengeance. Although he’s the highlight of the film, the character on the warpath in For a Few Dollars More is actually Lee Van Cleef’s Mortimer, a retired military officer on the hunt for his sister’s murderer.
Returning from Fistful of Dollars, Gian Maria Volonté puts in a remarkable performance as Indio, the target of Mortimer’s search. His portrayal of the uncaring, ruthless killer created one of the most despicable Western movie villains of all time.
As for Clint Eastwood, the Man With No Name’s primary goal here is to help Mortimer get the revenge he’s after. This means that Eastwood doesn’t get to participate directly in the final showdown, but he certainly gets his fair share of great moments, including some standout action scenes against members of Indio’s gang.
It may be the lesser of the three Dollars Trilogy movies, but the Van Cleef-Eastwood team-up is one of the best Westerns of the 1960s regardless.
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
The quintessential Clint Eastwood Western, as well as a movie in contention for the title of the greatest Western ever made, is also available on Tubi. With The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, the entire trilogy of Man With No Name films can be viewed for free.
It’s not often that the best film in a trilogy comes last, but that was exactly the case with the 1966 film, which immediately reunited Eastwood with his For a Few Dollars More co-star, Lee Van Cleef. This film notably flips the script with Van Cleef, putting him in the role of a murderous gunslinger referred to in the film as “Angel Eyes.”
Lee Van Cleef is calm and collected in his portrayal of Angel Eyes, which effectively makes his evil actions in the film seem even more sinister. The movie also offers a career-best performance with Eli Wallach, who is so perfect in the role of the greedy and petty Tuco that he manages the not-so-simple task of stealing the show from Eastwood on more than one occasion.
Although Clint Eastwood has to share the spotlight with both Van Cleef and Wallach, it’s still a great showcase of the Man With No Name character. His dynamic with Tuco drives much of the movie, with the three-way shootout at the end of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly standing out as an unforgettable finale to the story.
- Birthdate
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May 31, 1930
- Birthplace
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San Francisco, California, USA
- Professions
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Actor, Director, Producer, Composer