The novel Cry Macho, which the film adapts, was originally written as a screenplay by author N. Richard Nash. Sometime in the 1970s, 20th Century Fox received the script and rejected it twice. [1] To compensate, he reworked the material, turned it into a novel, and had it published in 1975. [2] It was so well received that Nash decided to pitch the screenplay again, without changing a word, and successfully sold it to a studio. [3] Though Eastwood is probably best known as the Man With No Name – the mysterious loner with the poncho and the cigarillo – he did not make all that many westerns, and none since Unforgiven in 1992. Unlike John Wayne, Randolph Scott and all the other great cowboys of yore, Eastwood has never made a bad western. Indeed, it was Eastwood, bringing to life Leone’s vision, who deposed Wayne and the other just-add-water cowpokes, by introducing an entirely new kind of hero. The Man With No Name materialised out of nowhere, with an uncertain pedigree and undefined motivation. He embodied the ethos of the 1960s: I just want to be left alone to do my own thing, even if it means killing off half the population of Arizona.

Cieply, Michael (May 18, 2011). "Schwarzenegger's Next Film May Have a Familiar Plot". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020 . Retrieved February 10, 2021. Boxing clever: Eastwood starring with Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby (2004). Photograph: Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 20, 2021). " Cry Macho Ties In The Heights In Weekend HBO Max Households; But Is -51% Behind 'The Little Things' Per Samba TV". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021 . Retrieved September 20, 2021. D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 3, 2022). "With Tentpoles Bound To Surge The 2022 Box Office, The Great Theatrical-Streaming Day & Date Experiment Goes Out Like A Dud In 2021". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 3, 2022.A newly released box set, Clint Eastwood: 40 Film Collection, provides a perfect opportunity to assess the star’s remarkable career both as an actor and as a director. Schwarzenegger, Arnold (October 2012). "Chapter 29: The Secret". Total Recall. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-8498-3974-7. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020 . Retrieved November 14, 2020– via Google Books. Sims, David (September 15, 2021). "Another Unpretentious, Melancholy Farewell From Clint Eastwood". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021 . Retrieved September 16, 2021.

Haring, Bruce (August 5, 2021). " Cry Macho Trailer: Clint Eastwood Rides Again In Director-Star's Latest Western Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021 . Retrieved August 5, 2021. D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 22, 2021). "Clint Eastwood's Cry Macho Sets Fall Release". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 22, 2021 . Retrieved March 23, 2021. a b Turan, Kenneth (September 12, 2021). "At 91, Clint Eastwood throws a punch and rides a horse in his new movie. And he's not ready to quit". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 12, 2021 . Retrieved September 12, 2021.

Jones, Oliver (September 15, 2021). "The Uninspired Cry Macho Will Leave You Wistful for Clint Eastwood's Past Work". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021 . Retrieved September 16, 2021. Zigler, Brianna (August 6, 2021). "Clint Eastwood is Old and Washed Up in First Trailer for Cry Macho". Paste. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021 . Retrieved August 7, 2021. a b c Pardo, Annalisa (December 3, 2020). "Clint Eastwood shooting movie in Belen". KRQE. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020 . Retrieved December 3, 2020. Goldsmith, Jill (September 19, 2021). " Eyes Of Tammy Faye, Blue Bayou Show Arthouse Resurgence Remains Elusive – Specialty Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 19, 2021 . Retrieved September 19, 2021.