Summary

• Clint Eastwood perfected the archetype of the witty, fast-shooting gunslinger in his Western films through collaboration with acclaimed directors.
• Not all Eastwood roles were deadly gunslingers; some showed complexity and romantic entanglements, like McBee in The Beguiled.
• Eastwood's portrayal of deadly gunslingers like Joe Kidd and The Stranger showcased intense, rough characters with layers of complexity.

Legend of the Western genre Clint Eastwood has played several deadly gunslingers across his acclaimed career. From Spaghetti Westerns to Hollywood blockbusters, Eastwood perfected the archetype of the witty, fast-shooting, lone anti-hero who was consistently embroiled in shootouts, standoffs, and vicious bar fights. Through Eastwood's work with acclaimed directors like Sergio Leone and Don Siegel, as well as the many movies he directed himself, Eastwood played countless intimidating, tough, and skilled gunslingers who left their mark on the often brutal and deadly landscape of the Wild West.

While Eastwood did appear in plenty of Western movies, not all his roles were deadly gunslingers, considering that his small roles in Star in the Dust and The First Traveling Saleslady, and non-outlaw portrayals in Ambush at Cimarron and Paint Your Wagon must be excluded. However, when Eastwood did play gunslingers, they were rarely mild-mannered and always appeared as someone whose bad side was best avoided at all costs. The deadliest gunslingers played by Eastwood were fearsome foes who, through both heroic and fearful acts, became some of the most iconic characters ever seen in the Western genre.

9 John ‘McBee’ McBurney

The Beguiled (1971)

As the first adaptation of Thomas P. Cullinan’s A Painted Devil, The Beguiled starred Clint Eastwood as Corporal John 'McBee' McBurney, a wounded gunslinger and soldier recuperating in a Confederate girls' boarding school. A change of pace from Eastwood’s normal Western roles, McBee in The Beguiled spent more time entangled in complex romantic affairs than he did in Mexican standoffs, bar fights, or shootouts. Through conning his way into several lonely women’s hearts, before long McBee learned that he messed with the wrong ladies.

Full of conflict, jealousy, and sexual confrontation, The Beguiled powerfully presented a feminist message as the tables were turned on the man who thought he could exploit some kind-hearted women's goodwill. While The Beguiled was a Western film, it leaned heavily into the psychological thriller genre and focused far more on slow-building tension than it did fast-paced gunslinging. This Southern Gothic tale was just one of five collaborations between Eastwood and director Don Siegel, who together also made Coogan's Bluff, Two Mules for Sister Sara, Dirty Harry, and Escape from Alcatraz.

Thomas P. Cullinan’s A Painted Devil received a second theatrical adaptation in 2017 following the release of Sofia Coppola’s The Beguiled starring Nicole Kidman, Colin Farrell, Kirsten Dunst, and Elle Fanning.

8 Hogan

Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970)

Clint Eastwood followed up his performance as the singing cowboy Pardner in Paint Your Wagon with a Western movie that was much more in his tough-guy persona wheelhouse titled Two Mules for Sister Sara. Here Eastwood played the fast-shooting gunslinger Hogan in a Western adventure set during the French intervention in Mexico. With a story about a Civil War soldier saving a nun from a gang of bandits, Two Mules for Sister Sara featured the two unlikely partners teaming up to help the Mexicans in their war against the French.

While Hogan showed resilience and resourcefulness, he was also full of comion for his female partner which pointed toward a soft interior behind all his tough-guy bravado.

Like so many of Eastwood’s Western characters, Hogan was a rebel who had no issues with shooting first and asking questions later. However, although Two Mules for Sister Sara was full of explosions, shooting, and fast-paced action, his role as Hogan did not live up to the deadliness of other Western gunslingers that Eastwood portrayed. While Hogan showed resilience and resourcefulness, he was also full of comion for his female partner which pointed toward a soft interior behind all his tough-guy bravado.

7 Joe Kidd

Joe Kidd (1972)

The intensity of deadly gunslingers portrayed by Clint Eastwood really kicked into gear with his role as the titular outlaw in Joe Kidd. A troublesome former bounty hunter with a reputation that preceded him, Joe Kidd was drawn back into his violent ways after being hired by the wealthy landlord Frank Harlan to track down a Mexican leader named Luis Chama. As a Revisionist Western that dealt with issues of land reform, Eastwood brought his signature renegade attitude to his role in Joe Kidd.

As a team-up Western movie that paired Eastwood with the equally talented Robert Duvall, Joe Kidd presented its lead character with intensity and a rough-around-the-edges nature. However, throughout Joe Kidd there was always an undercurrent of honor and integrity which held him back from being among the deadliest gunslingers Eastwood ever played. Full of witty dialogue, classic adventure, and Old Western archetypes, Joe Kidd embodied old-fashioned Wild West heroism in its purest form.

6 Preacher

Pale Rider (1985)

With a name like Preacher, audiences would be forgiven for believing that Clint Eastwood would be a mild-mannered man of God in the 1985 Western Pale Rider. However, this Preacher proved he was far from gun-shy as he did everything in his power to protect a humble prospector village from a greedy mining company that endeavored to take over their land. Full of fast-paced action, Eastwood proved he still had what it took to deliver deadly gunslinger thrillers highly acclaimed Western movie that he also directed himself.

Having solidified his reputation as a legend of the Western genre, seeing an older bearded Eastwood donning a cowboy hat and pistol in Pale Rider was a cinematic treat that became rarer as he entered the later part of his career. Shrouded in mystery for much of Pale Rider, it was often difficult to determine just how deadly this Preacher could be, but this secretive menacing nature just made him all the more frightful. A complex hero, Preacher was portrayed as a stoic character whose limits were best left untested.

5 Jed Cooper

Hang ‘Em High (1968)

As Clint Eastwood’s forgotten first lead Hollywood role, Jed Cooper in Hang ‘Em High was a dark character with an even more harrowing backstory. As an innocent man unjustly hung to the point of near death, Cooper miraculously survived and returned as a lawman determined to bring the vigilantes who tried to lynch him to justice. A powerful story of vengeance and retribution, only somebody with level-headed confidence, and stern macho screen presence as Eastwood could have pulled off the complex characterization of Cooper.

Hang ‘Em High contained all the tenets of a Spaghetti Western with the sleek production values of a Hollywood picture, and Eastwood built up his experiences as the Man With no Man to add depth and intrigue to the character of Cooper. Bursting with anger at those who had tried to end his life, Cooper also maintained restraint and resilience as came face to face with his foes. Through sheer determination and incredible skill, Cooper proved himself one of Eastwood’s deadliest gunslingers.

4 The Stranger

High Plains Drifter (1973)

High Plains Drifter not only featured the story of those responsible for corrupting an Old West mining town facing the consequences of their actions but also included one of the Western genre's deadliest gunslingers who was simply called the Stranger. Directed by Eastwood himself, High Plains Drifter and the character of the Stranger utilized the influence of his previous directors like Sergio Leone and Don Siegel to produce one of his best Westerns. With an endlessly entertaining story and style to spare, the Stranger in High Plains Drifter felt like the full encapsulation of Eastwood’s stereotypical avenging Western anti-hero archetype.

The Stranger was never named throughout High Plains Drifter which added to his mysterious nature and unknown but intriguing backstory. Through minimal dialogue and a brooding and intimating nature, the Stranger was on a quest for revenge for a murdered woman but also hinted at layers of unseen complexity. With unquestionable power, the Stranger had the clout to declare a downtrodden dwarf the mayor, and the lack of objections showcased that those around him did not even wish to discover just how deadly he was capable of being.

3 Josey Wales

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

As a bandit out for revenge, Clint Eastwood was a particularly deadly gunslinger as the title character in The Outlaw Josey Wales. Based on a fictional character creature by the author Asa Earl Carter, Josey Wales took viewers on a revisionist Western adventure that saw the gun-toting outlaw a Confederate guerrilla band as he embarked on a bloodthirsty quest for revenge. With a grisly beard and tattered well-worn clothes, Josey Wales came across as a man with nothing left to lose, whose explosive and unpredictable nature was due to implode at any moment.

The gunslinger gradually grew from a vengeful man, seeking justice for the murder of his family, into a reluctant hero of real complexity.

Throughout the gritty story of The Outlaw Josey Wales, the gunslinger gradually grew from a vengeful man, seeking justice for the murder of his family, into a reluctant hero of real complexity. As a standout performance in Eastwood’s filmography, Josey Wales was a deadly outlaw whose story had a lot to say about America’s legacy and the aftermath of the Civil War. A timeless character that required the skill of Eastwood’s portrayal to make it work, Josey Wales did not feel nearly as deadly in the sequel The Return of Josey Wales, where he was replaced by Michael Parks.

2 The Man with No Name

The Dollars Trilogy (1964 – 1966)

Across the entire Western genre there was no portrayal more iconic than Clint Eastwood’s turn as the Man with No Name in Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy. In three acclaimed films, Eastwood delivered some of his best quotes, perfected the archetype of the lone Western anti-hero, and created a character so imbued in popular culture that even those who have never watched a Western movie understood him intuitively. As a man of few words, when he did speak it was always witty, the Man with No Name was as clever and cool as he was deadly.

While the unnamed character would take on a new identity in each film, viewers were aware that it was the same character who appeared in A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Through fast-fighting duels, Mexican standoffs, and countless close calls, the Man with No Name was always the deadliest gunslinger in every confrontation he found himself in. The Man with No Name was not just an icon of the Western genre, but one of the most influential and deadly characters in the history of filmmaking.

1 William 'Will' Munny

Unforgiven (1992)

While the Man with No Name was Clint Eastwood’s most iconic character, his deadliest gunslinger came much later with the release of his final Western movie and magnum opus Unforgiven. The story of an aged killer who reluctantly took on one last job, the true extent of William Munny’s deadly nature was merely hinted at as his dark past signaled a life film with unspeakable horror and heinous acts. After years away from his old violent life and living peacefully as a farmer, before long Munny’s coldblooded nature came back to the forefront as he came face-to-face with murderous outlaws.

Unforgiven was directed by Eastwood himself who intentionally made the movie as his final traditional Western and acted as his definitive statement on the genre that made him a star. A major critical success, Unforgiven went on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards for its powerful dismantling of Western tropes and clichés. Will Munny stood as the culmination of every deadly Western gunslinger that Clint Eastwood played over the previous more than 30 years in showbusiness.