Cry Macho

You can see why Clint Eastwood was drawn to playing Mike Milo, and why Cry Macho has been a longtime passion project for the venerable filmmaker.

Yet while Eastwood never goes out of style, the same can’t be said for this dusty character-driven drama covering familiar themes of aging and masculinity without any substantial new insight.

Mike is a former rodeo star and horse trainer whose career was cut short, followed by various personal issues that have turned him into an ornery loner. In 1980, a rancher and longtime client (Dwight Yoakam) comes to Mike with a chance to turn a quick buck.

The job involves driving to Mexico City, finding his estranged teenage son, Rafo (newcomer Eduardo Minett), and returning him to Texas, ostensibly to free the youngster from his abusive mother.

Burdened by life’s worth of physical and emotional scars, the journey is more about personal redemption than financial gain for the old man. And naturally, once he finds Rafo and his beloved rooster, Macho, their relationship starts rocky.

Eventually they find common ground as Mike softens and Rafo matures. Along the way, Mike charms a widowed restaurateur (Natalia Traven) who provides a temporary safe haven along with words of reassurance. “You’re a good man,” she tells Mike. “I hope you know that.”

At 91, Eastwood might move a little more slowly and speak a little more softly these days, but he maintains a commanding and captivating screen presence. What he lacks in physical dexterity, he compensates with mental acuity. Still, he can hold his own against vigilantes in a Mexican back alley.

However, the leisurely paced screenplay by Nick Schenk (Gran Torino) — adapted from the 1975 novel by Richard Nash — lacks subtlety and surprise, and it doesn’t offer much emotional depth beneath the surface of its contrived plot.

The film stylishly captures the rugged beauty of its rural landscapes, distancing itself from a broader examination of immigration or volatility along the border.

Various cinematic versions of Cry Macho have been in development for decades. Although it might seem like a victory for Eastwood to get this bittersweet throwback to the finish line, in the end it hardly seems worth all the trouble.

Rated PG-13, 104 minutes.