This week, the guys take a look back at "Flags of Our Fathers," the first of two movies Eastwood would release about the battle of Iwo Jima in 2006.

For this one, Clint sets his eyes on the men who were photographed raising the flag in the midst of the battle, or at least, that's the story we in America would hear.

The movie gives us a chance to examine our history with WWII movies and the national mythology they play into, sometimes erasing a more complex and tragic history.

Audio clip from Flags of Our Fathers (2006), directed by Clint Eastwood. © Dreamworks Pictures. Used for commentary purposes.

Track: MokkaMusic - Retrosonic ⁠⁠ • Retro Funky Bass and Guitar (No Copyright ... ⁠⁠Music provided by MokkaMusic Youtube channel and ⁠⁠https://inaudio.org

This week, the guys are joined by Commentary Track's Matt Goldberg to discuss Clint Eastwood's award-winning sports drama "Million Dollar Baby." They talk about its victory at the 2004 Oscars, whether its tragic ending is earned or not, and whether the movie works as an emotional melodrama or falls apart in its observations on class and the American Dream.

Audio clip from Million Dollar Baby (2004), directed by Clint Eastwood. © Warner Brothers Pictures. Used for commentary purposes.

Track: MokkaMusic - Retrosonic ⁠⁠ • Retro Funky Bass and Guitar (No Copyright ... ⁠⁠Music provided by MokkaMusic Youtube channel and ⁠⁠https://inaudio.org

In this episode of Conversations on Clint, we're joined by Hannah Lodge and Kyle Pinion from ScreenRex to explore Clint Eastwood’s haunting 2003 neo-noir, Mystic River. Adapted from Dennis Lehane’s best-selling crime novel, the film stands as a bleak and emotionally devastating portrait of grief, trauma, and moral compromise.

We break down Eastwood’s restrained, classicist direction, the screenplay by Brian Helgeland, and the performances from Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon. How does Eastwood navigate the cyclical nature of childhood violence? What makes Tom Stern’s high-contrast cinematography and Eastwood’s own minimalist style so effective in building Boston's suffocating atmosphere?