Richard Schickel is a friend of Clint Eastwood. That itself shouldn't disqualify him from writing this book.
The problem with the book is that it is very biased, he spends an absurd portion of the book defending Eastwood from an assortment of negative movie critiques, predominantly those of Pauline Kael.
I am a fan of most of Clint Eastwood's films and movie critics have never been a factor in formulating my opinion of any particular movie. And I don't see why Clint Eastwood's work needs defending!

"Clint Eastwood-a Biography" is otherwise loaded with some fascinating facts about Eastwood's life and career.

Schickel describes how Eastwood obtained various scripts for movies that he was involved in as an actor, director, and sometimes both.
The details include his relationship with other stars, directors, and producers.

Who proposed the forming of Malpaso and how monumental that company became is another topic in the book.

I found it interesting that Clint turned down the part of "Harmonica" in "Once Upon a Time in the West". That's the role that Charles Bronson accepted in a movie that eventually came to be regarded as one of the best westerns of all time and a personal favorite of mine.

The book details Eastwood's inherited musical talent and how deeply jazz has influenced the actor both musically and in film.

Clint solves the mystery of the identity of his character in "High Plains Drifter".

Another aspect of Eastwood as a director is the location of shoots for the "Eiger Sanction" and "Unforgiven". His sense of realism can be extreme, but admirable.

Overall "Clint Eastwood-a Biography" has a lot of trivia-type information and can be entertaining. What downgrades the book considerably is the seemingly endless ranting about the negative reviews from movie critics.

It is obvious that Mr. Schickel is a movie critic, a good friend of Mr. Eastwood and an apologist of practically everything the film icon has done that is questionable. The book is a sympathetic portrayal and does a fine job explaining the movie star's rise in the entertainment field. Thankfully, this is not a slimy celebrity biography in the likes of Kitty Kelly's works. Instead, Mr. Schickel spends a great deal of time explaining many of Mr. Eastwood's films and how his choices are related to his growth as an individual. A fascinating subject matter who has endured in an industry that usually makes cannon fodder of most celebrities' having long-term careers. Elements of luck, intelligence and perseverance enabled Mr. Eastwood to remain an entertainment force for over four decades. Well-written and informative. If you've ever had a keen interest in how this man became an American movie icon, you'll probably enjoy the book.

Several folks here have given this book a bad review simply because the author and subject are friends. So what? Clint will not write an autobiography so this is the next best thing. He simply chose to focus on the film making process that Clint uses and stay on the positive side of his personal life. He admits in the book that he cheated on his wife numerous times but doesn't go into great detail about it. We all know this anyway, why should we hear the details? Reading this book gave me great insight on Clint's life growing up, his family, his Army days, behind the scenes of "Rawhide" and all his greatest movies. I know Clint was not a saint in his personal life but that's not what I want to read about anyways. I want to read about his work which is why I'm a fan to begin with. If you want to read the gossip which may or may not be true, read the enquirer or Pat McGilligan's book which paints Clint as just a step above Hitler!

Eastwood has always been one of my favorite action stars. Generally a stiff and unsurprising actor, he has played virtually the same character in all his movies. Which is not a problem (for me). My problem is biographies like this one written by Schickel, a usually intelligent and perceptive critic. I'm assuming he had to kiss up to Eastwood in order to get certain information in this book, and his writing reflects this position. Toadish and lacking in objectivity, Schickel finds nothing wrong with Eastwood's constant cheating on his first wife, his inability to work with other directors (he is a control freak), and his hiring of sycophants who would not question his motives--and if they did, they never worked for him again. A major disappointment for anyone seeking an honest evaluation of Eastwood's film career. However, if you worship the ground he walks on--as Schickel obviously does--then this is the book for you!

If you are looking for a thick book about actor/director Clint Eastwood's life and career, illustrated with some unusual photos, then this will fill the bill. If you want an objective biography of Eastwood, together with an objective analysis of his film work, this is not the book you want. Schickel was basically an employee and friend of Eastwood during the researching and writing of the book, and he tends to ignore or downplay the dark side of Eastwood's activities, particularly his alleged "women are like kleenex" philosophy, and his alleged cruelty toward former collaborators.

The long book is made longer by merciless padding, including detailed and completely unnecessary plot summaries of the films.

Viewed from 2004, Clint Eastwood is an important actor--- as good an actor as Jimmy Stewart and as iconic an actor as John Wayne. He is also an important and stylish director, and justifiably famous for his gentle ways with cast and crew, as well as his efficiency in coming in under budget. One of the author's continuing themes, brought up on nearly every page, turns upon the consistent misunderstanding of Eastwood, both as actor and director, by two generations of famous mainstream film critics. This theme wears thin quickly when one realizes that there is probably not a single case in which famous mainstream film critics have had the slightest clue as to the value, importance and significance of any new film or film star.

Eastwood is an important figure in 20th Century cinema, and he deserves an objective, scholarly, independently-researched analysis of all aspects of his life and career. I don't know of one... we'll keep looking.