White Hunter, Black Heart

PG

Released Sep 14, 1990

1 hr. 52 min.

Comedy

Drama

List

83%

36 Reviews

Tomatometer

62%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Hard-living, macho movie director John Wilson (Clint Eastwood) arrives in 1950s Zimbabwe to prepare for his next film. Accompanied by screenwriter Pete Verrill (Jeff Fahey), Wilson becomes far more interested in shooting an elephant than getting ready for the shoot. Determined, Wilson moves production to a village where a native hunter helps him in his quest. Obsessed with this goal even as filming grows ever more chaotic, the director begins to question the ethics and origins of his fixation.

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Critics Consensus

White Hunter Black Heart is powerful, intelligent, and subtly moving, a fascinating meditation on masculinity and the insecurities of artists.

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Alec B

Love that Eastwood isn't even really trying to disappear into the role, which only serves to heighten the comparisons between him and Huston. Also, its no wonder it was mostly ignored upon release, general audiences would find it boring while critics and industry people were no doubt put off by the fact that this movie isn't even about the making of "The African Queen"

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/20/24

Full Review

Eye C

Interesting, although a little slow. Eastwood is great in this kind of jerk. kind of great character, but I think is worth it watching.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/11/24

Full Review

Les N

Yeah, struggling to stay relevant.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Over 30 years old serving as a good meditation on masculinity as well as artist’s’ insecurities. Directed by and starring Clint Eastwood as filmmaker John Wilson. Set during the 1950s in Zimbabwe he’s eager to get his next project underway. However John is more fascinated by an elephant than the actual filmmaking itself. A native hunter he comes across helps him in his journey. Yet as time goes by he starts to question the morals and ethics of his job. The costs of production rise up with John not entirely focused on the real reason he’s on location. I love Eastwood, the African scenery is lush and beautiful, they do look at a more tough exterior of the industry, and I gotta say the ending is quite somber showing how much a passion for something else can interfere with the task at hand. Very good even if it wraps up on a defeating note.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/15/23

Full Review

r 9

An interesting 1990 film, is 'White Hunter, Black Heart'. The lead character of John Wilson, portrayed by Clint Eastwood, is an intriguing fellow and the story he stars in is all very watchable. Jeff Fahey is also very good alongside Eastwood, his character is very much the moral compass of the film. The support cast, which notably includes one Timothy Spall, are all solid. The look of the film is pleasant, with some lovely visuals of the locations used, and it is paced nicely. There is also a cracker of a last line. I didn't love this film and don't think it's perfect, but that's not to take away from the fact that I found it be a really enjoyable watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Love that Eastwood isn't even really trying to disappear into the role, which only serves to heighten the comparisons between him and Huston. Also, its no wonder it was mostly ignored upon release, general audiences would find it boring while critics and industry people were no doubt put off by the fact that this movie isn't even about the making of "The African Queen"

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

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Clint Eastwood

Director

Clint Eastwood

John Wilson

Jeff Fahey

Pete Verrill

George Dzundza

Paul Landers

Alun Armstrong

Ralph Lockhart

Marisa Berenson

Kay Gibson, Film Star

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Richard Combs

Sight & Sound

It's as if White Hunter, Black Heart had opened up the gap that exists in any Huston film between the playful surfaces and the depths beneath.

Jan 11, 2020

Full Review

Richard Brody

New Yorker

Eastwood's subject is wasted lives and wasted talent; Wilson's charisma and Hollywood's money prove irresistible, and their sheer power brings noteworthy results-but they emerge from a needless vortex of ruin.

Dec 29, 2014

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: C+

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

This, despite its irrefutable merits, was completely wrong from the start. [Full review in Spanish]

Nov 29, 2022

Full Review

Brian D. Johnson

Maclean's Magazine

Shot on location in Nigeria, the movie hinges completely on Eastwood's performance, which is strained. The actordirector steps sharply out of character to attempt a baroque and unconvincing impersonation of the cantankerous Huston.

Oct 15, 2019

Full Review

TV Guide

An ambitious and intriguing project that never amounts to anything more than the sum of its parts--a trait shared by many of Eastwood's other major project as an independent filmmaker, Bird.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 27, 2008

Full Review

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Synopsis

Hard-living, macho movie director John Wilson (Clint Eastwood) arrives in 1950s Zimbabwe to prepare for his next film. Accompanied by screenwriter Pete Verrill (Jeff Fahey), Wilson becomes far more interested in shooting an elephant than getting ready for the shoot. Determined, Wilson moves production to a village where a native hunter helps him in his quest. Obsessed with this goal even as filming grows ever more chaotic, the director begins to question the ethics and origins of his fixation.

Director: Clint Eastwood
Executive Producer: David Valdes
Screenwriter: Peter Viertel, Peter Viertel, James Bridges, Burt Kennedy
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Brothers, Rastar Pictures, Malpaso Company
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 14, 1990, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.7M
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR

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