I thought it was really good. I'm a big Clint Eastwood fan in general, and I think his directing ability generally exceeds his acting ability.

In this case, however, his acting is really something. Like any huge star, his stardom often dictates how his acting is received. Normally this kind of thing would restrict him to goofy genre pictures like Absolute Power or Blood Work, but in this case it allows him to strip down the star persona and leave you with a grizzled old man whose life is basically over. He wears clothes unflattering to his old-man physique, he's pig-headed, and at times he's pathetic. But because he's Eastwood, he's still lovable. His co-stars (Morgan Freeman and Hilary Swank) are prohibitive favorites in their respective Oscar races, and both deservedly so, but Eastwood is not shown up by either actor. It's a three-headed monster.

The story has been spoiled by a lot of major publications (another symptom of the gotta-see-it-in-the-first-week disease that has taken over Hollywood), so buyer beware. I won't do so, but I do counsel you against reading much about this movie. I knew about the "twist" that's been hyped up so much. While it still works, the impact is definitely lessened when you know the surprise. It's not even that much of a surprise if you know Eastwood's directing work (I'm thinking Mystic River and A Perfect World).

Anyway, highly recommended.