White Hunter, Black Heart

Play trailer

White Hunter, Black Heart

PG

1990

1h 52m

Comedy

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

37 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Hard-living, macho movie director John Wilson arrives in the 1950s Zimbabwe to prepare for his next film. Accompanied by screenwriter Pete Verrill, 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.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

Michael Wilmington

Los Angeles Times

Jul 16, 2025

The movie is well-written, acted and shot and deeply felt.

Go to Full Review

Richard Combs

Sight & Sound

Jan 11, 2020

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.

Go to Full Review

Richard Brody

The New Yorker

Dec 29, 2014

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.

Go to Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Aug 17, 2025

3/4

This remains one of Clint Eastwood’s more unusual -- and thus most interesting -- pictures.

Go to Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Nov 29, 2022

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

Go to Full Review

Brian D. Johnson

Maclean's Magazine

Oct 15, 2019

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.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

keven Q

@kevenquinlan 2 days ago

Pete W. is a moron. You can't rate a movie from 1990 and retroactively judge it by the standards of now. Stupid, young people do that. Now, saw this movie in thew theatres, me and my fam were big Eastwood fans. We left the theatre feeling the same way as we did after Firefox. It's not a very good movie and wasn't fun to watch. Now, in 26', I feel about the same way. It's like a crappy Gatsby.

See more

Pete W

@Pete-W Jun 18, 2026

An ugly, racist film. I don't know what Clint Eastwood was thinking when he signed up to star and direct this heartless movie.

See more

thiago s

@Thiagostone Aug 30, 2025

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

See more

Alec B

@Alec97 Feb 20, 2024

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"

See more

Eye C

@ECinc Feb 11, 2024

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

See more

Les N

@Vegas628 Nov 17, 2023

Yeah, struggling to stay relevant.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

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

Curly Sue

13%

50%

Curly Sue

Watchlist

Driving Miss Daisy

85%

81%

Driving Miss Daisy

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Driving Miss Daisy

Turner & Hooch

50%

52%

Turner & Hooch

Watchlist

Fandango

70%

77%

Fandango

Watchlist

Dad

58%

61%

Dad

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Rank Clint Eastwood’s 10 Best Movies as Director

Five Favorite Films with Timothy Spall

MTV Movie Awards Builds a Cast

View more photos

Synopsis

Hard-living, macho movie director John Wilson arrives in the 1950s Zimbabwe to prepare for his next film. Accompanied by screenwriter Pete Verrill, 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
Producer: Clint Eastwood
Screenwriter: Peter Viertel, Peter Viertel, James Bridges, Burt Kennedy
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Malpaso Company, Warner Brothers, Rastar Pictures
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
Runtime: 1h 52m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings