Peter Viertel Black Heart", which was made into a film starring Clint Eastwood in 1990. It is a thinly-disguised account of Viertel's experiences working with film director John Huston while they were making "The African Queen". The central character is scriptwriter Pete Verrill while the Huston character is called John Wilson. Film critic Pauline Kael wrote in 1999 that "White Hunter" was “still the best Hollywood novel I’ve ever come across — and it isn’t even set in Hollywood.” Viertel's opinion of the finished film was tempered by his idea that Huston himself would have preferred a portrayal with more sarcasm. Viertel's
Clint Eastwood in the 2000s "The New York Times" wrote that the film was too similar to many other Eastwood films, although he said, "there is something comforting in seeing this old warhorse trot gamely out of the gate for yet another run on familiar turf." Despite the lackluster performance at the box office and mixed reception, Eastwood won the Future Film Festival Digital Award at the Venice Film Festival. Eastwood directed the crime drama "Mystic River" about murder, vigilantism, and sexual abuse. In 2005, Eastwood won critical and commercial success with "Million Dollar Baby" which screened from late January to early June 2005. The