Angelina Jolie most commercially successful films, including "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" (2001) and "Beowulf" (2007), overtly relied at least in part on her sex appeal, with "Empire" stating that her "pneumatic figure", "feline eyes", and "bee-stung lips" have greatly contributed to her appeal to cinema audiences. Conversely, "Salon" writer Allen Barra agreed with critics who suggested that Jolie's "dark and intense sexuality" has limited her in the types of roles she can be cast in, rendering her unconvincing in many conventional women's roles, while Clint Eastwood, who directed her Oscar-nominated performance in "Changeling" (2008), opined that having "the most beautiful face on
Clint Eastwood directed and starred in "The Gauntlet" opposite Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney, and Mara Corday. Eastwood portrays a down-and-out cop assigned to escort a prostitute from Las Vegas to Phoenix to testify against the mob. Although a moderate hit with the viewing public, critics had mixed feelings about the film, with many believing it was overly violent. Ebert, in contrast, gave the film three stars and called it "... classic Clint Eastwood: fast, furious, and funny." The following year, he starred in "Every Which Way But Loose" in an uncharacteristic offbeat comedy role. He played Philo Beddoe, a