There is only one Clint Eastwood. Perhaps no one will ever be able to replicate Eastwood's success and accomplishments. How many creators in the industry can say they were once Hollywood's top actors and directors? As a triple-threat filmmaker, not many can match Eastwood's accolades and box office success.

Although Eastwood's heyday was before the turn of the century, the 94-year-old filmmaker has directed several masterpieces since 2000. Remember: In 2000, Eastwood was 70 years old and had already directed nearly 20 films. Eastwood's maturity in the second half of his career is truly admirable.

This year, Eastwood directed “Jury No. 2. In honor of what may be his last film, we present our ranking of Eastwood's seven best-directed films this century.

The first of two war films to make the list is “American Sniper,” Eastwood's biopic about Chris Kyle, one of the most decorated marksmen in American history. Kyle, played by Bradley Cooper, is a patriotic Texan who enlists in the Navy and becomes a SEAL; after the 9/11 attacks, Kyle is deployed to Iraq, where he witnesses the horrors of war. Aside from the horrors of the Middle East, nothing prepared Kyle for his biggest challenge: adjusting to life back home.

Cooper, who gained 40 pounds for the role, does an excellent job of portraying Kyle's patriotism for his country and his vulnerability as a father and husband. Aside from the fake baby controversy, Eastwood effectively captures an American hero who is constantly battling his own sense of morality. buy on Amazon or Apple

Eastwood likes to explore life and death through problematic characters. in The Mule Eastwood plays Earl Stone, a Korean War vet who is in financial ruin, with his business bankrupt and his house on the verge of foreclosure. Earl, strapped for cash, takes a job as a courier for a drug cartel. Earl's advanced age and lack of criminal record make it fairly easy for him to transport drugs, and he becomes one of the cartel's top mules.

Earl's prowess catches the eye of Special Agent Colin Bates (Bradley Cooper), and Bates is determined to destroy the entire cartel. Eastwood is the perfect actor to play a guilt-ridden man seeking forgiveness in the final stages of his life. Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) is an old, strong boxing trainer living in Los Angeles. Except for Eddie “Scrap Iron” Darpis (Morgan Freeman), Frankie avoids talking to other people as much as possible. However, amateur boxer Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) invites Frankie to be her trainer. The two form a family-like bond that Frankie had been missing for most of his life.

Admittedly, “Million Dollar Baby” is not a movie that comes up often when deciding what to watch on the weekend. It's a bleak and depressing film, and I can't blame people for seeing it once and never coming back. Nevertheless, Eastwood won his third and fourth Oscars for Million Dollar Baby. Walt, a widower and Korean War veteran, is prejudiced against many of the minorities in his neighborhood and is literally a “get off my lawn” person.

After Walt catches Thao (Bee Bang), a Hmong teenager who tried to steal his prized car, the elder politician agrees to let the boy work for him as penance. Eventually, Walt develops a liking for Thao, and the two form an unlikely bond. Again, “Gran Torino” is not without its problems, but no one plays tough, manly characters with deep-seated issues better than Eastwood. Rent/Buy on Amazon or Apple

Eastwood takes on the search for truth in a flawed justice system in “Juror No. 2.” Nicholas Hoult gives an impassioned performance as Justin Kemp, a journalist summoned to serve as a juror in a murder trial. The twist: Justin may be responsible for the victim's death. Jury No. 2 is Eastwood's version of “12 Angry Men,” but with a stronger sense of remorse as the protagonist is tormented by his conscience.”

Warner Bros. tarnished Eastwood by burying “Jury No. 2,” a filmmaker who had worked with Warner Bros. since 1971. But the studio was reluctant to release “Jury No. 2,” which may be Eastwood's last film before retirement, theatrically and campaign during awards season. Eastwood's drama was shown in fewer than 50 theaters for decades before moving to streaming. Shame on them! ►Stream it now on Max

Throughout his career, Eastwood has always been positioned as an anti-war filmmaker. The Oscar winner likes to examine morally confused soldiers who question their purpose in war; in 2006, Eastwood released two war films about the Battle of Iwo Jima. Flags of Our Fathers, told from an American perspective, and Letters from Iwo Jima, told from a Japanese perspective.

General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) knows that Japan is losing the war and realizes that most of his own troops will die on Iwo Jima. Nevertheless, Kuribayashi does his best to keep his own soldiers alive to give them a fighting chance. Eastwood's steady direction is very thoughtful in his portrayal of the Japanese soldiers. In Eastwood's view, there are no winners in war, only survivors. In “Mystic River,” Eastwood depicts how past trauma, if left unchecked, can affect the future. Based on Dennis Lehane's crime novel of the same name, “Mystic River” follows the lives of childhood friends Jimmy Markham (Sean Penn), Sean Devine (Kevin Bacon) and Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins) in Boston. As children, two men sexually abuse Dave, which becomes an inflection point in their lives.

Twenty-five years later, Jimmy is an ex-con, Sean is a cop, and Dave is a blue-collar worker still tormented by the abuse. After the death of Jimmy's daughter, Sean leads a special task force to find the perpetrators. When Dave becomes a suspect, Jimmy decides to leave Sean's hand and take the investigation into his own hands. Guilt, morality, vengeance, and justice - all of Eastwood's favorite themes are explored in this epic crime drama, and the film's climax will leave everyone devastated. rent/buy on Amazon or Apple