The book follows Mike Milo, a Texas rodeo star tasked with kidnapping an eleven-year-old boy in Mexico named Rafo.

After previously rejecting the role in 1988, Clint Eastwood produced, directed, and starred in an adaptation of the novel that was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on September 17, 2021.

Suffering from tennis elbow and severe headaches, Mike arrives late to the rodeo stadium he works at, run by Howard Polk.

At the hospital, Mike reflects on losing his parents at the age of five, dropping out of college after his grandparents died in a house fire, working alongside his first employer who once tasked him with putting down a dozen horses, and his eventual path into becoming a rodeo cowboy.

Following his divorce five years ago, Howard lost custody of his only son, Rafael "Rafo" Polk, who was then sent to Mexico to live with his mother.

That night, the pair are confronted by two officers from the national patrol, who search the car and interrogate Rafo about his intentions of traveling to the United States.

After Rafo lies about his plan to meet his father at the border, the officers follow the pair to a motel, with the intent of hearing the confirmation of the statement through a phone call.

The Southwest Review's Arthur Ramirez said the novel had various similarities to Nash's 1954 play The Rainmaker, among them "a dusty setting and spiritually and emotionally drained characters."

Ramirez concluded that the major theme of the novel was the acceptance of loss, with Mike having to face his "fear, anxiety, and an inferiority complex" while in Mexico.

"[6] Comparing the novel to C. W. Smith's Country Music, Henry L. Alsmeyer Jr. wrote: "Cry Macho is more interesting, and, indeed, some fun," noting that there was "both story and character development.

[9] Writing for the El Paso Herald-Post, Elory Bode said that Cry Macho was "a good novel by a writer who has a solid grasp of his craft.

[11][12] Additionally, C.L.L from the South Bend Tribune wrote that "It seems likely that Cry Macho eventually will show up as an action motion picture with better-than-average plot and characterization.

"[13] In 1988, Clint Eastwood was offered the opportunity to star in an adaptation of the novel but instead opted out to reprise as Dirty Harry in The Dead Pool.

[14][15] Following a failed attempt by Roy Scheider in 1991,[16] Vulture reported in 2011 that Brad Furman had been set to direct a Cry Macho adaptation produced by Al Ruddy.

The website's consensus reads: "Cry Macho proves Clint Eastwood remains an economic filmmaker and charismatic screen presence – albeit one who's an awkward fit for this particular project.