TIGHTROPE
(1984, Tuggle)
(1984, Tuggle)
"I'd like to find what's underneath the front you put on."
Tightrope follows police detective Wes Block (Clint Eastwood) as he goes after a serial killer and rapist. However, getting closer to the criminal also uncovers a darker side to him that he'd rather keep buried. Something that Beryl Thibodeaux (Geneviève Bujold), the director of a rape prevention program, calls attention to with the above quote during an awkwardly honest yet effective oyster lunch.
See, it is established early on that Block is a devoted single father of two girls, a workaholic, and a frequent client of New Orleans' prostitutes with a penchant for handcuffs and ties. The fact that the serial killer shares Block's same, uhh, interests serves to lift that front a bit and uncover his own faults, at least within himself and his psyche. It is during this first half that the film is more interesting, as we see Block's reckoning of his own actions against the killer's.
Grade:
Full review on my Movie Loot and the Neo-noir HoF.
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