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Plot – Phoenix Metro cop Ben Shockley (Eastwood) is given a special assignment by Commissioner Blakelock (Prince); go to Las Vegas and retrieve prostitute Gus Mally (Locke), a “nothing witness for a noting trial.” Except this 'nothing witness' has the mob out to stop her making it back to Phoenix; and as it turns out when Shockley tries to recruit police help the police are also out to stop them. With no one to trust the previously feuding couple realise they only have each other, and unless they start trusting each other they will have no chance of making it to Phoenix in one piece.
Well my 70s thriller season really is certainly morphing into a Clint Eastwood season!
This is a grubby and fairly trashy little flick which also happens to be really quite good fun. From the growing number of films of his I've now seen I'd say this is quite firmly in 'classic' Eastwood territory; it's action packed, fast-paced and darkly and crudely funny. Its story is fairly absurd and ludicrous at points but it's all done with such a gleeful and ferocious energy that it's easy to forgive it, and even enjoy it for those reasons. Though sadly it's nowhere near as awesome as that first movie poster would have you think!
This certainly isn't mentally challenging fare. Along with some fairly obvious and telegraphed twists, at times the script seems to exist solely as a means of moving us along to the next action set-piece. And in that respect the film is a success. Indeed merely as a result of its action sequences this film could lay as much, if not even more of a claim to the title Planes, Trains & Automobiles than the John Hughes classic that owns it. We have escapes in ambulances, gunfights in speeding cars, a helicopter attack, a fight onboard a train, a motorcycle escape through mountains and for its finale we are given an armoured bus running a police gauntlet through the city of Phoenix as hundreds of police officers fire a seemingly endless barrage of bullets.
It was very interesting watching this film right after Coogan's Bluff. At the end of his multi Oscar winning epic Unforgiven there is a message that reads 'To Sergio and Don', referring to Sergio Leone and Don Siegel; two men who worked extensively with Eastwood and helped to define him as an actor, a movie star and a director. And here it's quite clear to see quite a bit of Siegel's influence on his Eastwood's directing style. There is a real sharing of tone and camera shots between the films, and the close-up frenetic way that Eastwood stages a fight on a train echoes his bar brawl in Coogan's Bluff. Despite this attention to action and the films aesthetic both men still remember to take the time to concentrate on the characters at their disposal.
While it's far from an original concept I greatly enjoyed the relationship dynamic that develops between Eastwood's cop and Sondra Locke's hooker, and the verbal sparring matches that result from their time together. We know from their first fraught meeting that eventually tensions will mellow and they will fall for each other, but it doesn't make it any less of an enjoyable journey getting there. The relationship that develops between them is nicely paced, and as a result it feels fairly natural as opposed to forced or manufactured when they start to develop a respect and admiration for each other. And that's just helped along by the strong showings of Eastwood and Locke. Locke in particular is quite a hoot as Mally. She's not quite your typical movie hooker (the one with a heart of gold); she's an intelligent well educated woman who also happens to have a crass manner, delight in crude humour and is more than proficient when it comes to foul mouthed insults. If anything she rather overpowers Clint in the macho stakes!
It's nice to once again see a strong female character opposite Clint. I don't know if it's just coincidence or if it's something he actively looked for/pushed for when it came to choosing roles but it's something I've noticed quite a few times. In Tightrope there was Genevieve Bujold's strong rape counsellor who challenged Clint; in The Enforcer there was Tyne Daly's police officer who partnered Harry Callahan who was strong, intelligent and was more than a match for him. And here it's Locke's Gus Mally. The characters all provide a really nice, and surprising, balance to Eastwood's gruff, macho individual who could so easily dominte proceedings. They are not there merely as someone for Clint to bounce off of and win their affections.
Something else that I admire about Eastwood, and indeed have been surprised by, is his willingness to take on flawed characters, and not just the 'cool' type of flawed (ie. too violent and anti-authority - Harry Callahan). In Tightrope his character was a good cop but with a pretty f**ked up personal life of sexual deviancy; in Play Misty for Me he was a bit of a scummy, reprehensible guy who brought much of the trouble upon himself. And here he is a bit of a bumbling cop who has beer bottles falling out of his car when he opens his car door. Indeed it's his ineptitude that sees his character chosen for this particular job. I just assumed he would always be the really tough, strong macho type in his films so have enjoyed the fact that's not always the case.
Conclusion – The charismatic pairing of Eastwood and Locke, entertaining dialogue and it's delightfully furious action means the film is a lot of fun, probably more than it should be.
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Year of release
1977
1977
Directed by
Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Written by
Michael Butler
Dennis Shryack
Michael Butler
Dennis Shryack
Starring
Clint Eastwood
Sondra Locke
William Prince
Pat Hingle
Clint Eastwood
Sondra Locke
William Prince
Pat Hingle
The Gauntlet
Plot – Phoenix Metro cop Ben Shockley (Eastwood) is given a special assignment by Commissioner Blakelock (Prince); go to Las Vegas and retrieve prostitute Gus Mally (Locke), a “nothing witness for a noting trial.” Except this 'nothing witness' has the mob out to stop her making it back to Phoenix; and as it turns out when Shockley tries to recruit police help the police are also out to stop them. With no one to trust the previously feuding couple realise they only have each other, and unless they start trusting each other they will have no chance of making it to Phoenix in one piece.
Well my 70s thriller season really is certainly morphing into a Clint Eastwood season!
This is a grubby and fairly trashy little flick which also happens to be really quite good fun. From the growing number of films of his I've now seen I'd say this is quite firmly in 'classic' Eastwood territory; it's action packed, fast-paced and darkly and crudely funny. Its story is fairly absurd and ludicrous at points but it's all done with such a gleeful and ferocious energy that it's easy to forgive it, and even enjoy it for those reasons. Though sadly it's nowhere near as awesome as that first movie poster would have you think! This certainly isn't mentally challenging fare. Along with some fairly obvious and telegraphed twists, at times the script seems to exist solely as a means of moving us along to the next action set-piece. And in that respect the film is a success. Indeed merely as a result of its action sequences this film could lay as much, if not even more of a claim to the title Planes, Trains & Automobiles than the John Hughes classic that owns it. We have escapes in ambulances, gunfights in speeding cars, a helicopter attack, a fight onboard a train, a motorcycle escape through mountains and for its finale we are given an armoured bus running a police gauntlet through the city of Phoenix as hundreds of police officers fire a seemingly endless barrage of bullets.
Film trivia - This film could have looked so very, very different. Originally cast in the main roles were Steve McQueen and Barbra Streisand; they however did not get along and both backed out. Eastwood and Locke then stepped in.
While it's far from an original concept I greatly enjoyed the relationship dynamic that develops between Eastwood's cop and Sondra Locke's hooker, and the verbal sparring matches that result from their time together. We know from their first fraught meeting that eventually tensions will mellow and they will fall for each other, but it doesn't make it any less of an enjoyable journey getting there. The relationship that develops between them is nicely paced, and as a result it feels fairly natural as opposed to forced or manufactured when they start to develop a respect and admiration for each other. And that's just helped along by the strong showings of Eastwood and Locke. Locke in particular is quite a hoot as Mally. She's not quite your typical movie hooker (the one with a heart of gold); she's an intelligent well educated woman who also happens to have a crass manner, delight in crude humour and is more than proficient when it comes to foul mouthed insults. If anything she rather overpowers Clint in the macho stakes!
Film trivia - Both Walter Hill and Sam Peckinpah had an interest in directing this film, and both also wanted Kris Kristofferson for the lead role. In the end Peckinpah and Kristofferson instead made 1978's Convoy. Opposite Kristofferson was Ali MacGraw, whom Peckinpaw had also been considering for The Gauntlet in the role of hooker Gus Mally.
Something else that I admire about Eastwood, and indeed have been surprised by, is his willingness to take on flawed characters, and not just the 'cool' type of flawed (ie. too violent and anti-authority - Harry Callahan). In Tightrope his character was a good cop but with a pretty f**ked up personal life of sexual deviancy; in Play Misty for Me he was a bit of a scummy, reprehensible guy who brought much of the trouble upon himself. And here he is a bit of a bumbling cop who has beer bottles falling out of his car when he opens his car door. Indeed it's his ineptitude that sees his character chosen for this particular job. I just assumed he would always be the really tough, strong macho type in his films so have enjoyed the fact that's not always the case.
Conclusion – The charismatic pairing of Eastwood and Locke, entertaining dialogue and it's delightfully furious action means the film is a lot of fun, probably more than it should be.