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DVD Tightrope
The screenwriter of Escape from Alcatraz, Richard Tuggle, sold a second script to Clint Eastwood on the condition that he be allowed to direct it. The result is a near classic, a grim psycho-thriller set in New Orleans, which remains one of the star's boldest attempts to undercut his unshakable rock-bound image. It was interpreted by some critics as an exercise in self-exploration, although that might be stretching it. Still, as a cop whose own kinky yearnings are pulled to the surface as he investigates a series of stalker murders of women, Eastwood often seems tormented by self-doubt, and that was a new flavor for him. The French-Canadian actress Geneviève Bujold plays the seductive Cajun shrink who helps Clint get in touch with his dark side. The great thing is that the movie works as pure suspense, despite its larger ambitions. Tuggle made sure that the crime-solving elements and the psychological explorations fit smoothly together: the twist is that in order to be able to anticipate the sicko's actions, the cop has to learn to share his feelings, and finds the transition a little too easy to negotiate. --David Chute
This Eastwood film portrays a much darker view of life than previous Eastwood efforts. A very suspenseful and gripping film. In it, Eastwood plays Detective Wes Block. Block is pursuing a serial killer who is murdering prostitutes in the seedy underside of New Orleans. Block finds himself strangely drawn into this underworld and walking the "tightrope" between right and wrong, good and evil, as he balances his search for the killer. Meanwhile, his behavior eerily shadows the killer's deviant pursuits quite often leaving the viewer gasping in shock.
In the role of a rape counselor is Genevieve Bujold, as Beryl Thibodeaux. An excellent counterbalance to Block, she plays on the tightrope, too. We watch as his tendency towards the lurid develops, yet her job is one of comforter and defender of those who are victems of violence and also to prevent violence against women. Their attraction creates an interesting tension during the film.
Another interesting feature of "Tightrope" is how it shows the difficulty Wes Block faces raising two daughters as a single father, especially given the nature of his job. Eastwood's real-life daughter, Alison, plays one of the daughters in this film. Without giving away too much of the plot, I should say that mentally and physically there is some threat to the family.
Overall, I would say that this film is one of Eastwood's best efforts, although it has been somewhat overlooked. For true Eastwood fans, I feel it is truly worth watching. Highest ratings.
The much darker side of Eastwood
"Tightrope" is a different kind of Clint Eastwood cop thriller. Here he plays New Orleans homicide detective Wes Block. Block is assigned to a series of rape murders happening in the French Quarter. The problem is that he soon becomes a suspect when hookers he's hired start turning up dead. This is easily the darkest of Eastwood's movies that examin what it means to be a man. Clint's other similerly themed movies are good, like "The Outlaw Jose Whales", "Heartbreak Ridge", "Unforgivin", and "In the Line of Fire". "Tightrope" is different, it shows Block's fear of women (because of a bad divorce) and how it manifests itself in Wes's preference to tie up the women he's with. In contrast with his kinky side is his attempted wholsome relationship with his daughter (Clint's real life daughter Allison Eastwood). The problem is after awhile the two sides of his life start to merge for the worse. Clint Eastwood takes a lot of critisism for not really being an actor; people say he's just kind of there. But I disagree, and "Tightrope" proves he is a good actor (though no one would compare him with Laurence Olivier). He takes his "Diry Harry" persona and humaizes it. One scene in particulor sticks out. It is while he is viewing the women at the strip bar; he has a look of utter disgust on his face; like he is not enjoying the show, but compeled to veiw women as objects, not people. And he hates himself for it. Genvieve Bujold is the women's advocate agent who helps Block with some of political aspects of the case. She is also the romantic interest. Bujold is emotionally strong enough to try to wade through the psychological damage in Block's attitudes. The killer is also very interesting. <!!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!!> The man was a cop who Block arrested for sex crimes some time ago. He is what Block is becoming. He will not stop at just restraining women; his hatered and fear of woman runs so deep that he must destroy them. Wes is so afraid that he will become like the killer that at one point when the killer is unmasked, Wes sees his own face. Richard Tuggle excellently wrote and directed this dark thriller. He did a great job with the material, what ever happened to him? And my compliments to the cinematographer who seems to have a real eye for locations. New Orleans's Bourbon Street is a major player in this movie. The place is seedy and full of slezzy sex for cash. It is dark, twisted, and full of wrong signals; much like the mind of the two central men. This is one of the best movies I have ever seen to deal with tortured heros. It has tight suspence. The people are wonderfully, complex characters. It is an excellent serial killer thriller and complex psycological drama.
Kinky,Kinky, Kinky Clint...
Man, what can be said about a southern detective walking the thin line between deviance and virtue, honor and sluttiness, father and "Whose your Daddy?", well, Clint does it well.
Great story of Clint as a detective hot on the trail of a killer who may be hot on Clint's trail. Some great one-liners, plenty o' nakedness, action, and cute kids. This movie actually makes you feel dirty, but in a good way. I say rent it, buy it, put it under your pillow, drop it off on your co-workers desk and tell them that a good time awaits them. Hopefuly you won't get fired.
Clint Eastwood is a down-and-out cop who is sent on a routine mission to pick up a witness and deliver her to the Phoenix courthouse. Sounds easy until he realizes he's been set up by the man who gave him this simple assignment. The interplay between Eastwood and the witness, a clever prostitute played by the actor's former girlfriend, Sondra Locke, is tough and playful. They obviously had strong chemistry. The story is highly implausible at times, but the action sequences are satisfying. Eastwood directs The Gauntlet very much in the style of his Academy Award-winning Western Unforgiven. Although the body count is surprisingly low for an Eastwood action film, a house, several cars, and a large bus get shot through with more holes than a big wheel of Swiss cheese.... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Clint Eastwood - Sondra Locke Director(s): Clint Eastwood DVD Release Date: Released the 04 September 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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I NEVER CEASE TO BE AMAZED AT THE FLEXIBILITY OF EASTWOOD'S ACTING. HE AND CHARLES BRONSON ARE TRULY GREAT ACTORS. More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Clint Eastwood - Lee J. Cobb Director(s): Don Siegel DVD Release Date: Released the 01 June 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Clint Eastwood (making his very assured directorial debut) is a poetry-spouting stud-muffin DJ stalked by a maniacally amorous fan after a misguided one-night stand in this enjoyably schlocky, undeniably effective film about good intentions gone murderously wacky. Although many of the very '70s trappings presented here may ultimately be too dated to be taken seriously (including a very self-indulgent jazz number and a hilariously gooey seduction number between Eastwood and Donna Mills), the core premise of infatuation taken out of bounds remains uncomfortably plausible--and was influential enough to be appropriated by one of the biggest hits of the '80s. (Here's a hint--it starred Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, and a very unfortunate bunny rabbit). A well-staged and occasionally... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Clint Eastwood - Jessica Walter Director(s): Clint Eastwood DVD Release Date: Released the 18 September 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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This somewhat desperate-looking project pairs the aging Clint Eastwood (he also directed) with a younger actor (Charlie Sheen) who was hot at the time this film was made (1990). There's certainly nothing wrong with that strategy, but it would have helped if Eastwood had a decent story to wrap around his commercial strategy. The senior star plays a grizzled cop with a smooth-faced preppie (Sheen) as a new partner. Their odd-couple shtick is as predictable as one would expect, with each man approaching the same job with a wholly different set of convictions from the other. Inexplicably, Eastwood also hired Raul Julia and Sonia Braga to plays Germans, but then the scene most people remember in this movie is Braga's rape of Eastwood--indeed an unusual moment. --Tom KeoghMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): Clint Eastwood - Charlie Sheen Director(s): Clint Eastwood DVD Release Date: Released the 02 September 2003 Usually ships within 24 hours
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Unjustly overlooked in Clint Eastwood's oeuvre, this critical examination of the hubris of machismo predated Unforgiven by just two years and meditated on similar themes. Eastwood plays a macho movie director, in Africa ostensibly to shoot a movie, but more pressingly (to his mind, anyway) to bag an elephant. The story is based loosely on the true story of John Huston's behavior while making The African Queen; Eastwood's Huston imitation (the character here is named Wilson) will no doubt prove distracting to some--he drawls out vowels to the point of breaking--but he captures both the arrogance of and the magnetic force behind the man. The film boasts splendid visuals by cinematographer Jack Green, and the final scene--and Eastwood's performance therein--is nearly... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Clint Eastwood - Jeff Fahey Director(s): Clint Eastwood DVD Release Date: Released the 02 September 2003 Usually ships within 24 hours
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