Friday 15 March 2024

Tightrope (1984 Richard Tuggle & scr)

Funnily enough, we watched (well, started to watch, the disc went wrong 1:11 in) two films on the same day on which the producer sacked the director and took over. In this case, Clint knew after one day that Tuggle wasn't up to directing the Malpaso Way - fast and efficiently - and suggested they 'collaborate' on the rest of the film, effectively meaning Clint directed it.

The Clinty McKinky film from Clint's experimental eighties period. Detective Wes Block (who the hell comes up with these names?) is investigating the sex-related murders of women in New Orleans, but he's something of a kink himself. Clint puts himself in unusual territory here. I love the moment he moves the lamp, moves it again, and then just picks it up and hurls it across the room in a rage, punching through the wall - electrifying stuff, you so rarely see him losing himself like that. (This is after is daughter had been bound by the creepy killer.)

With Genevieve Bujold, Dan Hedaya, Alison Eastwood, Jenny Beck.

With the usual team from this period: Surtees, Cox, Niehaus, Garfagno, Stern all doing great stuff. Helicopter surveyed ending at railroad gripping (and even funny).





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