Play Misty for Me

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Jessica Walter, Donna Mills, John Larch, Jack Ging, Irene Hervey, Clarice Taylor, Don Siegel
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Thriller
1971

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A disc jockey's (Clint Eastwood) life is changed when a listener (Jessica Walter) obsessed with him begins to infiltrate his life.

Review:

Tim: It was quite interesting to watch Clint Eastwood's directorial debut. He would go on to become a prolific and excellent director, crafting quite a few incredible movies. Here, his first film behind the camera, is good. He competently directs it, but it feels like a film that comes from someone learning on the job, still honing his craft. This is an effective movie, but it's missing any signature style.

On the one hand, you have to give Eastwood credit for a focused, effective thriller. After a romantic encounter with a fan, Eastwood's disc jockey begins a fateful misadventure that threatens to wreck his life. This all works well on screen- you see the increasingly erratic behavior of a clearly unbalanced woman. It gives you pause, wondering how you would cope with someone slightly unhinged. It's a worthwhile thriller and the movie holds your attention. On the other hand, this kind of thing has been done before and I'm not sure Eastwood really adds to the conversation. It's yet another femme fatale and it follows the typical playbook. Eastwood's movie needed more nuance, more of an understanding of Evelyn. Instead, it paints her as a crazy woman who only wants to ruin this man's life. There was room here for a less simplistic approach.

Eastwood is good in the lead role. It's always fun seeing him play someone who isn't a cowboy or a cop. He gave himself ample opportunity to act and while his performance isn't flawless, it's effective enough. You identify with him and learn to root for him, although acknowledging he's a complex character with his own baggage. Jessica Walter gives a very strong performance as Evelyn. The movie ran a real risk of this character coming across as deranged, yet ridiculous. Walter hits the right tones with Evelyn- she might be crazy, but she's intelligent and conniving and her performance does send a chill down your spine. While Eastwood plays it straight and stoic, Walter is able to embrace big emotions and conveys those well on screen. Donna Mills was fine. Her performance was a bit bland, but she wasn't unlikable. John Larch added a strong supporting performance and even though he doesn't get a lot of screen time, he makes a lasting impression.

The story was solid, but it could have used another rewrite. Not everything is satisfactorily explained. One of the most stark ones is after the police visit Eastwood's character following a particularly disturbing occurrence. Rather than using the opportunity with the police, or feeling much of a sense of relief that his nightmare is over, Eastwood's character stonewalls the police, admits nothing, and generally doesn't do himself any favors. I'm sure his character was worried about bad press, but this isn't effectively explained. You don't really see his worry or concern. It just looks like this character is acting in an unrealistic, self-sabotaging way. There's a few moments throughout the film where Eastwood's direction holds back the story, rather than helping it. He'd obviously figure it out in future movies, but there were small rough patches here.

I enjoyed Play Misty for Me. It's a memorable movie that I'll think about past the film's conclusion. However, it's obviously early-career work from Eastwood as a director. I didn't have any major issues with the movie and I would recommend it, but it's best to temper expectations. It's good, but never more than that.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7


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