The first of five collaborations between star Clint Eastwood and director Don Siegel (six, if you consider "Play Misty For Me" which was directed and starred by Clint, but featuring a cameo from Don), "Coogan's Bluff", besides being a witty action vehicle with Clint playing the macho cop who follows his own rules, a kind of 'warm-up' for their future "Dirty Harry", it was the weakest of their movies together.
This movie was conceived as a vanity project for the now established heartthrob & action star, after his success playing "The Man With No Name" for Sergio Leone in the "Dollars Trilogy" which slowly became a major hit in America and "Hang 'Em High", his first high profile American film.
"Coogan's Bluff" proved that the camera loves Clint and that he had the presence and charisma to carry on a film as the "name above the title" lead star, but as much as this is considered a cult-classic now, it lacks the edge, the social commentary, the 'grittiness' and the effectiveness of their later masterpieces such as "Dirty Harry", "The Beguiled" or "Escape from Alcatraz".
The movie is competent directed, Don knew how to do it, but that late 60's hippie subculture and psychedelic vibes were completely dated even by 10 years after the movie was made and fully obsolete now by today's standards. The screenplay is full of flamboyant characters and weird situations with a comedic tone in it, and every woman that appears on- screen is either throwing herself at Clint's arms or having sex with him 5 minutes later.
The supporting cast gave life to their colorful written characters, but besides the great veteran Lee J. Cobb, who delivered the goods in a scene-stealer performance, they were merely pawns in Clint's Chess game: Tisha Sterling, Susan Clark & Melodie Johnson were attractive to look at and Don Stroud was over-the-top 'cartoonish' as the junkie addicted to LSD. A young Seymour Cassel and future "Dirty Harry" co-star, Albert Popwell pops up in tiny roles.
In short, every Clint Eastwood film is a watchable one, especially directed by Don Siegel, but this one lacks a tight plot & assertive direction, it feels a bit redundant sometimes. Despite its flaws, it still works as a hour and a half of pure cinematographic escapism for a lazy Sunday afternoon at the movies.
This movie was conceived as a vanity project for the now established heartthrob & action star, after his success playing "The Man With No Name" for Sergio Leone in the "Dollars Trilogy" which slowly became a major hit in America and "Hang 'Em High", his first high profile American film.
"Coogan's Bluff" proved that the camera loves Clint and that he had the presence and charisma to carry on a film as the "name above the title" lead star, but as much as this is considered a cult-classic now, it lacks the edge, the social commentary, the 'grittiness' and the effectiveness of their later masterpieces such as "Dirty Harry", "The Beguiled" or "Escape from Alcatraz".
The movie is competent directed, Don knew how to do it, but that late 60's hippie subculture and psychedelic vibes were completely dated even by 10 years after the movie was made and fully obsolete now by today's standards. The screenplay is full of flamboyant characters and weird situations with a comedic tone in it, and every woman that appears on- screen is either throwing herself at Clint's arms or having sex with him 5 minutes later.
The supporting cast gave life to their colorful written characters, but besides the great veteran Lee J. Cobb, who delivered the goods in a scene-stealer performance, they were merely pawns in Clint's Chess game: Tisha Sterling, Susan Clark & Melodie Johnson were attractive to look at and Don Stroud was over-the-top 'cartoonish' as the junkie addicted to LSD. A young Seymour Cassel and future "Dirty Harry" co-star, Albert Popwell pops up in tiny roles.
In short, every Clint Eastwood film is a watchable one, especially directed by Don Siegel, but this one lacks a tight plot & assertive direction, it feels a bit redundant sometimes. Despite its flaws, it still works as a hour and a half of pure cinematographic escapism for a lazy Sunday afternoon at the movies.