Review of Coogan's Bluff (1968) by William W — 01 May 2016

Early American Clint Eastwood performances, as he was testing the cinematic waters after his huge success in Leone's highly influential 'The Man with No Name' trilogy of great spaghetti westerns, are such fun to watch, as he experiments and tries out different genres, deciding what direction he wants to take his career. There are such unexpected gems to behold, both acting and directing, like 'Two Mules for Sister Sara', 'Breezy', 'The Beguiled', 'Play Misty for Me', 'Where Eagles Dare' and this, where he plays the proverbial 'fish out of water', in way over his head, as a deputy sheriff from the sticks, having to find an escaped prisoner in the megalopolis of New York City, no less. The great variety of this time is such a cinematic luxury to peruse and discover for oneself. Mine came in the humongous '35 Years 35 Films', and there have been even larger compendiums more recently. They all offer fine value to the discerning cinephile.

It's great fun seeing Lee J. Cobb and Susan Clark (when she was really irresistible), and you can never go wrong with director Siegel, who, along with the aforementioned Leone, were the greatest influences on the American icon who at that time was blossoming into his own, the San Franciscan-born Eastwood. Definitely worth owning and rewatching.