Review of Play Misty for Me (1971) by Adrian Z — 31 May 2013

This psychological thriller marks Clint Eastwood's debut as a director. Eastwood himself plays a late night DJ who has a brief affair with a fan (Walter), who turns out to be a very dangerous stalker.

When Eastwood wants to return to his former lover ( Mills) tension ensues. Walter is very effective as the stalker, in fact she steals the film from Eastwood, who seems a little odd in his role. Of course, Eastwood went on to build an illustrious career as a director, but in his debut there are some issues: during some of the violent scenes Eastwood borrows liberally from Hitchcock's Psycho, but rather than enhance the tone of the picture with an appropriately dramatic score, the film is too jazz heavy.

Granted, it's souce music from the radio, but it's jarring to have scenes of great suspense diluted by having a bright jazz number running in the background. Another oddity is the choice of garishly green-coloured, weirdly shaped graphics for the film's titles and end credits roll.