Play Misty for Me

Clint Eastwood’s directorial debut takes a shot at a Hitchcockian thriller. While Eastwood is definitely exhibits some rookie directing issues, the movie itself rises above it with a sharp, tense script and acting that is out of this world. The directing issues really come down to unnecessary shots and lingering on things that don’t need it. Do we need 2 solid minutes of concert footage? Or the VERY extended sex scene in the waterfall? There’s some shots where the camera gets buried behind houseplants or pillars, or pans across a lot of dark empty space, things an experienced director wouldn’t do. I’m not mad about it, it’s just noticeable. Also, it’s impossible not to wonder why Dave (Eastwood) keeps giving Evelyn (a mesmerizing Jessica Walter) positive reinforcement. She shows signs of being nuttier than an almond farm from the first moment they meet, and he’s just all “hmm, wonder where this is going”, and it’s not a very realistic reaction. And there’s some odd musical choices where something else, or even silence, would’ve played better. But that can all be set aside because the way Jessica Walter plays Evelyn is amazing. Though you can see the crazy in her from the jump, the way she slowly unravels is a masterclass of acting. Every scene is an escalation on the last, layering her disturbed and disturbing attachment to Dave until the explosive third act. And Eastwood is no slouch here either. He doesn’t do the normal Eastwood squint at everything and be grizzled and stoic. He is confused, he can’t process how he got into the mess or how he’ll get out of it, and he’s scared. When his ex comes back into his life, he shows genuine care and love for her. There’s a scene where Eastwood is stuck under Walter, having held her through a manic episode until she fell asleep, and the camera zooms in on him, and his gaze — fear and terror and a sense of endless entrapment — pours out of him. When it zooms out, it’s nighttime, and they’re still there in the same position, but now his eyes are hollow and resigned. It’s a damned good watch is what I’m saying. The directorial miscues and some campy moments can be looked past. It’s a solid, slick, effective, and intimate thriller.