John Chard
Sep 6, 2014
8/10
Well if you are going to play away Dave...
Dave Garver (Clint Eastwood) is a late night disc jockey in Carmel, California. Whilst his girlfriend is out of town he meets and beds a fan named Evelyn (Jessica Walter) who turns out to be the mystery caller to his show who sexily requests the Errol Garner classic tune "Play Misty For Me". Thinking that his night of passion with Evelyn is purely a one off, he starts to become concerned as Evelyn refuses to leave him alone, and things are about to get very out of hand and become very disturbing for all involved.
This was Clint Eastwood's first stab (hrr hrr) at directing and it proved to be a very commendable effort as he directs himself in the picture, polishes the production across the board, and then wrapped the film on time and under budget, quite an achievement and it's no surprise that he went on to be a big hitter from behind the camera right up to this present day.
Play Misty For Me is a truly tight and engrossing picture, and certainly more of a character study than its slasher shell would suggest. Eastwood (playing against type) plays Garver perfectly weasel like, and it's because of his selfish sexual proclivities, and all round disdain for his actions, that the maelstrom that comes his way is kind of like the reckoning. The picture firmly belongs to Jessica Walter, though, her turn as the irrational psychotic in waiting, Evelyn, is truly magic, lacing sympathetic sadness with outright moments of terror, believable to the point of forcing the audience into an uneasy understanding. It's a mystery (and a crying shame) that Walter didn't go on to be a big star because the marker for major talent was right here.
Edgy and darkly fascinating, Play Misty For Me stands up today as a right on the money thriller, and not even the sight of Clint in his over large white underpants can dim the films appeal. 8.5/10
