Coogan's Bluff

Customer Reviews:

Classy Entertainment.......2007-09-07

This very good film is worth seeing for a number of reasons:
Firstly it is directed by Don Siegel who earlier in his career directed the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers and then went on to make a string of minor classics (Charley Varrick, The Shootist, The Beguiled) and later would direct the first Dirty Harry movie. Don Siegel was a major influence on Clint Eastwood as a director and if you've seen the above films you'll know why. If you haven't seen them they are all strongly recommended.

The second reason to see this is Clint Eastwood. As an actor he was just beginning to hit his golden period, and this film, where he plays Coogan, a deputy Sheriff who is sent to escort a dangerous prisoner, gives him the oppurtunity to show why he was the biggest box office star for years and years. A lot of credit must also go to Lee J Cobb who almost steals the film from Eastwood, playing Det McElroy the city cop with little time or patience for Coogan. However in the end it is Eastwood's performance that wins out, if only because he gets to deliver some laconic lines in classic style.

Some of the scenes from the nightclub (not to mention the music) look rather dated now (1968 was the height of flower power etc), but this is a well acted, action-packed and sometimes funny film that is well worth getting.

Seems to be edited.......2007-04-14

Limp movie by today's standards, with jarring switches from locations in NY to obvious Universal studios backlot. Very TV movie in its look and overuse of extreme closeups. A view of the 60's counterculture that didn't even ring true then. I also seem to recall that when I saw this in the 60's that Susan Clark points out the actual Coogan's Bluff (a real natural landmark in NY) to Eastwood's character during their scene above the Cloisters. She tells a little story about it, tying it to the character's "bluff" about how tough he is. If I am recalling correctly, that scene has been clumsily trimmed out on this DVD. Note how in one shot Eastwood is wearing his hat, but in the very next one it is off. At that point the dialogue appears to jump from one subject to an entirely different one. Without this scene the title doesn't even make sense anymore

10-gallon Hat Eastwood in New York City.......2007-02-15

This is great for Eastwood lovers, unless you don't like to see him getting beaten up and bloodied (on several occasions). However, he does beat up lots of baddies in return and makes love to lots of chicks.

Eastwood's Western Sheriff Arrests All of 1968 New York.......2007-02-05

This film has aged extremely well -- a time capsule red state/blue state story of Eastwood's Arizona deputy sheriff -- "Texas" to the hard-bitten, seen-it-all New York cops, and his foray to New York City to pick up a fugitive. Eastwood's understated comic performance is spot-on, and New York of 1968 is a bizarre, mysterious melting pot, with hookers, freaks, crazies, druggies, and all manner of miscreants -- all portrayed with a wink and a nod in Don Siegal's steady hand. The scenes at New York's famous Electric Circus, and Eastwood's reaction, are priceless.

The Lalo Schifrin soundtrack is especially strong, and Lee J. Cobb's turn as the exasperated police chief adds to the fun. Good supporting roles too by Conrad Bain and Susan Clark. All in all this film is of a piece with New York films of its time, like Frank Sinatra's The Detective, Midnight Cowboy, even The Out-of-Towners. A treat.

Stranger in a Stranger Land.......2006-08-30

This is a "fish out of water" story. Clint Eastwood plays a deputy sheriff from rural Arizona. He is a westerner in the sense of the western movies. He is strong, confident about women and does not tolerate obstruction in any form. He has also hacked off his boss so he gets sent to New York City to extradite a prisoner. That's bad enough but this is NYC of the 60s with all of the additional strangeness brought on by that decade.

While there, he finds that picking up the prisoner is not as easy as it should be. He is bogged down by administrative procedures seeming designed to keep anyone from getting anything done. Worse, it keeps him in NYC waiting. He decides to take matters into his own hands and bluffs his way into custody of the prisoner. He is about to head back to Arizona when he gets bushwhacked and the prisoner escapes. Now he has to deal with a hostile NYCPD and track down a prisoner in very unfamiliar surroundings while the local police threaten to arrest him if he interferes any more.

This is a good but dated story. It has action but not as much as most modern movies. The chase scene seems rather tame. Still, it is about the good guy breaking the rules to bring in the bad guy. Dirty Harry would approve

Average customer rating:

Classy Entertainment
Seems to be edited
10-gallon Hat Eastwood in New York City
Eastwood's Western Sheriff Arrests All of 1968 New York
Stranger in a Stranger Land

Coogan's Bluff [Region 2]

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00006RHU3