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Too much of everything

Fresh and Exciting

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Approach this as a B movie, & you'll have a great ride.If you enjoy Dirty Harry, you'll enjoy this movie.Sure, some out, well most of it, is over-the-top corny, but that's the fun.

Clint Eastwood stars as Ben Shockley, a gruff, tough maverick cop (natch!) who is given the task of extraditing Las Vegas hooker Gus Malley (Sondra Locke) to Phoenix, where she is to testify at a mob trial. Unfortunately for Ben, the mob have connections in the police force, and what seems like a simple job at first turns into a fight for survival against the odds.It would be easy to fault The Gauntlet for its incredibly dumb premise—the finale, in which Shockley and Malley must run a gauntlet of heavily armed police in order to reach city hall is preposterous in the extreme—but a lack of credibility is actually the least of this film's problems. Clint Eastwood's bland action direction is partly to blame, the star failing to generate any sense of excitement despite numerous situations in which certain death seems like the likely outcome for Shockley and Malley; the film's biggest drawback, however, is Sondra Locke, who couldn't act her way out of a paper bag if her life depended on it, and who doesn't even have the looks necessary to excuse such a lack of talent.

Clint Eastwood pays Ben Shockley, a tough, hard-drinking, washed up and not overly effective cop. Not much is expected of him, yet he's assigned to escort a "nothing" witness (feisty hooker "Gus" Mally, played by Eastwoods' gal pal of the era, Sondra Locke) to a "nothing" trial. However, he'll find that the truth is different from what he's been told, and that there are powerful people who will not want to see him accomplish his mission.The movie, which works as something of a predecessor to "Midnight Run", is well shot (by Rexford L. Metz) in Panavision, and adequately paced. It has just as many decent character moments as it does thrills. The action is deliberately made to be way over the top, with tons of bullets pumped into a house, a car, and, eventually, a bus. So, as an exercise in excess, "The Gauntlet" does do its job.Clint is fine as always. He still exhibits a trademark cool and his character displays an unexpected tenacity: he's going to prove that he's a better cop than people (including himself) might believe him to be. And Locke actually does just fine, in one of her better roles. You do like her more as the story plays out, and she and Clint work well together.The supporting cast is excellent, especially Pat Hingle as Shockley's old friend and colleague Josephson. "Deliverance" villain Bill McKinney has a memorable role as a constable forced to drive Ben and Gus to a rendezvous. Other familiar faces include William Prince as the police commissioner, Michael Cavanaugh as the assistant D.A., Mara Corday as a jail matron, Doug McGrath as a bookie, Jeff Morris as a desk sergeant, and Roy Jenson as one of the three vindictive bikers.The amount of firepower unleashed in this thing is truly mind-boggling. The final set piece is pretty damn intense, but there's a well executed helicopter / motorcycle chase preceding it that is exciting. It's true enough that "The Gauntlet" defies credibility at times, but those Clint fans just hoping for some good non-think entertainment should be satisfied with the amount of action doled out.Seven out of 10.

Watch this if....you don't mind a far fetched action film with Clint Eastwood recycling his role as a run-down, fed up cop. Plenty of over the top action and bullets if that is your thing.Acting/Casting: 6* - You get exactly what you would expect from Eastwood in his lead role as the cop who must get a key witness from Las Vegas to Arizona to testify. He plays the disgruntled, worn out, cop role well, but this is one of his niches. I would have preferred to see a different female lead, but Sondra Locke is serviceable in her role.Directing/Cinematography/Technical: 6* - The movie has some dull spots, but overall has a nice pace. The action is plentiful when it happens, but I would have preferred to see a little more throughout. All considered, the action sequences are still pretty impressive considering it was made in 1977.Plot/Characters: 6* - Vegas has bets down on whether Clint Eastwood can get a key witness from Las Vegas to Arizona alive to testify for a trial and the odds aren't in his favor. The synopsis was intriguing to me, but really was a different take on a very common storyline.Entertainment Value: 6* - Not a must see Eastwood film, but is still fairly entertaining. If you really like Eastwood, then it is likely a movie to see.My Score: 6+6+6+6 = 24/4 = 6.0Email your thoughts to [email protected]