The Gauntlet (1977)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers:

Michael Butler (written by) and
Dennis Shryack (written by)

Release Date:

21 December 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Clint Eastwood is the man in the middle of The Gauntlet

Plot:

A hard but mediocre cop is assigned to escort a prostitute into custody from Las Vegas to Phoenix, so that she can testify in a mob trial. But a lot of people are literally betting that they won't make it into town alive.

Plot Keywords:

Prostitute | Betting | Trial | Bus | Police

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Ben Shockley
Sondra Locke	...	Gus Mally
Pat Hingle	...	Josephson
William Prince	...	Blakelock
Bill McKinney	...	Constable
Michael Cavanaugh	...	Feyderspiel
Carole Cook	...	Waitress
Mara Corday	...	Jail Matron
Doug McGrath	...	Bookie (as Douglas McGrath)
Jeff Morris	...	Desk Sergeant
Samantha Doane	...	Biker
Roy Jenson	...	Biker
Dan Vadis	...	Biker
Carver Barnes	...	Bus Driver
Robert Barrett	...	Paramedic

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Certification:

Spain:13 (cut) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-18 (1978) (cut) | Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:14A (video rating) | Peru:14 | Argentina:16 (original rating) | Argentina:Atp (re-rating) | Australia:MA (DVD rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | Finland:K-16 (DVD rating) (1999) (uncut) | Finland:K-16 (video rating) (1988) (cut) | France:-12 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:16 (1978) | Spain:(Banned) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) (1986) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company:

Malpaso Productions

Trivia:

The police officers shooting at the bus in Downtown Phoenix were actual Active and Reserve Phoenix Police Officers.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When the helicopter crashes into the power lines, the copter is obviously a shell. The lack of an engine, and the mechanism where it is tied to the power lines is clearly visible.

Quotes:

Ben Shockley: Exactly. Reasonable suspicion. I can go anywhere I please if I have reasonable suspicion. Now if I have suspicion a felony's been committed, I can just walk right in here anytime I feel like it, 'cause I got this badge, I got this gun, and I got the love of Jesus right here in my pretty green eyes.

Movie Connections:

References Every Which Way But Loose (1978)

Best of the 1970s action movies

The big part for Sondra Locke, who plays Augustina "Gus" Malley, was dealing with a very tough cop, Clint Eastwood (who plays Ben Shockley). Both have to deal with a Phoenix police commissioner who thinks he is going to be good on the outside---but very sneaky and nasty on the inside.

Throughout the movie, it seems like Sondra is almost like an "Annie Oakley" of some kind especially when she carries a gun...and it was scary to find out that Gus was targeted for death by several parties around Arizona and Phoenix if she tries to testify in a wasteful trial.

This "Gauntlet" flick may not be "Mission Impossible", but Ben accepts an assignment from the commissioner that cannot be revealed at all except by him and the commissioner. Then, as soon as he picks up Gus, they face a maze of attempts on their lives.

The camera-work during the helicopter gunman/motorcycle chase scene was actually the best. You see the chase on a variety of angles--close up, panoramic, cutting away, and zooming in.

The fight scene on the freight train between the crazed bikers, Ben, and Gus reminds me of the phrase "Throw Momma Off The Train"---but even more than that---it reminds me of Clint Eastwood's appearances in spaghetti westerns like "A Fistful of Dollars."

The soundtrack in the flick reminded me of Charles Mingus's jazz style.