Tightrope (1984)

Director:

Richard Tuggle

Writer:

Richard Tuggle (screenplay)

Release Date:

17 August 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

A cop on the edge...

Plot:

Wes Block is a detective who's put on the case of a serial killer. His victims are young and pretty women...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Rape | Detective | Serial Killer | Single Parent

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Capt. Wes Block
Geneviève Bujold	...	Beryl Thibodeaux
Dan Hedaya	...	Det. Molinari
Alison Eastwood	...	Amanda Block
Jenny Beck	...	Penny Block (as Jennifer Beck)
Marco St. John	...	Leander Rolfe
Rebecca Perle	...	Becky Jacklin
Regina Richardson	...	Sarita
Randi Brooks	...	Jamie Cory
Jamie Rose	...	Melanie Silber
Margaret Howell	...	Judy Harper
Rebecca Clemons	...	Girl with Whip
Janet MacLachlan	...	Dr. Yarlofsky
Graham Paul	...	Luther
Bill Holliday	...	Police Chief

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Australia:M | Canada:18+ (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | West Germany:16 | South Korea:15 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1984) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Malpaso Company, The

Trivia:

This is the first Clint Eastwood film with a score composed by Lennie Niehaus. Although Niehaus had orchestrated Jerry Fielding's Escape from Alcatraz (1979) a few years earlier, this was the first of 14 movies Niehaus has so far scored for Eastwood.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Obviously fake lightning flashes twice near the end of the movie.

Quotes:

Wes Block: Twenty-eight years ago I borrowed 40 dollars from my father, packed up an old, beat up suitcase, took a bus and came here. I was seventeen at the time. While I walked through the French Quarter, I looked out over the Mississippi and swore I'd never leave.
Beryl Thibodeaux: Ever come close?
Wes Block: Only once. When I looked down and saw that the suitcase was missing.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Tatort: Märchenwald (#1.576)" (2004)

a change of pace for Clint

Clint Eastwood is a truly amazing man. More then just a mere actor, he has become one of our national icons. Even President Reagan quoted his famous line "make my day". In Tightrope, Eastwood really went out and took a chance playing a cop, but not like Dirty Harry. A movie critic who reviewed the film commented that Eastwood had really grown as an actor and that maybe we should call him Redwood! Wes Block is a troubled single father who is really human with human frailties. He is drawn into a seamy murder investigation, but in doing so it is like he is looking into the dark tormented mirror of his own troubled soul. Every time a prostitute is murdered, it seems like it is one that he was just with. Watching this troubling film, there were more then a few occasions that I wondered if Clint was going to be revealed as the true killer in the end! It was a chilling thought to me watching this portrayal of a cop on the edge and wondering what would happen to push him over. Clint was finally nominated for an Academy award for best actor for Unforgiven, but this to me is one of the best "acting" jobs that he ever did. His real life daughter Allison plays his daughter in this movie and does a fine job, just like his son Kyle did in Honkeytonk Man. Genevieve Bujold gives a wonderful performance as the rape counselor that he falls for. She is a wonderful actress and more then holds her own. She was in my favorite Disney film The Last Flight Of Noah's Ark. Eastwood usually directs himself on screen, but in this case Richard Tuggle (who worked with Clint in Escape From Alcatraz) does a commendable job with the direction and the screenplay. The most disturbing part is where Eastwood tears a room apart in a fit of rage when he realizes what he has become. In a sense, he is no better then the pervert he hunts. Its like the dream scene where he is attacking the woman he loves. The ending of the film is like Dirty Harry where he finally gets the bad guy, I guess they cop out in the end, but Eastwood showed a lot of daring and guts when he took on this challenging role and he really rose to the occasion in my view. However, I would rather see him as Dirty Harry or No Name.