Der Mann, der niemals aufgibt

Theatre of the absurd -- Clint-style. This fast-paced, mindless, often silly film always remains true to itself, and thus succeeds on its terms. Excessive violence is used repeatedly as a metaphor for absurdity. William Prince and his protege who plays Federspiel are two of the most memorable malevolent bureaucrats in film history. Supporting cast members are all in on the joke, and play it for all its worth -- even the usually uptight Sondra Locke scores wonderfully in this one. I usually abhor excessive violence, but this film really uses it for laughs. A guilty pleasure.

Clint Eastwood plays a Phoenix cop sent to Las Vegas to bring a witness back to testify at a mobster's trial. The witness is a tough, smart prostitute, played by Sondra Locke. The two clash instantly but soon find they have to rely on each other to survive because nobody seems to want Locke to make it to Phoenix alive.

Underrated Eastwood movie that blends road trip comedy, romantic comedy, action, and drama all into one. Gritty and violent with an epic amount of gunfire for a '70s movie. Today that would all be CGI and lame. Clint's great. Sondra Locke has probably her best movie role here. Very good supporting cast of familiar faces. Like I said, this one's pretty underrated. If you're an Eastwood fan, you definitely should check it out.

The Clint Eastwood fans already know what fun action they can expect, for those people yet unknown with Clint Eastwood, one can expect shoot-out after shoot-out. The story is about a corrupt police chief trying to kill a witness before she can testify to his corruption.

The good: terrific action, however silly and over the top, it is still incredibly enjoyable. Great role by a lovely Sandra Locke, who provides a bit of budding romance. And there is an excellent bad guy as well. What more could I wish for in a dirty cop action movie?

Any bad? Well, the story is completely NOT credible up to RIDICULOUS, because at many moments it makes no sense whatsoever. For those who want a realistic story, pass this one by. For those (like me) who first most want to see full blown fun action, this is definitely worth the watch...

Hands down, Sondra Lockes best performance.So then,why does this film need all the over the top violence? It does so because most men won't want to admit they like a love story, or go to the movies to see one. This movie is a top rate love story, from beginning to end. What possibly could this movie have in common with Fight Club,,or even As Good as it Gets? In Fight Club, Ed Norton meets a girl that he obviously can not handle , so he reinvents himself. Same with Ben Shockley. He meets his match, so he must act quickly, making up a story about snakes at the cave. He then thinks on his feet, and acquires himself a bike, impressing the girl and cementing their alliance. Jack Nicholson breaks down to Helen Hunt and claims "You make me want to be a better man".Estwood starts saying please, and and emotes a deep trust in his counterpart; He realizes he must soften up a little to keep the lady around.He does. Shockley isn't some phony Top Gun hero who loses the girl, he's a loser who does what he has to get the woman in love with him, and it works, this is his only chance at love.

This is Lockes best film. Is it because of the acting or is this Lockes personality? She does it well enough where you honestly believe she is ad libbing at least half of her lines, pulling them off the top of her tongue. She sizzles, oozing sex in the back seat of the cop car. You honestly believe she is so used to verbal abuse that she sits there and takes the insults. She is just playing possum, lying in wait. She takes her turn, and delivers a knockout counter-punch to the constable,forcing his mind to admit that he is just a sleazeball flunkie. What is best, is that nothing but honesty and cold reality come out of her mouth. Eastwood accepts the truth, and lives. The constable refuses, and dies. Locke is the anti-feminazi. She saves her mans life, and immediately wants to go back to being a real woman, in his arms.This movie deserves a ten, because the action scenes are just there so people can handle all of the raw truth in the movie. A must buy.

'The Gauntlet' is an action thriller starring Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke. In the film, Eastwood – playing an unpopular 'Dirty Harry' kind of police officer – must escort a prostitute (Locke) to a trial, at which she is to be a witness. However, there are high- ranking officials in the police department who'd rather see Locke not make it to her trial, and so the duo soon become the county's most-wanted, and it transpires that the authorities will do anything to keep the cop and the prostitute out of court. They must tackle a number of increasingly deadly obstacles in their path, with police snipers, vengeful bikers, helicopters and drive-by shootings all serving to impede them. With these developments, it becomes apparent that 'The Gauntlet' isn't a film to be taken seriously; once this is acknowledged, the film is quite good. It isn't as nail-biting as 'Dirty Harry' or as solemn as 'In the Line of Fire', but 'The Gauntlet' still manages to entertain, albeit in a lighter, 'Mad Max' way. (I think that Eastwood attempted this with the film 'Coogan's Bluff', but I'd say that 'The Gauntlet' is the superior title.) The film is supported by some enjoyable and opportunistic cinematography, a lovable jazz score, and two surprisingly good performances. 'The Gauntlet' isn't really a title to be remembered, debated or written about, and if you approach it in consideration of what it is – a fun, 'Bullitt'-like action film with mature themes – you're likely to enjoy it.