The Gauntlet

The Gauntlet is the second of six films that Clint Eastwood did with Sondra Locke, an amount that certainly qualifies them as a screen team of note. They were for 15 years a team off the screen as well.

The Gauntlet casts Locke as a hooker who is being subpoenaed as a witness in an organized crime case. She's in Las Vegas where if you'll recall prostitution is legal and apparently she's learned some interesting information. More interesting than she realizes because there are some people who want to make very certain she does not reach Phoenix where the Maricopa County District Attorney has her for a witness.

Assigned to the case is Clint Eastwood who is characterized by himself as a tired old time server of a cop. He's not by reputation with the Phoenix, PD a Harry Callahan. But to the regret of forces who want to see Locke dead and consider him an incompetent and expendable, Clint fools them all.

As a film The Gauntlet goes at a good clip and the suspense from the first attack against Eastwood and Locke does not let up for a second. The dialog between Eastwood and Locke is crisp and entertaining and the action sequences well staged. The two leads get good support from Pat Hingle as Eastwood's luckless partner and William Prince the corrupt Chief of the Phoenix PD.

I'm not sure whether Prince wants Locke dead for her testimony linking him to organized crime or for the fact she can testify to some alternate sexual practices he favors. Either way Prince is absolutely manic about making sure they never get to Phoenix alive.

For fans of Clint Eastwood, The Gauntlet is one of his best films, one of my favorites of his, and something not to be missed.

This baroque and utterly implausible action drama subscribes to the over-the-top theory of movie making. Huge quantities of bullets, bikers and bad apples are unleashed on Mr.Eastwood, Ms. Locke, his remand witness, and us, the audience. Eastwood executes the gauntlet with great resolve and resourcefulness: he even knows how to fortify a bus with armored plates. Clint is in peak form and Locke will never again reach the heights that she does here. Clearly, the two have wonderful screen chemistry and would remain together as a couple for more than a decade. Watching the film today, I think there is a scene that went missing--or was cut. It occurred at the beginning of the movie and involved the sadistic police commissioner and Locke's prostitute. The scene is later described in great detail by Locke when she and Clint are on the lam in a desert cave. So where is it? My dad took me to see this "R" rated film on a bitterly cold night in early February '78--it was released in late '77. I think he was unaware of the rating because I did get an eyeful that night. Make sure you see this movie letterboxed in order to absorb all the destructive power and subtle artistry on display.

There is a tender moment in the motel when Clint talks about his past. "My parents didn't care, the teachers stopped caring" and I was left to drift aimlessly through life. Sondra then wants him to settle down with her on a ranch in Arizona and have kids, a house a pool, etc. They then decided to stay together and achieve that dream. I guess that "dream" would apply to most people. Settle down with a good woman and find peace in the world. An odd moment for the characters, Eastwood normally plays.

"The Gauntlet" is an action film that works best if you don't expect very much from it. It's not a Dirty Harry film nor does the film make a lot of sense...especially at the very end. Nevertheless, for Clint Eastwood fans it probably packs enough in it to make them happy...all others consider twice before watching.

Eastwood had just finished making his third Dirty Harry film when he then made "The Gauntlet". I am sure many expected to see the self- confident and murderous officer Callahan once again, but his Ben Shockley in "The Gauntlet" is in many ways very much unlike Callahan. He's a drunk, a lousy cop and someone no one would expect much from...hence this is why he was chosen for a special assignment. The Police Commissioner (William Prince) wants Shockley to go to Vegas to bring in a prisoner who is expected to testify in a mob case. However, it soon becomes obvious no one wants him to bring the girl (Sondra Locke) back alive...and the Vegas and Phoenix police forces are itching to kill them both.

So why do I only give this one a 5? Well, the film is pretty much mindless action much of the time, but the reason for this relatively low score for a Clint Eastwood film is the ending...an ending which seems incredibly fake and silly. All semblance to reality seems to vanish and the ending is basically intended to satisfy the primal, not the intellectual. Pretty silly ending...as is the bizarro romance.

'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.