Quick Review: THE BEGUILED (1971)

Original Theatrical Poster

Released just before Clint Eastwood hit it big and became a household name with Dirty Harry (1971), The Beguiled (1971) is an American Gothic masterpiece set during the Civil War. It features one of Eastwood's finest and most complex performances, as the charismatic interloper who awakens the sexuality of a number of women in an all-girls boarding school, with dire consequences. Under Don Siegel's tight direction, this deceptively simple tale becomes a layered, tense psycho-sexual Gothic nightmare, with strange voice-overs, sudden bursts of violence, and disturbing incestuous overtones. Although Eastwood teamed up with Siegel on three other projects (Coogan's Bluff, Dirty Harry, and Escape From Alcatraz), this is their most idiosyncratic, atmospheric collaboration, and one to savor again and again. A highly recommended classic.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2016.

Quick Review: ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ (1979)

Original Film Poster

One of the finest prison movies ever made, Escape From Alcatraz (1979) is a suspense masterpiece. It's masterfully directed by maverick filmmaker Don Siegel, with fine performances by Clint Eastwood, Fred Ward, Larry Hankin, and Patrick McGoohan, and a nuanced, well-written script by Richard Tuggle (who would later on direct Eastwood in the hit Tightrope (1984). This is an unmissable, compelling, near-perfect suspense picture, and arguably Eastwood's second best collaboration with Siegel after Dirty Harry (1971). Based on a true story.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2015.