The Gauntlet (1977)

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 | Trial | Betting | Police | Bus

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

Also Known As:

Ruta suicida (Argentina) (Peru) (Spain) [es]
Der Mann, der niemals aufgibt (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
L'épreuve de force (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Barreira de Fogo (Portugal) [pt]
Genom kulregnet (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Hetsjakten (Sweden) [sv]
Kanun yolunda (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
L'uomo nel mirino (Italy) [it]
Luotikuja (Finland) [fi]
O anthropos pou den ypekypse pote (Greece) [el]
O batsos kai i porni (Greece) (TV title) [el]
Pansernæven (Denmark) [da]
Rota Suicida (Brazil) [pt]

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:

Steve McQueen and Barbra Streisand were tentatively cast, but the two did not get along. Clint Eastwood later took over production after McQueen backed out.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the beginning credits Shockley gets into his car and drives off past a Penney's department store. He then gets on a freeway and drives around town. After he stops and breaks the bottle of whiskey, you can see the same Penney' store behind him.

Quotes:

Biker: Hey, that's our bikes Charlie!
Ben Shockley: And this is my gun Clyde!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Hey Arnold! The Movie (2002)

Once again, Clint shows you why he's the best in the business.

How many rounds of ammunition can you fire into a house before it will collapse? Or maybe you'd like to see how many rounds you can fire into a bus before it will stop running. If you're interested, or if you just like Clint Eastwood, then The Gauntlet is for you! Our film centers around Clint playing a sloppy policeman from Phoenix who is assigned to transport a sassy hooker (Sondra Locke) from Las Vegas back to his jurisdiction. This will not be an easy task. First of all, this Eastwood character is no Dirty Harry. His Ben Shocklee is an alcoholic, and barely capable of doing his job. The hooker's testimony could potentially bring down some important figures, so the cops and mafia also don't want them to return to Phoenix. In addition to all that, the woman is such a bitch that even a trip across town with her would be almost too much to bear. The two are put in one harrowing situation after another as Clint proves that he has the moxy to simply "get the job done".

This film, if made by or starring inferior talent, would be nothing short of ridiculous. Several situations that arise in this film seem improbable at best, and often ludicrous. Eastwood's charm, and the razor-sharp dialog keep it moving along. You end up almost believing it could happen. Clint Eastwood is that talented. His acting and direction are as good as ever.

The film has plenty of memorable scenes. Along with the shootouts, we get some very amusing and often very funny situations. One of my favorites is when Eastwood single-handedly talks an entire motorcycle gang into surrendering one of their bikes or facing the consequences of his pistol. And what would an Eastwood/Locke film be without a scene where she is sexually assaulted? Though disturbing, the scene has a hilarious conclusion. Another scene belongs to Locke, herself. In it, she puts a foul-mouthed police flunky in his place using some very sexually explicit words.

That a film which would seemingly be quite ridiculous on paper is made into such a fine product is a testimony to the genius of Clint Eastwood. He is without a doubt my favorite actor of all time.

9 of 10 stars for The Gauntlet.

The Hound.