Play Misty For Me (1971) Review

Play Misty For Me (1971)

Play Misty For Me follows radio show host Dave Garver, who, after a one night stand, discovers that the woman was actually an obsessive fan, turning to stalking as she becomes increasingly psychotic.

The same year that he played a certain cop asking punks if they feel lucky, Clint Eastwood made his directorial debut with Play Misty for Me, in what feels like a dry run for what would become Fatal Attraction 16 years later. What it gets right, it does pretty well, fearfully detailing the lengths some will go to for what they believe is “love” and allowing Evelyn to unleash the full extent of her madness on Dave and his personal life. If she can’t have him, no one can, and all it takes is a foot in the door to make his life a living nightmare, as she slashes, destroys, and sabotages any chance he has at a normal life. 

Low budget and VERY low paced, the film is definitely chock full of thrills, courtesy of Jessica Walter (who often left me with a shocking amount of second hand embarrassment), though I can’t quite wrap my head around all the filler, like the super out of place detour to the Roberta Flack concert at the Monterey Jazz Fest (???), dragging an already slow film to miserable lengths at points, leading the final product to suffer greatly. 

Misty also boasts an acceptable cast, starring James McEachin, Don Siegel, Donna Mills, Jessica Walter, and Clint Eastwood. Though Eastwood’s stern and uncompromising demeanor definitely fits in some sections, just about any scene with Walter, there’s very little likability factor to him, which is a hard sell for someone like Dave. Walter however, is terrifyingly manipulative, with her descent into such a crazy stalker played for some excellent thrills. 

Play Misty For Me, directed by Clint Eastwood, is a competent thriller in it’s own right, but whether it be the slow pacing or the lack of tightness in the story, the mind is left wandering on what could have been from such a smart and frightening concept, regardless of it’s tense, heart pounding finale. 

6.7/10