User reviews

A rundown cop who's always on the drink named Ben Shockley is assigned to accompany a foul-mouthed prostitute in Las Vegas to a protection program across the country in Phoenix to testify against highly placed authority figure, although first they have to get through a gauntlet of bad cops and the mob who actually want them both dead. So now the odds aren't in their favour, but Shockley is determine to do his job, no matter how big the odds are against them.

Classic Eastwood is on show here people. Although, it's not one of his greatest nor particularly original. But this reasonably familiar cop / action film delivers what it intended to do by giving us a taut little road movie across baron landscapes with a tremendous amount of brutally fast-paced shootouts and grand chase scenes. I mean a lot! To sum it up, shootouts, shootouts and even more shootouts. Watch things go boom with a lot going on at such a furious pace! What more could you want?

So you ask, why is this nothing out of the ordinary? Because this kind of thing wasn't particularly new within this era of films. There were definite shades of Dirty Harry; Eastwood's character Shockley was the exact opposite to Harry though. The one thing you'll notice is that there is no real excuse or depth behind the plot, but to stage one chaotic and stretched out shootout after another. Sometimes they feel like they go on forever! Nonetheless, they might be far-fetched and fail logic, but they're rather well set-up by director Eastwood. Giving us a sudden burst around each corner and because of that there's hardly a mundane moment… uh, maybe Eastwood did overkill certain shootouts, but it did get the blood pumping! So, when the "exaggerated" climax hits the screen - at least the film was consistent in that aspect.

The performances were top-notch, with Eastwood's persona making any film his in watchable. He gives a stellar performance. Sondra Locke as Gus Mally was perfect. The chemistry between the leads was outstanding. The scathing and rough dialogue amongst them was a treat with great use of sarcasm and offbeat humour. The biting conversations truly built on the paranoia at hand with many top one-liners. This gives the film a buddy type of feel. Other key factors are the soothing blues soundtrack, well established camera shots that capture a beautiful landscape, but also the panic of the situation they face. While, there might be underlining themes running throughout the plot, I just didn't read too much into it.

Just leave your brain at the door and enjoy the total chaos and destruction that follows with your screen being sprayed with bullets! Definitely recommended for fans of Eastwood and gritty action films.

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.

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...

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 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.

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.

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.

Never really watched a lot of Clint Eastwood films in my movie viewing life, just caught a few here and there. But this one "The Gauntlet" was certainly a good one to watch and sure it's not one of Clint's tough guy westerns or his bad ass cop movies, still this movie has plenty of action and excitement and thrills even though his character is flawed. Eastwood is Ben Shockley a Phoenix, Arizona police officer who's also a "Jack Daniels" drinker and rugged looking guy who appears burned out and down on his luck. Yet it's his time to go to Las Vegas and pick up a witness to testify in a trial. And this is where things get complex his pickup is a Vegas hooker named Gus(Sondra Locke) and in the town of all odds the odds are against them both! Then the film takes off on a twisted path of betrayal and fast and furious excitement starting with blazing shootouts of bullets, flying helicopters, and crazed bikers and crooked police all round out the journey. Thru it all the story unfolds into a game of setup and police corruption tied into the world of the mob. And true the story and plot may not be strong or in depth this is still a treat for any Eastwood fan with it's action and fireworks, really it's a thrill ride of a watch and again the chemistry just like in so many of their early works is in top form between both Locke and Eastwood. Overall a nice watch and "The Gauntlet" in my opinion is an underrated classic.

Yes, this is a movie that lacks brains, but in this film, there's an admirable quality about it. Again, in not much stretch of acting ability, Eastwood lowers the ranks of Mr Harry Callahan, playing a drunken loser of a cop, Ben Shockley, who becomes a pawn for murder, while transporting a female prisoner (Locke) who is first thought to be a guy, thanks to a name mix up, or could it be he was given the wrong message on grounds that Shockley may of not accepted the job if it was a guy, as this prisoner is a witness to a mob hit, involving crooked cops. But unlike Callahan, Shockley is a guy that obeys his fellow commanders. Trying to keeping Locke and himself, is a dangerous mission, where you have to wait until the end, for the blood to spill, in an overdone shootout in a bus, which in reality, you couldn't survive, Locke coming out of the big bullet holed bus, with hardly a scratch. This low brainer does have some cool moments, where on the surface,. this isn't a badly made actioner, that uses some good locations, and like Eastwood's Phillow Bello. he tackles another cluster of bikies, you do feel sorry for, Eastwood even mentioning his favorite ape's name, while pointing a gun at one of them. Take this, for what it's worth, an entertaining no brained actioner, with it's share of faults, we can dismiss, as we just want to great to get caught up in the stupidity of it all. William Prince is good as the bent cop, with great actor Robert Cavanaugh, as as his squirmy right hand man. Cavanaugh went onto playing the lead baddie again, with Clint, in the messy third Dirty Harry film, while also playing the baddie in the worst Chuck Norris flick, I won't mention. This too, would have to be the worst film, our lead actor/director, ever made.

What fun if one can sustain disbelief. Actually, it's quite a comic film. Like a live-action cartoon. Not one scene in the entire movie is believable, which makes this a classic cop/villain comedy. You must see it to believe it and then one has to wonder....What??? Clint Eastwood was made for this role and while Sondra Locke was good, any actress of her time could have done just as well. Basically a two character movie, this merits a look for fun. Well photographed and edited with a nice jazz score at the beginning. Much credit goes to Eastwood for his fine direction. This could have been a DIRTY HARRY movie, but then it wouldn't be as fun as HARRY was a much better cop than the one Eastwood plays here.

Eastwood looks unusually relaxed and he is very pleasant to watch. But his performance is the only strong reason to watch this movie. The action scenes are staged (by Eastwood, who directed) unimaginatively. They are mostly repetitive shootouts. This undistinguished film deserves (almost) 6/10.

Although "The Gauntlet" has maximum firepower, it makes minimum sense, so if you cannot suspend disbelief, skip this one. What I found most entertaining were some sharp conversations, like the motorcycle gang confrontation, and Sondra Locke's job description to the kidnapped constable. Unfortunately there are other less successful dialogs, like Locke's call to her Mother from the motel room, that do nothing but expand an already overlong running time. The stunts are also a mixed bag. There is a spectacular helicopter crash, and a brutal Clint Eastwood box car brawl, but the bus with hundreds of rounds pumped into it without blowing a tire is a real stretch. - MERK

"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.

A car drives in, a scotch bottle breaks, and a guy stumbles away. Without knowing the story,, I knew Clint for the nth time plays a cop. This time Ben, a semi-alhoholic who gets sent to Vegas to pick up a n unimportant witness to a nonsense case". Off we go, and Ben picks up Gus Smally (Sondra Locke), a hooker. But it doesnt take long before something is really smelly with the escort job. Police everywhere is on the haunt. One of very few Eastwood movies I'd never had seen, but definently better than the average Dirty Harr sequel. What's fun about Eastwood and Locke, is that they have great dynamic between them (was a pair for 16 years). There's of course very much more to Gus than your average hooker, and Sondra Locke does her best to be no damsel in distress. She might been a bit limited as an actress, but Clint never shy away to let her get a moment to shine in action scenes.