Coogan's Bluff (1968)

Director: Don Siegel

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Lee J. Cobb, Susan Clark, Tisha Sterling, Don Stroud, Betty Field, Tom Tully, Melodie Johnson, James Edwards, Rudy Diaz

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Clint Eastwood gives New York 24 hours... to get out of town!

Plot: Coogan's an Arizona deputy sheriff, who doesn't get along with his boss and doesn't exactly do things by the book, and also a little arrogant. Fed up with his rugged individualism, his boss sends him to New York to get a man who's waiting to extradited. Upon arriving everybody thinks he's just another bumpkin. When the New York Police Lieutenant tells him that his prisoner is still not ready to be transported, Coogan tries to be patient. But when he decides that he can't wait anymore, he tricks one of the attendants into releasing the prisoner and at the airport someone springs him. Coogan's boss is pleased that he has screwed up so bad, and orders him to return but Coogan feeling responsible or his ego has been bruised stays and tries to find despite being warn by the Lieutenant that he has no authority here.

My rating: 6/10

Will I watch it again? Nah.

It makes me sad when I see a Clint Eastwood flick for the first time and it turns out to be mediocre or bad (TRUE CRIME (1999) ugh). COOGAN is OK. It's one big missed opportunity. I found myself bored at times which is just wrong for a Clint picture like this that should be a hoot. I just didn't care about his character. I really, really like Clint but he just didn't seem like he cared about the role, like he was calling it in. There are some funny lines here and there and some little things that were entertaining but on a whole the movie seemed to meander without much purpose. I don't really dig Lalo Schifrin's scores but this one takes the cake as the most bizarre countryfied movie theme I've ever heard. There's very little momentum and by the time it was over I was kind of glad.