Tightrope

"A cop on the edge."

1984 1h 55m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 406

MysteryThrillerCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Wes Block is a detective who's put on the case of a serial killer whose victims are young and pretty women. The murders are getting personal when the killer chooses victims who are acquaintances of Block. Even his daughters are threatened.

“A cop on the edge.”

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Cast

Clint Eastwood
Wes Block
Geneviève Bujold
Beryl Thibodeaux
Dan Hedaya
Det. Molinari
Alison Eastwood
Amanda Block
Jenny Beck
Penny Block
Marco St. John
Leander Rolfe
Rebecca Perle
Becky Jacklin
Regina Richardson
Sarita

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Richard Tuggle
Writers: Richard Tuggle
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

42 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Richard Tuggle, shot by Bruce Surtees. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Lennie Niehaus. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joel Cox shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Clint Eastwood and Geneviève Bujold and Dan Hedaya carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A cop on the edge.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0088272 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Richard Tuggle directs. Bruce Surtees behind the camera. Lennie Niehaus scores. Joel Cox cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

142 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Richard Tuggle, shot by Bruce Surtees. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Lennie Niehaus. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Joel Cox shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Clint Eastwood and Geneviève Bujold and Dan Hedaya carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "A cop on the edge.".
7IMDB entry: tt0088272 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Bruce Surtees
Original score: Lennie Niehaus
Editing: Joel Cox
Production design: Edward C. Carfagno
Costume design: Glenn Wright
Makeup / hair: Marlene D. Williams
Sound: Rick Alexander
Stunt coordinator: Buddy Van Horn
Runtime: 115 min · 1h 55m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $48,143,579
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Tightrope (1984)

Also by

Richard Tuggle

Out of Bounds
1986 · ★ 5.4

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2014-03-08
★ 8/10
The Doppleganger disease. Tightrope is directed by Richard Tuggle and Clint Eastwood, Tuggle writes the screenplay. It stars Eastwood, Genevieve Bujold, Dan Hedaya, Alison Eastwood and Rod Masterson. Music is by Lennie Niehaus and cinematography by Bruce Surtees. New Orleans and Detective Wes Block is plunged into a hunt for a rapist serial killer that brings out his own deviant peccadilloes. One of Eastwood’s best movies also happens to be one of his most under appreciated, the actor challenging himself to explore a darker characterisation than the iconographic ones he was most famed for. Wes Block is a damaged man, a divorced father of two girls, who he adores but they are uncomfortably at arms length due to his work. He’s afraid of affection, to be touched in a gentle manner by a member of the opposite sex, preferring to indulge in seamy sex by way of prostitutes who frequent the dark abodes of Orleans’ French Quarter. If you knew what’s ahead… Enter the doppelganger effect, as a mysterious serial killer is at large murdering the ladies of the night that Wes takes his pleasure with, the guilt factor hanging heavy on his haunted shoulders. As Wes tries to bring down the killer, he is battling to realign his mindset about the female sex, his daughters and also Beryl Thibodeaux (Bujold), the latter the rape counsellor who was once his sparring adversary, but is now a potential lover if Wes can put everything back on an even keel. Tuggle, Eastwood and Surtees bring plenty of film noir touches to their picture. Surtees’ photography is strong in colour but dark in shading, perfectly embodying the seamy side of The Big Easy. Between them, actor and director fill out this fascinating tale with classic noirish scenes. A Mardi Gras warehouse is eerie, as is a chase through a cemetery, then there’s clowns and balloons, things that are associated with childish fun but so often in noirville carry a sinister edge. The sleazy dives that Wes frequents are foreboding places of sin, more so when the killer is stalking his prey. While a railroad location is used to great effect as well. It has some problems, Hedaya is wasted and the Wes and Beryl relationship is telegraphed a mile away. While the formula of such movies inevitably means the culmination of tale is no surprise, but the journey is a dark and interesting one and Tightrope is a damn fine thriller. 8/10
Wuchak2019-03-08
★ 6/10
Dramatic, melancholic Eastwood detective flick set in New Orleans A divorced detective in New Orleans (Clint Eastwood) juggles raising two daughters, pursing a serial rapist/killer, cultivating a romantic relationship (Geneviève Bujold) and dealing with his own dark side, which he realizes is too close for comfort to the killer. “Tightrope” (1984) is another Eastwood detective flick, but it’s not as entertaining and compelling as his Dirty Harry films or “The Gauntlet” (1977). It’s darker, more dramatic and brooding, not to mention a tad sleazy. This may bring to mind the original “Dirty Harry” (1971), but the subdued tone is closer to “Blood Work” (2002). The title refers to a person walking the tightrope between his/her good side and bad side. The movie runs 1 hour, 54 minutes and was shot entirely in New Orleans. GRADE: C+/B-
r96sk2022-01-31
★ 6/10
How is this not super entertaining? <em>'Tightrope'</em> should have all the ingredients to make the viewer be on the edge of their seat, and yet I really didn't care much for it. Clint Eastwood, who apparently took over unofficially as director from Richard Tuggle during filming, gives a solid performance and the bond with his character's children is cute. However, the story just didn't do anything for me. It's not particularly unnerving, despite a dark on paper story, and it's rather predictable - the villain... well, the villain I've already forgotten about and I only finished watching about an hour ago. Not terrible, but not good.