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Play Misty for Me - 1971

The scream you hear may be your own!

• Director(s)
  Clint Eastwood 
  
  Writer(s)
  Jo Heims (story)
  Jo Heims  and
  Dean Riesner 
  
  Producer(s)
  Robert Daley producer
  Jennings Lang producer
  Bob Larson associate producer
  
  Cast
  Clint Eastwood - David 'Dave' Garver
  Jessica Walter - Evelyn Draper
  Donna Mills - Tobie Williams
  John Larch - Sgt. McCallum
  Jack Ging - Frank Dewan
  Irene Hervey - Madge Brenner
  James McEachin - Al Monte
  Clarice Taylor - Birdie
  Don Siegel - Murphy (as Donald Siegel)
  Duke Everts - Jay Jay
  George Fargo - Man
  Mervin W. Frates - Locksmith
  Tim Frawley - Deputy Sheriff
  Otis Kadani - Policeman
  Brit Lind - Anjelica
  Paul E. Lippman - Second man
  Jack Kosslyn - Cab driver
  Ginna Patterson - Madalyn
  Malcolm Moran - Man in window
  Cannonball Adderly and His Quartet - Themselves
  Cannonball Adderley - Himself (leader, Cannonball Adderly and His Quartet) (uncredited)
  Robert S. Holman - Policeman (uncredited)
  Johnny Otis - Himself (uncredited)
  Walter Spear - Policeman (uncredited

• Review by Theo Robertson
• 
  
  A Film That Launched A Sub Genre Years Later, 5 June 2005
  

  It's strange but PLAY MISTY FOR ME influence didn't seem to have an effect on Hollywood until many years later when every studio seemed to be making " person from Hell thrillers " every week . This is the first movie to use the plot and dare I say it's possibly the best ?

  Clint Eastwood is not a great character actor and it's difficult not to think of him as anything other than Clint Eastwood but in PMFM he plays one of his most affable roles as Dave Garver a radio DJ who has a one night stand with Evelyn a fan . Come on guys it's not like he's married and we'd all probably do the same so he's easier to empathise with unlike say Michael Douglas in FATAL ATTRACTION or Bill Clinton in The White House who probably did bring their troubles on themselves , so to all intents and purposes Dave is a relatively " innocent " victim

  There is some sex and violence but since we're talking 1971 it's not as naseauting or as explicit as it would be in late 80s/early 90s with only the last ten minutes being anywhere over the top . It's a film whose dialogue keeps you entertained than than ridiculous set pieces as in : " Why don't you chase some sailors ?

  " I hate sea food "

  or

  " What is this ? Be kind to seniir citizens week ? "

  or

  " Why don't you play some Al Monte "

  " I never knew you liked the show "

  " I don't . I just like Al Monte "

  Ah the days when dialogue was well written without being post modernist

  Eastwood's directing while not exactly being Oscar standard does at least show signs of great competence and manages to wring most of the potential tension from the story but there's one sequence that is every bit as influential as the premise when the story stops and we see a montage disguised as a pop song . I don't know if Eastwood should take the blame/credit for this but we'd see the same thing in APOCALYPSE NOW followed by just about every single movie of the 1980s having several musical montages

  PLAY MISTY FOR ME is a very memorable thriller , though since the premise has been stolen by literally dozens of movies in the last 30 years the familiarity of the story perhaps lessens the impact it originally had