Play Misty for Me
Release date: 1971-10-01
Votes: 544
Genres: Drama, Thriller
A brief fling between a male disc jockey and an obsessed female fan takes a frightening, and perhaps even deadly turn when another woman enters the picture.
Reviews
John Chard
Well if you are going to play away Dave... Dave Garver (Clint Eastwood) is a late night disc jockey in Carmel, California. Whilst his girlfriend is out of town he meets and beds a fan named Evelyn (Jessica Walter) who turns out to be the mystery caller to his show who sexily requests the Errol Garner classic tune "Play Misty For Me". Thinking that his night of passion with Evelyn is purely a one off, he starts to become concerned as Evelyn refuses to leave him alone, and things are about to get very out of hand and become very disturbing for all involved. This was Clint Eastwood's first stab (hrr hrr) at directing and it proved to be a very commendable effort as he directs himself in the picture, polishes the production across the board, and then wrapped the film on time and under budget, quite an achievement and it's no surprise that he went on to be a big hitter from behind the camera right up to this present day. Play Misty For Me is a truly tight and engrossing picture, and certainly more of a character study than its slasher shell would suggest. Eastwood (playing against type) plays Garver perfectly weasel like, and it's because of his selfish sexual proclivities, and all round disdain for his actions, that the maelstrom that comes his way is kind of like the reckoning. The picture firmly belongs to Jessica Walter, though, her turn as the irrational psychotic in waiting, Evelyn, is truly magic, lacing sympathetic sadness with outright moments of terror, believable to the point of forcing the audience into an uneasy understanding. It's a mystery (and a crying shame) that Walter didn't go on to be a big star because the marker for major talent was right here. Edgy and darkly fascinating, Play Misty For Me stands up today as a right on the money thriller, and not even the sight of Clint in his over large white underpants can dim the films appeal. 8.5/10
r96sk
Not convinced it's necessarily a great film per se, but <em>'Play Misty for Me'</em> really does a very good at unsettling the viewer! Jessica Walter is the sole reason for that. As good as Clint Eastwood is, as he makes his directorial debut, Walter gives a superb performance as the unnerving Evelyn Draper - one that'll live in the memory, for sure. Elsewhere on the cast, it's neat to see Don Siegel - one of Eastwood's long time collaborators - make a cameo. I have some minor remarks about this, like the editing is a tad iffy in parts, but all in all nothing important. I'd recommend this, to put it simply.
Movie Recommendation
The Eiger Sanction1975-05-21A classical art professor and collector, who doubles as a professional assassin, is coerced out of retirement to avenge the murder of an old friend.More...
Satan’s Brew1976-10-07A famous poet who hasn't written a word in two years unconsciously plagiarizes the work of Stefan George, while dealing with several mistresses, his dimwitted brother, and a murder investigation.More...
Anna M.2007-04-11Anna, a somewhat introverted woman, becomes obsessed with the orthopedic surgeon who helped with her recuperation following a car accident. Incorrectly believing the love to be reciprocated, she embarks on several attempts to try and stay in touch with him but, after several rejections, finds herself descending into despair and, ultimately, hatred.More...
Double Trouble1967-04-05When singer Guy Lambert goes on tour in Europe, he is pursued by two beautiful women, bumbling jewel thieves, and a mysterious killer.More...
A Study in Terror1965-10-01When Watson reads from the newspaper there have been two similar murders near Whitechapel in a few days, Sherlock Holmes' sharp deductive is immediately stimulated to start its merciless method of elimination after observation of every apparently meaningless detail. He guesses right the victims must be street whores, and doesn't need long to work his way trough a pawn shop, an aristocratic family's stately home, a hospital and of course the potential suspects and (even unknowing) witnesses who are the cast of the gradually unraveled story of the murderer and his motive.More...
Breezy1973-11-18A free-spirited young woman, Breezy, hitches a ride with an aging real estate salesman, Frank. Sensing that she just wants to use him he tries to have nothing to do with her. She's not that easy to shake, however, and over time a bond forms between them.More...
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story2018-06-06The life and career of the hailed Hollywood movie star and underappreciated genius inventor, Hedy Lamarr.More...
The Beguiled1971-01-23Offbeat Civil War drama in which a wounded Yankee soldier, after finding refuge in an isolated girls' school in the South towards the end of the war, becomes the object of the young women's sexual fantasies. The soldier manipulates the situation for his own gratification, but when he refuses to completely comply with the girls' wishes, they make it very difficult for him to leave.More...
Before Night Falls2000-09-03Spanning several decades, this powerful biopic offers a glimpse into the life of famed Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas, an artist who was vilified for his homosexuality in Fidel Castro's Cuba.More...
Dirty Harry1971-12-23When a madman dubbed 'Scorpio' terrorizes San Francisco, hard-nosed cop, Harry Callahan – famous for his take-no-prisoners approach to law enforcement – is tasked with hunting down the psychopath.More...
Kelly's Heroes1970-06-22A misfit group of World War II American soldiers goes AWOL to rob a bank behind German lines.More...
Pink Cadillac1989-05-26A bounty hunter helps out the wife of a bail-jumper after her child is kidnapped by neo-Nazi types.More...
Bronco Billy1980-06-11An idealistic, modern-day cowboy struggles to keep his Wild West show afloat in the face of hard luck and waning interest.More...
The Stepford Wives1975-02-12Joanna Eberhart comes to the town of Stepford, Connecticut with her family, but soon discovers there lies a sinister truth in the all too perfect behavior of the female residents.More...
Macbeth1971-12-20Scotland, 11th century. Driven by the twisted prophecy of three witches and the ruthless ambition of his wife, warlord Macbeth, bold and brave, but also weak and hesitant, betrays his good king and his brothers in arms and sinks into the bloody mud of a path with no return, sown with crime and suspicion.More...
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil1997-11-21A visiting city reporter's assignment suddenly revolves around the murder trial of a local millionaire, whom he befriends.More...
Tommy1975-03-19After a series of traumatic childhood events, a psychosomatically deaf, dumb and blind boy becomes a master pinball player and the object of a religious cult.More...
The Natural1984-05-11An unknown middle-aged batter named Roy Hobbs with a mysterious past appears out of nowhere to take a losing 1930s baseball team to the top of the league.More...
The Beach Bum2019-03-21An irreverent comedy about the misadventures of Moondog, a rebellious stoner and lovable rogue who lives large.More...
The Connection2014-12-03Newly transferred to the bustling port city of Marseille to assist with a crackdown on organized crime, energetic young magistrate Pierre Michel is given a rapid-fire tutorial on the ins and outs of an out-of-control drug trade. Pierre's wildly ambitious mission is to take on the French Connection, a highly organized operation that controls the city's underground heroin economy and is overseen by the notorious —and reputedly untouchable— Gaetan Zampa. Fearless, determined and willing to go the distance, Pierre plunges into an underworld world of insane danger and ruthless criminals.More...
Similar Movies
Metropolis
1927-01-10In a futuristic city sharply divided between the rich and the poor, the son of the city's mastermind meets a prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.Twelve Monkeys
1995-12-29In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a deadly virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth's population and forced the survivors into underground communities. But when Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990 instead of 1996, he's arrested and locked up in a mental hospital. There he meets psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly and the son of a famous virus expert who may hold the key to the Army of the 12 Monkeys; thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease.Snakes on a Plane
2006-08-17FBI agent Neville Flynn boards a flight from Honolulu, Hawaii to Los Angeles, escorting a key witness to testify against a mob boss at an upcoming trial. An on-board assassin releases a crate full of hundreds of deadly venomous snakes in an attempt to eliminate the witness. Flynn and a host of frightened passengers and crew must band together to survive the slithery threat.Once Upon a Time in t...
1968-12-21As the railroad builders advance unstoppably through the Arizona desert on their way to the sea, Jill arrives in the small town of Flagstone with the intention of starting a new life.To Catch a Thief
1955-08-03When a string of jewel robberies hits the French Riviera, suspicion falls on retired thief John “The Cat” Robie. To clear his name, he sets out to trap the copycat himself—entangling a wealthy widow and her beguiling daughter in a seductive game of pursuit, deception, and desire.Breakfast at Tiffany'...
1961-10-06Holly Golightly is an eccentric New York City playgirl determined to marry a Brazilian millionaire. But when young writer Paul Varjak moves into her apartment building, her past threatens to get in their way.Minority Report
2002-06-20John Anderton is a top 'Precrime' cop in the late-21st century, when technology can predict crimes before they're committed. But Anderton becomes the quarry when another investigator targets him for a murder charge.North by Northwest
1959-08-06Advertising man Roger Thornhill is mistaken for a spy, triggering a deadly cross-country chase.The Godfather
1972-03-14Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.The Godfather Part II...
1974-12-20In the continuing saga of the Corleone crime family, a young Vito Corleone grows up in Sicily and in 1910s New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.High Fidelity
2000-03-17After his long-time girlfriend dumps him, a thirty-year-old record store owner seeks to understand why he is unlucky in love while recounting his "top five breakups of all time".Dr. No
1962-10-07Agent 007 battles mysterious Dr. No, a scientific genius bent on destroying the U.S. space program. As the countdown to disaster begins, Bond must go to Jamaica, where he encounters beautiful Honey Ryder, to confront a megalomaniacal villain in his massive island headquarters.Goldfinger
1964-09-20Special agent 007 comes face to face with one of the most notorious villains of all time, and now he must outwit and outgun the powerful tycoon to prevent him from cashing in on a devious scheme to raid Fort Knox -- and obliterate the world's economy.Thunderball
1965-12-11A criminal organization has obtained two nuclear bombs and are asking for a 100 million pound ransom in the form of diamonds in seven days or they will use the weapons. The secret service sends James Bond to the Bahamas to once again save the world.Ben-Hur
1959-11-18In 26 AD, Judah Ben-Hur, a Jew in ancient Judea, opposes the occupying Roman empire. Falsely accused by a Roman childhood friend-turned-overlord of trying to kill the Roman governor, he is put into slavery and his mother and sister are taken away as prisoners.You Only Live Twice
1967-06-13A mysterious spacecraft captures Russian and American space capsules and brings the two superpowers to the brink of war. James Bond investigates the case in Japan and comes face to face with his archenemy Blofeld.On Her Majesty's Secr...
1969-12-18James Bond tracks his archnemesis, Ernst Blofeld, to a mountaintop retreat in the Swiss alps where he is training an army of beautiful, lethal women. Along the way, Bond falls for Italian contessa Tracy Draco, and marries her in order to get closer to Blofeld.Diamonds Are Forever
1971-12-14Diamonds are stolen only to be sold again in the international market. James Bond infiltrates a smuggling mission to find out who's guilty. The mission takes him to Las Vegas where Bond meets his archenemy Blofeld.The Man with the Gold...
1974-12-04Cool government operative James Bond searches for a stolen invention that can turn the sun's heat into a destructive weapon. He soon crosses paths with the menacing Francisco Scaramanga, a hitman so skilled he has a seven-figure working fee. Bond then joins forces with the swimsuit-clad Mary Goodnight, and together they track Scaramanga to a Thai tropical isle hideout where the killer-for-hire lures the slick spy into a deadly maze for a final duel.Gone with the Wind
1939-12-15The spoiled daughter of a Georgia plantation owner conducts a tumultuous romance with a cynical profiteer during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era.