This is a good example of a transition film. Clint Eastwood, known primarily for westerns at this point in his career took a step towards one of his most recognizable characters: Inspector "Dirty" Harry Calahan. "Coogan's Bluff" starts with a wide shot of a desert in the American Southwest. Dust is being kicked up as the protagonist rides... in a jeep! He has a holstered rifle, classic western hat and boots, and lights a cigarette all in the first scene. At thus point the terrain could have been from the 1860s, but then were are shown a modern home and cars and then finally the vast urban expanse of New York City as a helicopter lands on a huge skyscraper. This opening sequence is really nothing more within the film itself, but taken from an outside perspective, it's actually a landmark in Clint Eastwood's career; it foreshadows "Dirty" Harry and signals a waning of the western genre. 1968 was also the year Steve McQueen made the classic "Bullitt," which takes place in San Francisco, which also makes it another prelude to Dirty Harry and the archetype of the tough city cop.
"Coogan's Bluff" is potentially more enjoyable for some in that Walt Coogan is much less violent. Dirty Harry is a very cool character, but the end of even the second movie, he was just good escapism. Walt Coogan is actually convincing as a real character and his trek through New York is comparable, once again, to "Bullitt." The film is more about the driving force of the character to get to the bottom of the problem, which here involves tracking down a criminal who escaped Coogan's custody. Out of his jurisdiction and much to annoyance of a New York inspector Coogan starts to conduct the search by himself. He's a stranger in a strange land, so to speak.
The film may be a bit slow by today's action standards, but this is more of an "investigation cop movie" more akin to a Sherlock Holmes story: mystery throughout and a climatic set piece at the end; here in the form of a terrific motorcycle chase. "Coogan's Bluff" came out in 1968 and was overshadowed by "Bullitt" with it's spectacular chase scene and Clint Eastwood's much bigger action hit of that year, "Where Eagles Dare," but this film is essential for Clint fans if they haven't seen it. --- 8/10
BsCDb Classification: PG --- violence
"Coogan's Bluff" is potentially more enjoyable for some in that Walt Coogan is much less violent. Dirty Harry is a very cool character, but the end of even the second movie, he was just good escapism. Walt Coogan is actually convincing as a real character and his trek through New York is comparable, once again, to "Bullitt." The film is more about the driving force of the character to get to the bottom of the problem, which here involves tracking down a criminal who escaped Coogan's custody. Out of his jurisdiction and much to annoyance of a New York inspector Coogan starts to conduct the search by himself. He's a stranger in a strange land, so to speak.
The film may be a bit slow by today's action standards, but this is more of an "investigation cop movie" more akin to a Sherlock Holmes story: mystery throughout and a climatic set piece at the end; here in the form of a terrific motorcycle chase. "Coogan's Bluff" came out in 1968 and was overshadowed by "Bullitt" with it's spectacular chase scene and Clint Eastwood's much bigger action hit of that year, "Where Eagles Dare," but this film is essential for Clint fans if they haven't seen it. --- 8/10
BsCDb Classification: PG --- violence