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Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney ... see more see more... , Michael Cavanaugh , Carole Cook , Carver Barnes , Robert Barnett , Teddy Bear , Mildred J. Brion , Don Circle , Mara Corday , Samantha Doane , Tom Friedkin , James W. Gavin , Roy Jenson , Darwin Lamb , Roger Lowe , Doug McGrath , Jeff Morris , John Quiroga , Joe Rainer , John Rainer , Art Rimozius , Dan Vadis , Ron Chapman , Fritz Manes , Al Silvani , Douglas Mc Grath

Playing police stooge Ben Shockley, Clint Eastwood sends up his Dirty Harry-ness in this 1977 cop film-action movie-romantic comedy. Ben is assigned to escort tough Vegas hooker Gus Mally (Sondra Lock... read more read more...e) to Phoenix for a Mob trial because, he thinks, he always "gets the job done." But corrupt commissioner Blakelock (William Prince) chose alcoholic Ben precisely because Ben does not get much done at all, and Blakelock has no intention of letting them get to Phoenix alive. Once Gus figures this out and makes Ben see the truth, Ben resolves to prove Blakelock wrong, even if it means surviving car bombs, a house shot to pieces, a helicopter-motorcycle chase, and finally driving an armored bus through a gauntlet formed by scores of shooting cops. Amidst the mayhem, Ben falls in love with the smart-mouthed, college-educated Gus, and she insists on riding out the gauntlet with her Ben. An obedient cop who is not as clever as his female charge, Ben Shockley is the opposite of Eastwood's ultra-capable loner Harry Callahan from the Dirty Harry series, allowing Eastwood to poke fun at his image even as Shockley eventually does get the job done. While the exaggerated action set pieces also parody the Eastwood cop hero's usual invincibility, their efficient, energetic staging still makes them effective; The Gauntlet was another popular success for Eastwood as director as well as star. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

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53% liked it

8,823 ratings

Critics

82% liked it

17 critics

R, 1 hr. 53 min.

Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Release Date: January 1, 1977

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DVD Release Date: September 4, 2001

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Flixster Reviews (380)

  • garyX
    March 20, 2012
    garyX
    Burnt out cop Clint Eastwood is sent to extradite a federal witness and finds himself targeted by both the mob and his own police force. After the success of Dirt Harry, Clint made the tough guy cop thriller his bread and butter and The Gauntlet is a Harry sequel in all but name ... read moreonly. He is the typical laconic booze hound and the witness is the usual mouthy, street savvy hooker with a heart as they brave a constant hail of bullets. The plot is a little thin, the story being essentially one long chase sequence and Sondra Locke (who was always kind of like Clint's own Yoko) is not the best actress and actually comes across as kind of annoying. You can always rely on Eastwood however and this is his show all the way. His direction is rather workman like but efficient enough and it all reaches a suitably lead riddled climax. Hardly Eastwood's best but still a solid 70s action thriller that will appeal to his fans.
  • SirPant
    March 5, 2012
    SirPant
    I've read somewhere that this film is essentially an urban-domestic parable about the soldierly fallacy of the Vietnam War and a reaction to the police force highlighting the issues with their conformity, mechanised compliance and nihilistic indulgences. If that is the case thoug... read moreh, why make it so light hearted when it really needed to be serious throughout. To be honest, I think this was a misguided idea that developed into a crap film. I was loving it for the first 5 minutes, the 70s being my favourite decade for film but everything that I hate about 70s film took over. The script is awful, the acting is dreadful and the story is stupid and doesn't work or make sense. You could probably think of many theories as to why a film made in that era is/was anti-Vietnam, many people have/do but I honestly think the majority of them are completely wrong. I do like Clint Eastwood but I find that the films he directs often lack the depth he desired, he is much more of a conformist than he thinks he is but like I said, I'm still a fan!
  • jjnxn
    May 19, 2011
    jjnxn
    Utterly ridiculous but undemanding crime drama.
  • ythelastman89
    August 30, 2010
    ythelastman89
    If you are a Clint Eastwood fan, this is one of the coolest movies ever made. It's like Dirty Harry and Coogan's Bluff combined into one, with enough action and bloodshed to satisfy anyone's needs. Clint Eastwood churns out the classic one-liners and carries a hand cannon whilst ... read moreriding a Chopper. The hooker love story only doubles the manliness of the movie, as does the set ups and double crossing. It's one of the many wonderful one man army scenarios and it never seems to get old. Pure 70s genius.
  • sanjurosamurai
    August 23, 2010
    sanjurosamurai
    like dirty harry with slightly more personality, the gauntlet excels with entertainment and iconic eastwood action scenes, and suffers from audacious coincidences that are lazily forced in to further the story without requiring too much creativity. locke plays her typical one no... read morete character, and the acting was mostly sub par, but the film was as fun as it was trying to be, lifting it slightly above the average.
  • LoughnerWasLucid
    December 6, 2009
    LoughnerWasLucid
    has some great one-liners like "hey asshole IM Roy!" and "oh yea, well this is my gun Roy." actually pretty stupid movie and i dont think Eastwood can direct. it also contains about 5 minutes of dialogue about Clint's 2-day beard.
  • stormyweather980
    August 16, 2009
    stormyweather980
    This may be the first Clint Eastwood movie I ever saw. My parents went to see it at the theater, but I wasn't born yet and saw it nearly 20 years later, and loved it from the first viewing. A definite must have for me, but then again, what Eastwood flick isn't? *Woman walks to th... read moree edge of a speeding train and sees she doesn't wanna jump, turns around and asks Clint, "You wouldn't hit a lady would you?"* *Clint punches her right in the face*
  • harrycaul
    December 3, 2007
    harrycaul
    I hadn't seen this for a long time and was surprised to find it better than I'd remembered. Underneath the modish '70s frankness and vulgarity there's quite a sweet, old-fashioned romance. Though "The Outlaw Josey Wales" was the best film they made together, "The Gauntlet" repres... read moreents Sondra Locke's best performance for Eastwood. The action scenes may be preposterous but they are exceptionally well-handled; the helicopter vs motorcycle chase is superb. The armour-plating of the bus and the endless bullets which never seem to hit anyone prefigure "The A-Team" by a half decade.
  • deano
    October 31, 2006
    deano
    An explosive movie embodying its title with a vengeance. Eastwood - fast, furious and funny.
  • oakman67
    February 2, 2011
    oakman67
    One of my favorite older Eastwood films with Eastwood as Ben Shockey and down and out Arizona detective who is sent to transfer a prisoner named Gus O'Malley who turns out to be Sondra Locke. They hate each other and Schockey finds out she is key witness in a mom trial and people... read more are out to kill them left and right. Great action and Eastwood has some great lines as he gnarls his way to the end. Maybe mindless but definitely entertaining. Eastwood also does well directing the film.

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Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy
April 12, 2011
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

A crime picture in which Clint Eastwood departs quite effectively from his Dirty Harry character Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
February 19, 2010
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

It's an absurdly violent tale, but the violence eventually reaches an almost avant-garde, visual dimension. Full Review

Fernando F. Croce
February 7, 2010
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

A personal vision, as bold and outrageous as late-Peckinpah's, of Man versus the Cosmos Full Review

David Nusair
January 20, 2010
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

...suffers from a pervasively muted atmosphere that effectively drains its more overtly thrilling interludes of their impact. Full Review

Steve Crum
February 17, 2008
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com

Contrived to the point of ridiculous, but still bizarre enough Eastwood to watch.

Michael A. Smith
March 25, 2007
Michael A. Smith, Nolan's Pop Culture Review

Eastwood good, Locke bad. Good finale though.

Rob Thomas
February 26, 2003
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)

A pretty effective string of action set pieces

Scott Weinberg
July 26, 2002
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

Harry just keeps on mowin' 'em down.

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 9, 2005
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

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The Gauntlet Trivia

  • In which movie did Meryl Streep ride " The Gauntlet" ?  Answer »
  • Stunts like The Gauntlet and Fire Hose Rodeo are in what movie?  Answer »
  • Who starred with Clint Eastwood in 'The Gauntlet'?  Answer »
  • In which Clint Eastwood movie does this quote come: "I've got this badge, and I've got this gun and I've got the love of Jesus in my pretty blue eyes!"  Answer »
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