New movie reviews, DVD reviews, interviews, and all things film.

Follow Me

• Dark Shadows ***
• Darling Companion **1/2
• God Bless America ***
• Marvel's The Avengers ***1/2
• ReGeneration ***
• Sound of My Voice ***
• The Pirates! Band of Misfits ***1/2
• The Raven ***
• Safe **1/2
• The Lucky One 1/2*
• 4:44 Last Day on Earth **1/2
• Blue Like Jazz **
• The Cabin in the Woods ***1/2
• Damsels in Distress ***1/2
• Lockout **1/2
• The Three Stooges ***
• The Turin Horse ****
• We Have a Pope **1/2
• American Reunion **
• Goon ***
• More

• Bird of Paradise
• Maniac Cop
• Miss Representation
• Mother's Day (2012)
• Murder Obsession
• Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie
• Underworld Awakening
• The Vow
• Clueless
• Haywire
• Hit!
• Men in Black
• New Year's Eve
• The Red House
• More

• Peter Lord
• Abel Ferrara
• Nicholas Sparks
• Whit Stillman
• Sean Hayes
• Terence Davies
• Peter Lord Interview
• Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
• Taika Waititi
• Will Ferrell
• Interview: Ewan McGregor [SF Examiner]
• Interview: the 'Project X' stars [SF Examiner]
• Interview: Oren Moverman
• Interview: Rachel McAdams
• Interview: Ti West
• Interview: Elizabeth Banks
• 2011: The Year's Best Films
• Year's Best DVDs and Blu-Rays
• San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards
• The Decade's Ten Best Films: 2000-2009
• My Top 100 Films [Updated]
• My Top 60 Directors [Updated]
• Christmas Movies
• Essential Halloween & Horror Movies
• Cult Movies
• More Features and Interviews

• Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas, by Alonso Duralde
• Not Quite a Memoir: Of Films, Books, the World, by Judy Stone
• James Agee: The Library of America Collection, by James Agee
• Just Making Movies, by Ronald L. Davis
• More Books

• Home
• Reviews A-C
• Reviews D-F
• Reviews G-J
• Reviews K-M
• Reviews N-Q
• Reviews R-T
• Reviews U-Z

The online film magazine Combustible Celluloid offers new movie reviews, DVD reviews, film reviews, actor interviews, actress interviews, director interviews, film books and all things cinema related for the thoughtful and passionate. Online for ten years! Over 3000 reviews!

SEARCH MOVIES / CELEB

Tightrope (1984)

Rating: 3 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

In the Dark

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Tightrope on DVD.

Tightrope (1984, Warner Home Video, $19.98) was a departure for Eastwood, a move into a much darker, much more shocking realm. Eastwood plays Wes Block, a divorced New Orleans detective with two daughters who gets involved investigating a serial killer. His nocturnal wanderings lead him into numerous sex dens, where his libido gets the better of him. Worse, every time Wes succumbs to an urge, the killer seems to know about it and his female conquests turn into targets. Officially written and directed by Richard Tuggle -- though Eastwood unofficially chipped in -- Tightrope may be the darkest film ever released by Hollywood; nearly every shot takes place in deep shadow. The wonderful Genevieve Bujold co-stars as a rape counselor, and she may be one of Eastwood's most powerful heroines. Eastwood's real-life daughter Alison plays his 12 year-old movie daughter and Dan Hedaya plays Wes' partner.

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Genevieve Bujold, Dan Hedaya, Alison Eastwood
Written by: Richard Tuggle
Directed by: Richard Tuggle
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 115 minutes
Date: October 10, 2003