Clint Eastwood’s prolific, uneven directorial career unsurprisingly began with a stinker. The story of a disc jockey named Dave Garver (Eastwood) who has a one-night stand with an obsessive listener, Play Misty For Me is a schlocky, laughable precursor to Fatal Attraction. Appreciate the film, then, for its unintentional laughs, which go beyond the dated fashion choices and hairdos. Beyond that, there are excruciatingly long walks along the coastal landscape accompanied by the sort of soft jazz your grocery store would be embarrassed to play. Both elements are personal touches – Eastwood is a jazz connoisseur and has long lived in the Carmel, Calif., area where the film is set – but it would take a bit longer before his interests would coalesce into an accomplished filmmaking style.
