One of Clint Eastwood's darkest vehicles, Tightrope (1984) gives an edge to his usual police roles. Sloppy and uneven, it gets by on atmosphere and Eastwood's self-lacerating performance.New Orleans Detective Wes Block (Clint Eastwood) investigates a serial killer targeting prostitutes. He's unnerved to know several of the victims personally; a divorced single dad, Block visits prostitutes in his spare time, and continues during his investigation. Block grows convinced that the killer's targeting him, whether to frame him or personally kill him. He finds support in Beryl Thibodeaux (Genevieve Bujold), a rape counselor equally determined to catch the killer.
Director Richard Tuggle makes Tightrope a seamy blend of '50s noir and '80s erotic thriller. He casts New Orleans in oppressive, horror movie lighting, from the shadowy streets to the red-tinged boudoirs, better to highlight the violence and sordid sex. The movie contains effective set pieces, from Block navigating a wax museum to a moonlight cemetery climax. Along with Lalo Schiffrin's jazzy score, Tightrope's so atmospheric we tolerate the generic bits of New Orleans color (a Mardi Gras celebration) or the lack of Southern accents.
Eastwood finds an unsettling avatar in Wes Block. At first he's simply Harry Callahan in the Big Easy, but Eastwood and Tuggle grant the character. At home he's a devoted single dad, on the job a straight-arrow cop; at night, he prowls brothels for kinky thrills. Block watches the murderer act out his fantasies, wondering what's restraining him. Eastwood plays the role with obsessive self-disgust, projecting his personal demons (soon made public in his separation from Sondra Locke) on the screen. It's among his best roles.
Sadly, Tightrope isn't the best-constructed film. Tuggle's script muddles the murder investigation, becoming bogged down in lurid details. Block's killer is a mere cipher hiding behind masks and tennis shoes. The "wrong man" tension built up (that the killer's framing Block) is unceremoniously dropped, resorting to familiar manhunt tension that's serviceable but unsatisfying. While lacerating Wes's sexual hang-ups, Eastwood has no problem with crude sexism; for all Beryl's posturing, her self-defense techniques do nothing against a real killer.
Eastwood's supporting cast is underwhelming. Genevieve Bujold makes an appealing counterpoint, trading barbs and sharing exercise equipment with Wes, even if she becomes a damsel in the final reels. Dan Hedaya gives a dependable character turn as Block's partner. Marco St. John's villain is a cipher and the other actors make no impression. Allison Eastwood, Clint's teenaged daughter, acquits herself well.
Tightrope isn't entirely satisfying, but it's worthwhile for Clint fans. Eastwood spent much of his career deconstructing his image, but Tightrope seems the most raw and penetrating. Beneath the macho exterior is an insecure man, unclear on the line between fantasy and real-life.
