ed321 Loved this film when I first saw it and recently re-watched and still blown away. Clint Eastwood is a genius, and Evelyn Draper (Jessica Walter) is the original Fatal Attraction. What an amazing performance by Walter. Tense, psychological thriller. No filthy swearing or flashy CGI computer graphics just great acting and great writing. One of the best. They don't make them like this anymore.

Mr-Fusion "Play Misty for Me" isn't my favorite Eastwood movie, but it's interesting to watch this is a directorial debut. It's largely muted, nothing flashy, but also not inexperienced. The guy had influences and he surely drew on them for his first time out. And his coastal getaway hamlet of Carmel is almost a supporting character. But Jessica Walter owns this thing and that's clear when the film frags in her absence. Up until that ending, it's hard to watch this and not compare it to "Fatal Attraction" (maybe a tad unfavorably), but Eastwood really kicks things up for the big finish; frenzied cutting, heightened stakes, those damn scissors). It's a slow-burn, certainly, but worth it for that final payoff.6/10

dworldeater Play Misty For Me is the excellent directorial debut of Clint Eastwood and the third film in a trilogy of films in an experimental phase of Eastwood's career. I'm no fan of Paint Your Wagon, but the other two films in question (The Beguiled and this film) are very good and some of Clint's most interesting work. Play Misty For Me is a tense thriller in the same vein as Fatal Attraction, which Misty... no doubt had a big influence on. Clint Eastwood plays a laid back jazz DJ that gets a lot of action from the ladies. He tries to focus his efforts on one woman and a chance encounter with groupie Evelyn turns into a torrid affair that later turns his life upside down. Dave's (Clint) attempts to call off the relationship go awry and Evelyn starts stalking him an disrupting his life. Foxy lady Evelyn Draper(Jessica Walter) turns out to be the super fan from hell as events unfold to its violent climax. Clint gives an excellent performance and shows his more vulnerable side in this project. The direction is solid and the story flows together well. The camera-work is quite good as well. Clint does a fine job building tension and suspense in this Hitchcock like shocker. The jazzy score and wardrobes make the film dated to that specific period(late 60's/early 70's), but also gives the movie its own flavor and ambiance that separates it from similar styled films. Overall, Play Misty For Me holds up really well and was an original movie in its day, plus it shows Clint's ability to direct and range as an actor. Great film.

Scott LeBrun Clint Eastwood certainly learned his lessons well when it came to making his directorial debut, with this now legendary shocker. It may not be all that original, but when it comes to this kind of stalker melodrama, it definitely set a template for others to follow. The pacing wasn't always as tight as this viewer would have liked, but the script (written by Jo Heims and Dean Riesner, based on Heims' story) is often pretty snappy and the film is well cast, and well acted, from top to bottom.Clint also stars, playing late night jazz D. J. Dave Garver, who learns that he has a devoted admirer in the sexy Evelyn Draper (Jessica Walter). They have a brief fling, but Dave finds that Evelyn will be extremely unwilling to let him go. She will also go over the deep end upon her discovery that Dave is busy making amends with another woman, an ex-girlfriend named Tobie (Donna Mills). The balance of the film shows what happens as Evelyns' actions threaten to completely derail Daves' life.Clint is good in the lead, and Mills is appealing in her part. John Larch is a delight as a sardonic police detective who gets involved when the deranged Evelyn assaults Daves' housekeeper Birdie (Clarice Taylor). All lending their valuable support are Jack Ging, Irene Hervey, and James McEachin. Clint also casts his directing mentor, and five time collaborator, Don Siegel, in the role of Murphy the bartender, and Siegel does a solid and engaging job. But the main reason that "Play Misty for Me" is so memorable is because Walter is so incredible. She is, by turns, amusing, sexy, clingy, pathetic, and ultimately psychotic.Well filmed, and situated in Clints' old stamping ground, the town of Carmel. In addition to the score by Dee Barton, there's plenty of great music along the way, with some sequences set at the Monterey Jazz Festival. There are brief, jarring bursts of violence, and a fairly effective and suspenseful finale.This has to rank as one of the most iconic films in this whole sub genre of thrillers.Seven out of 10.