Search - Coogan's Bluff on DVD

Clint Eastwood gives New York 24 hours...to get out of town!

P. Ferrigno | Melbourne, Victoria Australia | 11/22/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The talented team of Clintus & Sigelini (Clint Eastwood & Don Siegel) show why they paired up in so many outstanding films together with Clint Eastwood's 1968 cowboy foray into New York City !Eastwood is the quietly spoken, straightforward Arizona lawmen Walt Coogan sent to New York City to return captured escapee James Ringerman (Don Stroud). Coogan slips up, Ringerman escapes and the hunt is on through the bars, discotheques and parks of New York City for the violent criminal. Solid character actor Lee J. Cobb, plays the frustrated New York police Lieutenant McElroy trying to keep Coogan and his rough and tumble Arizona law enforcement methods in check. One can't help but get the feeling that "Coogans Bluff" was almost like a dry run for Clint & Don Siegel for the pair's upcoming 1971 cop thriller "Dirty Harry"....about another maverick law enforcement officer refusing to accept mediocrity !"Coogans Bluff" is an interesting and stylish work that is still enjoyable to watch. PS. Keep your eyes open in the sequence when Clint enters the discotheque, and they are flashing various images on the walls...you see a very quick glimpse of footage from the 1958 film "Tarantula" where Clint had a bit part as a jet pilot sent to kill the giant arachnid with napalm !!"

Classic Eastwood Urban Western Gets a Makeover

A.M.Boughey | Rochester, MN | 06/06/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Another great Clint Eastwood movie gets the DVD release treatment, and finds Clint playing the title role in this "rural cop in the big city" action drama. This movie paved the way for the long running and succesful (though much more benign) TV series "McCloud" starring Dennis Weaver, and deals with the cultural clash between a Sheriff from Arizona, and NYPD's finest. This is a fairly straightforward story, but handled very well by the Don Siegel in the directors chair, who went on to make other Eastwood gems such as Dirty Harry a couple of years later. Fighting off the constant stereotyping by his New York brother officers, Lt Coogan (Eastwood) is a laconic fish out of water, and has to track down and return to Arizona with escaped killer Ringerman, played by Don Stroud. Red tape, and more than a little obstruction by the locals, mainly in the form of Lee J Cobb as his opposite number add to his woes, along with being caught up in the 60's drug and crime scene. The story suffers a little from this point of view, as the hippie psychedelic portrayal looks a bit dated, but the action more than makes for this minor complaint. Plenty of pace makes the 95 minute running time zoom by, and even though the ending is more than a little familiar, it's still a very enjoyable movie. Good solid early Eastwood action with a few great moments of comedy thrown in, and a particularly clever choreograghed bar room brawl, complete with pool sticks and balls is worth seeing also, and durability on the rewatching scale makes this a solid buy for fans and newcomers alike. Enjoy"

Long Overdue, Finally Here

John Sunyak | Brooklyn, NY | 08/27/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ever since Coogan's Bluff parted from the movie theater's after 1968, it's been shown on TV and was available for a short time in VHS format.The visual as well as the audio had been severely compromised. The color was pale, dull, bland etc. and the sound was never right, thus having a negative effect with Eastwood's performance and pushing the limits of the viewer. The movie lacked the quality that you expect to see in a major movie star and from a major movie studio like Universal. Now, for the first time since 68' you can see the movie the way the Director Don Siegel wanted you to see it. Thanks to DVD, the color is restored, sharp and pleasing to the eye, the sound is clear and crisp, you can hear the actors, and let's not overlook the soundtrack by composer Lalo Schifrin. The DVD has Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 and Dolby 2.0 Mono. Whether you've seen Coogan'Bluff before or haven't does not matter. The Top Notch restoration will give the viewing experience as if your seeing it for the first time. It's that good. Don't let this one pass you by. I've given this movie 4 Stars, the only thing that prevented it from going to 5 Stars, is that there are two scenes deleted from the film. The first is in the beginning scenes of the movie where Eastwood is with his Sheriff in the office and given an unwanted assignment to travel to New York.The other is a short exchange with Eastwood and a Doctor in the hospital. Why were these scenes left out ?

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Eastwood's Western Sheriff Arrests All of 1968 New York

Todd and In Charge | Miami, FL | 02/05/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This film has aged extremely well -- a time capsule red state/blue state story of Eastwood's Arizona deputy sheriff -- "Texas" to the hard-bitten, seen-it-all New York cops, and his foray to New York City to pick up a fugitive. Eastwood's understated comic performance is spot-on, and New York of 1968 is a bizarre, mysterious melting pot, with hookers, freaks, crazies, druggies, and all manner of miscreants -- all portrayed with a wink and a nod in Don Siegal's steady hand. The scenes at New York's famous Electric Circus, and Eastwood's reaction, are priceless.

The Lalo Schifrin soundtrack is especially strong, and Lee J. Cobb's turn as the exasperated police chief adds to the fun. Good supporting roles too by Conrad Bain and Susan Clark. All in all this film is of a piece with New York films of its time, like Frank Sinatra's The Detective, Midnight Cowboy, even The Out-of-Towners. A treat."