USA Today - 08/25/1995
"Clint Eastwood's silliest movie without orangutans is also one of his most enjoyable.."
Product Description:
Clint Eastwood plays an alcoholic, dim-witted cop, Ben Shockley, who has to escort an irate prostitute, Gus Mally (Sondra Locke), from Las Vegas to Phoenix so she can testify in a mob trial. Gus immediately warns Ben of the danger that they're in, but he doesn't believe her. He eventually figures out that his superiors want Gus dead and chose him for the job because they thought he'd fail. The two spend most of the film eluding the trigger-happy cops. The banter between Ben and Gus, who initially despise each other, is just as brutal and entertaining as the action set pieces. And when the two finally warm to each other, it's surprisingly effective. Eastwood and Locke made many films together, but THE GAUNTLET features what may be their strongest collaboration. Literal-minded critics may malign the film for its over-the-top explosive action, but it's clear that Eastwood was aware of how outrageous and preposterous the action in the film is. As Jan De Bont would later do with another wildly entertaining and implausible film involving a bus, SPEED, Eastwood here has stripped down the action movie to its bare essence. THE GAUNTLET is a fun ride.
Plot Synopsis:
An alcoholic, rather dim-witted police detective is sent to Las Vegas to extradite a prostitute with mob connections. The routine assignment grows more complicated when the pair is pursued by vengeful gangsters and corrupt cops intent on preventing her testimony. Watch this for Eastwood's performance and an action-packed plot.
The film was shot on location in Las Vegas, Nevada; and Phoenix, Arizona.
Warner Brothers originally proposed Barbra Streisand for the role of Gus Mally. She was slow to commit to the film, so Eastwood cast Sondra Locke instead.
Associate producer Fritz Manes, a longtime friend and collaborator of Eastwood's, plays the helicopter gunman.
Jazz musicians Art Pepper and John Faddis are credited as soloists on the soundtrack.
Renowned fantasy artist Frank Frazetta's effectively cartoonish depiction of Eastwood, Locke, and the bullet-riddled bus was a centerpiece of the film's ad campaign.
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