Don Siegel's Coogan's Bluff doesn't take long in establishing its main protagonist, Coogan, an Arizona deputy sheriff, is man's man type of character who does things his own way, typically infuriating his superiors in the process. After his latest reckless arrest, Coogan's superior sends him to New York City in order to bring back Riggerman, a criminal who will stand trial in his home state of Arizona. Nearly every character in New York assumes Coogan is from Texas, which as you can imagine annoys Coogan, something which is only exacerbated when he is told by the local police chief he has to wait a few days for the prisoner to be released. When Coogan lets his ego and lack of patience get in the way of his police work the prisoner inevitably escapes, sending Coogan out into the big city to recapture the prisoner, much to the behest of the New York police who wish he'd just go home. Don Siegel's Coogan's Bluff is very much a fish out of water story, which finds much joy in juxtaposing Coogan's rough-and-tough, no-nonsense cowboy persona with the tangled-web of bureaucracy pumping through New York City. Draped in machoism, Coogan's Bluff is a film that comes off feeling very dated in regards to gender dynamics, with Eastwood's central character being a cocky, womanizing borderline misogynist, which the film never praises nor condones. Don Siegel's direction is solid and understated, with one of my favorite aspects being how his camera routinely lingers on Eastwood's "Texas" characteristics, whether it be his boots or cowboy hat, making it stick out to the viewer, much like Eastwood's own style clashes with those of the New Yorkers. The film is more a detective story than an action film with very few scenes of actual conflict, but when they do come Siegel's direction elevates them, mixing in point-of-view shots in chaotic fight scenes and handheld in a memorable motorcycle chase that elevate the visceral nature of the sequences. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the entire film is how Eastwood's character's whole arch essentially revolves around him correcting his own mistakes, being the man who was indirectly responsible for letting Riggerman escape in the first place. Eastwood's character doesn't seem to truly learn a lesson though, as if Don Siegel is admitting the character is not always right, but regardless, Siegel is a fan of this type of bravado.
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June 2023
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