Clint Eastwood made his debut as a director with 1971's PLAY MISTY FOR ME and it's a killer thriller! Eastwood plays a DJ who has a one night stand with Evelyn, a fan who calls his radio show every night to request "Misty". She shows up the next day at his house with groceries, ready to move in and madly in love. Jessica Walter is excellent as Evelyn and embodies every psycho date ever taken in America. Walter is sad, pathetic, needy and damn scary. Donna Mills is Eastwood's long time girlfriend, just realizing she is ready to settle down when Walter enters the picture. This is a wild ride and a hell of a debut for Eastwood as a director. He makes some interesting choices here, including a long montage with Mills to the tune of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and he shows the same leisurely pace that he grew into in the 41 years since this premiered. Look for "Dirty Harry" director Don Siegel as Murphy the bartender. Fun, taught and suspenseful, Misty still plays really well for me after all these years. B
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