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.

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.

Theatrical release: December 1977.

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.

Blu-ray Features:

Keep Case
Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
Dolby TrueHD 5.1 - English
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English, French, Spanish, German, Japanese
Subtitles - English, English (SDH), French, Spanish, German, Japanese

Distributor Notes: Phoenix cop Ben Shockley's dream of breaking "the big case" has faded through the years. His assignment to escort from Las Vegas "a nothing witness for a nothing trial" seems like just another meaningless exercise. Until the fireworks start. Clint Eastwood runs "The Gauntlet" into an explosive movie embodying its title with a vengeance. The witness is a hardened hooker whom everyone--including Vegas oddsmakers--wants dead. Trapped between both sides of the law, the two must survive an obstacle course of raging gunfire, blazing cars, swooping helicopters, murderous ambushes, crazed bikers, and crooked police. Building to a ferocious finale that shoots an armored bus to smithereens with more than 8,000 bullets, "The Gauntlet" is a trip you can't miss. Leave the driving to Eastwood: sit back and enjoy the ride.

Source: Warner Home Video

Clint Eastwood: American actor/director, THE GOOD, THE BAD.../UNFORGIVEN
Sondra Locke: American actress, director
Pat Hingle: American Actor
William Prince: American Supporting Actor

Clint Eastwood: American actor/director, THE GOOD, THE BAD.../UNFORGIVEN

Robert Daley: Producer/Executive

Michael Butler: 
Dennis Shryack: Screenwriter

Jerry Fielding: 

Ferris Webster: 
Joel Cox: Editor, MILLION DOLLAR BABY (2004)

"Clint Eastwood's silliest movie without orangutans is also one of his most enjoyable.."