Coogan's Bluff (1968)

Coogan is a deputy Sheriff in Arizona. At the beginning he's hunting a lone gunman in a picturesque desert locale. It has the feel of a Western but Coogan's in a jeep, not atop a horse. Unfortunately, even the implied similarities aren't enough to save it from being boring about 90% of the time.
When it moves to the big city it plummets ever further down the scale. It could be argued that much of the time there is given over to characterisation, but it achieves little beyond managing to (inadvertently?) make the brash but charismatic cowboy persona that Clint's well-known for seem more like a deft sleaze who's a few steps down from pushy sexual predator. Not good.
A few years later the pairing of Eastwood and Dir. Siegel gave us the first Dirty Harry (1971) movie. I wish I'd skipped Coogan in favour of it.

2 fancy remarks out of 5

12 ANGRY MEN [1957]

Director Sidney Lumet made his feature film debut with the legal drama classic 12 Angry Men....and wow, what a debut it is.

An impressive cast makes their mark with a variety of distinct characters with captivating dialogue and precise direction.  In fact the whole film is set in one room so it completely relies on the dialogue and performances, which not once loses your interest.  The photography is fantastic as it slowly and subtly gets more and more claustrophobic as tempers raise.  There's not a whole lot I can say about this film that hasn't already been said.  It's simply one of those must see movies for lovers of film.

5 public avengers out of 5

The Exorcist (1973)

I don't think it's the scariest film of all time, but it is a disturbing one and an eerie aural experience. It's slow to begin but creeps under your skin, unnoticed, until it settles into your consciousness with an intensity that's very hard to define. Friedkin's direction is almost vérité which adds to the realism and heightens the unease. Unlike many Hollywood films it remains as objective as possible; it doesn't preach or attempt to influence the viewer's established notions of good and evil. It simply is what it is.
The unintentional humour is the only thing that keeps it from being perfect.

4 the pea of soup compels you out of 5