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Tightrope

Tightrope

Mystery · Thriller · Crime · 1984

Wes Block is a detective who's put on the case of a serial killer whose victims are young and pretty women. The murders are getting personal when the killer chooses victims who are acquaintances of Block. Even his daughters are threatened.

Movie details

Tightrope

“A cop on the edge.”

1984 Mystery · Thriller · Crime 1h 55m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.2 / 10

Community rating

Wes Block is a detective who's put on the case of a serial killer whose victims are young and pretty women. The murders are getting personal when the killer chooses victims who are acquaintances of Block. Even his daughters are threatened.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Tightrope?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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John Doe: Vigilante

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When John Doe is convicted of being a vigilante serial killer, a vigilante group named 'Speak for the Dead' emerges in support of John's cause—elevating the debate about justice versus vengeance.

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A couple’s romantic vacation at a secluded lakeside estate is upended when they are forced to share the mansion with a mysterious and attractive couple. In this darkly hilarious and seductive horror story, a dream getaway spirals into a nightmarish maze of sex, lies, and manipulation, bringing terrifying secrets to light and triggering a bloody battle for survival.

Psycho Killer

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Arriving in Chicago, Henry moves in with ex-con acquaintance Otis and starts schooling him in the ways of the serial killer.

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Cop

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An obsessive, insubordinate homicide cop is convinced a serial killer is loose in the Hollywood area and disobeys orders in order to catch him.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Richard Tuggle

Written by

Richard Tuggle

Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood

Wes Block

Geneviève Bujold

Geneviève Bujold

Beryl Thibodeaux

Dan Hedaya

Dan Hedaya

Det. Molinari

Alison Eastwood

Alison Eastwood

Amanda Block

Jenny Beck

Jenny Beck

Penny Block

Marco St. John

Marco St. John

Leander Rolfe

Rebecca Perle

Rebecca Perle

Becky Jacklin

Court is in session

Put Tightrope on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Cool Ironist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.