Every Which Way But Loose (1979)
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A trucker and bare-knuckle brawler embarks on a cross-country journey to find a lost love while accompanied by his brother and a pet orangutan.
The story
Philo Beddoe is a truck driver and bare-knuckle fighter living in the San Fernando Valley with his pet orangutan, Clyde. After becoming smitten with a country music singer named Lynn Halsey-Taylor, Philo is shocked when she and her camper suddenly disappear. Believing he is falling for her, Philo decides to travel to her home in Denver, Colorado. Along the way, he encounters a motorcycle gang called the Black Widows, who pursue him for revenge after a confrontation at a traffic light. Philo also finds himself in conflict with an LAPD officer, leading to a pursuit as both the gang and the cop head off to find him.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Philo Beddoe, a truck driver and bare-knuckle fighter, lives in the San Fernando Valley with his pet orangutan, Clyde, and his best friend, Orville Boggs. After meeting country singer Lynn Halsey-Taylor at a honky-tonk, Philo is devastated when she vanishes. He sets out for Denver, Colorado, to find her. During the trip, he clashes with the Black Widows motorcycle gang, taking their bikes and causing them to pursue him. He also fights an LAPD officer named Putnam. Orville and Clyde join Philo, meeting a woman named Echo who becomes Orville's girlfriend. They book fights for Philo to earn money. Eventually, Lynn helps the Black Widows lure Philo into a trap. Philo fights most of the gang until Orville intervenes, dumping their bikes into a garbage truck. Philo eventually finds Lynn, only to discover her shallow nature, leading to a heated confrontation. Later, Orville arranges a final fight for Philo against his nemesis, Tank Murdock. Philo intentionally loses the fight to allow Murdock to retire undefeated. Clyde, Orville, and Echo return home while Philo remains.
- First release year
- 1978
- Runtime (minutes)
- 114
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- James Fargo
- Writers
- Jeremy Joe Kronsberg · writer
- Cast and characters
- Clint Eastwood · Philo Beddoe; Sondra Locke · Lynn Halsey-Taylor; Manis · Clyde; Geoffrey Lewis · Orville; Beverly D'Angelo · Echo; Ruth Gordon · Ma; Walter Barnes · Tank Murdock; George Chandler · D.M.V. Clerk
- Genres
- action; comedy
- Themes
- blue-collar life; vengeance; disillusionment
- Tone and mood
- offbeat; slapstick; farce
- Premise and plot tags
- trucker; orangutan; boxing; motorcycle gang
- Franchise connections
- Any Which Way You Can
- Reception
- The film was a surprising commercial success despite receiving uniformly negative critical reviews. It was noted for being poorly reviewed but became one of the highest-grossing Eastwood films.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 41% · review count: 27; Rotten Tomatoes · score: 5.0/10
- Production trivia
- The phrase 'Every Which Way But Loose' also appeared in Smokey and the Bandit.; The character Clyde was played by an orangutan named Manis.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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