With his directorial debut, Clint Eastwood transformed what might have been a run-of-the-mill thriller into something more personal. Right out of the gate, the film proved a commercial success that played at some theaters for years. Released the same year as Don Siegel's Dirty Harry, the small-scale picture notably predicts the plotline that would power a major Hollywood production almost a decade later: 1980's Fatal Attraction. Unlike Michael Douglas's attorney in Adrian Lyne's movie, Eastwood’s Dave Garver isn't married, but he isn't as single as he appears once his artist ex-girlfriend (Donna Mills in her first major role) returns to his Carmel-by-the-Sea hometown (in 1986, Eastwood would famously serve a two-year term as mayor). Until then, the overnight jazz-and-poetry disc jockey plays it footloose and fancy free. In fact, his tomcatting pushed Tobie away in the first place, so the screenplay from Jo Heims and Dirty Harry's Dean Reisner ensures that Dave will never treat relationships with such casual disregard again. The waking nightmare begins when he spots Evelyn Draper (Jessica Walter, The Group) at his favorite watering hole, the real-life Sardine Factory, where he drops by to kibbutz with Murphy (Eastwood's mentor Siegel in a genial performance). After some friendly chitchat, he takes Evelyn home, where he ends up in her bed. She confesses she's the fan who requests pianist Errol Garner's "Misty" every night. He's flattered, but unperturbed, writing her off as a one-night stand, but then she starts dropping by unannounced, even though he never gave her his address. Nor did he suggest they should see each other again. He does his best to fend her off, but she won't take a hint. One night, she even slits her wrists in his bathroom, forcing him to stay with her to make sure she's okay. Meanwhile, he starts to see Tobie again, taking her to the Newport Jazz Festival (a sequence built around documentary footage) and making love to her in the forest while Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" plays on the soundtrack—its placement in the film would result in the #1 song of 1972. In jealousy, Evelyn's campaign of terror accelerates until she's copying Dave’s keys, tearing up his house, ruining a coveted job opportunity, and nearly killing his cleaning lady, Birdie (Clarice Taylor, The Cosby Show). At that point, the police step in, but when they release Evelyn on parole, the situation becomes more insidious, not least because she lies to Dave that she's leaving town. Eastwood turns to Psycho-style fast-cutting as he attempts to fend off the knife-wielding madwoman. The end result plays like a Hitchcock thriller retrofitted for the Watergate era. If Eastwood doesn't give his best performance, his underplaying allows Walter to go big, much like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction, and she's a truly terrifying presence. The extensive extras include a commentary track from film historian Tim Lucas, a video essay from Howard S. Berger, and a 2001 featurette including all of the principals. Recommended.