Every Which Way But Loose

In an abrupt about-face from previous roles, Clint Eastwood tries his hand at humor in this 1978 action-comedy in which the actor's good ol' boy character is often upstaged by a beer-guzzling orangutan sidekick. While Eastwood can't be charged with having a fragile ego, he also can't be accused of picking a good script here, as the story mainly consists of bare-fisted street fights alternating with dumb chase scenes involving idiotic bikers. An encounter with a country singer played by then off-screen love interest Sondra Locke provides some romantic relief, but ultimately ends up proving that the monkey is better company. While the disc transfer is decent looking, the extras are limited to a few production notes. Ultimately, only hardcore Eastwood fans will find that this silly outing makes their DVD viewing day. Not a necessary purchase. Also available: the 1980 sequel Any Which Way You Can. (T. Rich)