Wales also possesses a touching emotional vulnerability that marks another significant step away from Eastwood's often-overcriticized "macho" image.

The screenplay is another one of those violence revues, with carnage production numbers slotted every so often.

[Eastwood] gets to the heart of the matter briskly, orchestrates his confrontations intelligently and gets off without lingering unduly over the resultant ugliness.

An important movie in the maturation of Clint Eastwood as both actor and director.