Clint Eastwood‘s first movie as a director was a 1971 psychological thriller, and it immediately set the tone for the rest of his directorial career. Clint Eastwood is best known for playing gunslingers like the Man with No Name in some of the best Western movies ever made, but he’s just as talented behind the camera as he is in front of it. Some of Clint Eastwood’s best movies as a director are truly astounding films, like Unforgiven or Million Dollar Baby, and he’s cemented himself as one of the best in the business.

Even though he’s a veritable legend, Clint Eastwood, like everyone else, had to start somewhere. Unlike everyone else, however, Eastwood’s first outing as a director was sensational, and it served as a preview of all the wonderful films he would make in the future. Even after nearly half a century, Eastwood’s first film as a director is still worth revisiting, and it still provides some insight into his more recent movies. Eastwood’s 1971 movie Play Misty for Me was the start of his evolution as a director, though it also showed he didn’t have much to improve on right from the get-go.

Play Misty For Me Showed How Good Clint Eastwood Could Be Behind The Camera

Play Misty For Me Was Clint Eastwood’s First Time Directing, & It Was A Huge Financial & Critical Success

Clint Eastwood’s first outing as a director came in 1971, when he directed and starred in Play Misty for Me. A psychological thriller, Play Misty for Me follows Eastwood’s Dave, a radio station disc jockey, as he’s stalked by an obsessive fan, Evelyn (Jessica Walter), who calls in every night to request the song “Misty” by Erroll Garner. Play Misty for Me is filled with thrills, unexpected turns, and some excellent performances by both Eastwood and Walter, which helped it propel it to mᴀssive success. It was such a good film that it actually foreshadowed the rest of Eastwood’s directing career.

Play Misty for Me has 85% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and it earned $10.6 million against a budget of just $950,000 (via Box Office Mojo). A resounding success both critically and commercially, Play Misty for Me was essentially a preview of the heights Eastwood would soar to as a director. In the 54 years following Play Misty for Me, Eastwood would direct 39 more films, and the vast majority of them were successful in one way or another. In fact, Play Misty for Me remains one of Eastwood’s best directorial efforts even after four decades.

How Play Misty For Me Compares To The Other Movies Clint Eastwood Has Directed

Play Misty For Me Is Still Eastwood’s 11th-Highest Rated Directorial Effort After 54 Years

The best way to illustrate just how strong of a start to Clint Eastwood’s directorial career Play Misty for Me proved to be is to compare it to his later movies. Even after 54 years and 39 more movies, Play Misty for Me is still Eastwood’s 11th-best movie, according to Rotten Tomatoes’ critics scores. It has been surpᴀssed several times both critically and commercially: Eastwood’s highest-earning film was 2014’s American Sniper with $547 million at the worldwide box office (via The Numbers), and his highest-rated is Unforgiven with a 96% score. Still, for a directorial debut, Play Misty for Me is endlessly impressive.

Aside from the numbers of Eastwood’s directorial career, Play Misty for Me also served as a great insight into his personal brand and style as a director. As a psychological thriller, Play Misty for Me had all the intense, interpersonal drama and suspense his later films like Juror #2 or Mystic River would come to be known for. He also evoked a truly impressive performance out of Jessica Walter, and today, Eastwood’s movies as a director are known for their stellar acting. Really, Play Misty for Me was a glimpse of the style Clint Eastwood would perfect in the following decades.