One of the more unsettling true crime stories of the past 50 years is the murder of Barbara Ann Butler, a young woman who was found dead in her automobile in an Ohio parking lot in the early 1970s, a case that remains open. This story was the basis for The Girl on the Volkswagen Floor, written by journalist William A. Clark, who recounts the investigation around this murder, focusing on the detectives tasked with trying to solve this peculiar and haunting mystery, as well as several other individuals are woven into this multilayered investigation. David Zelag Goodman (who was in a good position as one of the most highly sought-after screenwriters, having worked with the likes of Sam Peckinpah) was tasked with adapting the book, which was then passed to Frank Perry to help bring it to the screen, with the text becoming Man on a Swing, one of the director’s more polarizing films, but one that is certainly not without several merits. A shocking but profoundly intriguing riff on film noir conventions, helmed one of the most exciting and versatile directors of his generation – albeit one that did not receive even an iota of the acclaim he deserved – this is a profoundly surprising film that takes us on an intricate journey into the heart of a murder investigation, giving us insights into the lengthy process and often macabre details that those in law enforcement have to endure when it comes to solving such harrowing mysteries. Complex, rivetting and quite disturbing, Perry’s work in Man on a Swing is some of his most daring, and while it may not always been as effective as it possibly could, there’s enough nuance in the execution to make for a captivating film.

The key difference between Man on a Swing and other true crime stories from around this time comes from the perspective Perry is using to tell the story. There were many layers to the murder of Barbara Ann Butler, but the one that makes it stand out (at least in terms of having a particular hook that draws audiences in) is the presence of a psychologically-unstable stranger who claimed that he could predict such events through extrasensory perception, offering his help to the police in order to assist in finding the murderer. The film follows the relationship between the primary detective and this clairvoyant – here known as Franklin Wills – over the course of the weeks following Butler’s death. It focuses on their frequent communications, watching how their relationship develops to a point where Wills plays a vital role in assisting the investigation through his frequent attempts to give them clues. However, the film frames him as a vaguely sinister figure, constantly placing doubt in our minds regarding whether his claims are legitimate, or if he was somehow involved with the murders himself, and is masquerading as a clairvoyant to distract from the fact that he could possibly have been the murderer himself. Perry and the rest of the team clearly have their own theories around the role played by the character that Wills is based on, but it makes sure to never directly allude to these theories – after all, everything about this case is purely speculative, and even nearly half a century later, we aren’t any closer to finding out the truth, with the reality being that we are likely never going to know, at least not in terms of understanding exactly what transpired on that fateful day, and whether or not these supposed psychics actually knew more than they claimed. 

Perry enlists two very different actors to play the central characters in Man on a Swing, which is constructed as a two-hander. Cliff Robertson, known for his everyman sensibility and ability to play gruff but principled individuals is the dedicated detective that finds himself constantly at a loss for answers when it comes to what appears to be a relatively straightforward investigation, while Joel Grey is the sinister clairvoyant that shoehorns himself into the case, using his apparent knowledge of the murder to help give important clues, which could only be possible from either the murder himself, or someone genuinely gifted with the ability to see visions of the future. The pair are absolutely dynamic – Robertson’s simple approach to playing a committed police officer is contrasted sharply with Grey’s eccentricity, both of which make for a formidable duo, and help turn Man on a Swing into a fascinating character study, one that is capable of standing as a work of remarkable complexity based solely on the interactions between these characters. It is actually Grey that makes the biggest impression – he is playing an impish villain who is invaluable to the story, and Perry takes advantage of Grey’s inherent quirks, which play a vital role in the disquieting tone that persists throughout the film. Its a very unique performance that feels much better than the film that surrounds it, since this is essentially a supporting part that becomes the main focus of the story, not as a result of anything deliberate, but rather a case of the audience naturally being drawn to his performance more than anything else. Man on a Swing is undeniably a middling film, but its strength come from its performances, and both Robertson and Grey rise to the occasion, helping define this bizarre curio of a murder mystery.

In my continued attempts to draw more attention to the life and career of Perry, it was necessary to make my way through all of his work, which included this film, which is often maligned as an example of over-the-top sensationalism, a story that takes a tragic crime and attempts to filter it through a glossy lens. However, these allegations are slightly inappropriate, especially when it becomes clear that Perry is not interested in the sordid details, and actually takes quite an elegant approach to the material, one in which his focus is less on the murder itself, and more on the challenges the detectives involved with solving the crime faced, especially considering the presence of a particularly strange addition to their team, a clairvoyant who first starts out as a nuisance, then develops into a valuable asset before potentially becoming the most sinister character of them all. There’s a certain complexity to how Man on a Swing retells this story, one that showcases Perry’s unique ability to combine grit and surrealism to emphasize the more unconventional aspects of the story. It is important to remember that this is a fictionalized work, and it always carries the caveat of being a work produced primarily to provide thrills and entertainment, with all instances of thought-provoking realism being secondary. Perry is smart enough to not take advantage of his right to artistic liberty, and instead highlights the more unique aspects of the story as it stands. They often say that reality is stranger than fiction, and few true crime cases are more peculiar than that of Butler’s murder, not because of the act itself, but rather the investigation, which was truly peculiar, as clearly seen throughout this film.

Man on a Swing is a very traditional crime procedural that has slight elements of subversive social commentary that helps make it at least vaguely interesting, and elevates it beyond the other similarly-toned films from this era. There are very few components that truly separate it from some of the more superior crime stories produced in the 1970s (which was an era where the genre reached one of its most interesting peaks, with the rise of New Hollywood facilitating an abundance of bleak, haunting depictions of crime, ones that were particularly free of overt sensationalism), but it is still incredibly captivating and carries itself with a nuance and complexity that is difficult to ignore. It may not be Perry’s greatest work, and one has to wonder whether a slightly different approach – possibly one in which the more abstract side of the investigation was viewed more directly rather than being sidelined and repetitive after a while – may have fared, since this is an unequivocally intriguing story that is only undone by the slightly lacklustre approach to the material. Man on a Swing is a decent film with excellent performances, a sinister tone and a very precise way of looking at this story. It’s more than enough to warrant our attention, and earns every bit of time the audience spends accompanying these characters on their journey. It may be divisive, but it has merits, enough to make this yet another strong entry into Perry’s diverse career, proving that he is a director who deserves much more attention and respect as an iconoclast in an era of truly original filmmakers.