Dirty Harry
(1971)
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You've got to ask yourself a question: 'do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk? Dirty Harry provoked a critical uproar in 1971 for its fascist message about the power of one, as it also elevated Clint Eastwood to superstar status through his most enduring screen persona. Harry Callahan (Eastwood, in a role meant for Frank Sinatra) is a sardonic, hard-working San Francisco cop who can't finish his lunch without having to foil a bank robbery with his 44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world. When hippie-esque psycho Scorpio (Andy Robinson) goes on a killing spree, Harry and new partner Chico (Reni Santoni) are assigned to hunt him down, but not before the Mayor (John Vernon) and Lt. Bressler (Harry Guardino) admonish Callahan about his heavy-handed tactics. Racing against a deadline to save a kidnap victim from suffocating to death and unbothered by the niceties of Miranda rights and search warrants, Callahan brings in Scorpio, only to see him released on technicalities. The law's crazy, opines Harry in disgust, before taking it upon himself to ensure that Scorpio doesn't kill again. Directed in violent and efficient fashion by Don Siegel, with a propulsive score by Lalo Schifrin, Dirty Harry was the fourth Siegel-Eastwood collaboration after Coogan's Bluff (1968), Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970), and The Beguiled (1970). Critics at the time strongly objected to the heroic image of a cop's violations of a suspect's Miranda rights, forcing Siegel and Eastwood to deny that they were right-wing reactionaries. All the same, Dirty Harry proved to be highly popular and spawned four sequels: Magnum Force (1973), The Enforcer (1976), Sudden Impact (1983), and The Dead Pool (1988).~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide |
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Movie history might have run differently had Frank Sinatra not injured his hand, causing him to relinquish the role of renegade cop “Dirty” Harry Callahan to Clint Eastwood. This is the first and best outing for Eastwood's San Francisco police inspector, in which he tramples on the American Constitution to bring gibbering psycho Andrew Robinson to justice. Directed by Don Siegel with his usual toughness and crisp efficiency, this is a masterpiece of action movie-making. Eastwood displays all the characteristic hard-boiled traits that are now part of his screen persona and cinema folklore. Making good use of Golden Gate locations, and armed with a smart and darkly cynical script, this original generates an excitement that none of the four sequels could match.
Halliwell's Film Guide
A savage cop show which became a cult and led to a spate of dirty cop movies, including four sequels, Magnum Force, The Enforcer, Sudden Impact and The Dead Pool (qqv). Well done for those who can take it.