Dirty Harry (1971) Warner Bros./Action RT: 102 minutes Rated R (language, strong violence, brief nudity) Director: Don Siegel Screenplay: Harry Julian Fink, R.M. Fink and Dean Riesner Music: Lalo Schifrin Cinematography: Bruce Surtees Release date: December 23, 1971 (US) Cast: Clint Eastwood, Harry Guardino, Reni Santoni, John Vernon, Andrew Robinson, John Larch, John Mitchum, Mae Mercer, Lyn Edgington, Ruth Kobart, Woodrow Parfrey, Josef Sommer, William Paterson, James Nolan, Maurice S. Argent, Jo De Winter, Craig G. Kelly, Albert Popwell. Box Office: $35.9 million (US)
Rating: ****
After the Man with No Name trilogy, Clint Eastwood accepted another iconic role, one that would become of the most emblematic figures of the 20th century. I’m talking, of course, about Inspector Harry Callahan of the San Francisco Police Department, the titular character of Dirty Harry. His weapon of choice is a Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum revolver, a weapon tantamount to a “pocket cannon”. Callahan is a cop who doesn’t hesitate to cross any line, professional and/or ethical, in pursuit of justice. He knows the system is flawed, mainly due to inept bureaucracy and those pesky criminals’ rights he usually seems to violate when apprehending a felon. His superiors dislike his methods even though he manages to produce results. His partners typically have a short life expectancy; they’re either killed or seriously injured in the line of duty.
When Dirty Harry first came out in December ‘71, it was highly praised by the critics, but it also caused a lot of controversy over issues like police brutality, victims’ rights and the overall nature of law enforcement. It came during a tumultuous time in American history. The Vietnam War was still raging on and there was a pervasive anti-establishment feeling among the nation’s youth. Many were screaming about issues like police brutality and racism; Dirty Harry brought them right to the forefront in a wildly popular cop movie. At the same time, a successful movie franchise was born.
As the movie opens, the serial killer known as Scorpio (Robinson, Cobra) kills a young woman in a swimming pool. He shoots her with a high-powered rifle from a nearby rooftop. He leaves a note for the Mayor (Vernon, Animal House) demanding payment of $100,000 or he will kill again. The case is assigned to Callahan who’s given a new partner, rookie detective Chico Gonzalez (Santoni, Cobra). Together, they attempt to capture Scorpio whose next victim is a 10YO African-American boy.
After a rooftop shootout with the killer at Sts. Peter and Paul Church- you know, the one with the huge sign that reads JESUS SAVES- he kidnaps a teenage girl and buries her alive. With only a limited amount of time before she runs out of oxygen, he raises the ransom to $200,000 and demands Callahan make the delivery. After making the annoyed cop run all over the city to ensure he’s not being followed by his colleagues, Scorpio brutally assaults Callahan and shoots Gonzalez who was following his senior partner.
Callahan catches a break when he finds out where Scorpio lives. He breaks into his place without a warrant. He seizes the rifle used in the killings, shoots the suspect in his leg and denies him medical treatment, torturing him until he reveals where the kidnap victim is buried. Although the girl is found dead, the D.A.’s office cannot prosecute Scorpio because his rights were violated by his arresting officer. They have no choice but to release him. It gets worse when Scorpio pays somebody to beat him up and claims Callahan did it. Although ordered to back off, the pissed-off cop is right there when the creep hijacks a school bus and holds the children hostage until the city pays him the $200,000 he thinks he’s owed.
Directed by Don Siegel (Coogan’s Bluff), Dirty Harry is an exciting and tension-filled police actioner that features some classic Harry Calahan moments. In one scene near the beginning, the Mayor asks the inspector about a prior incident where he shot a man who was about to rape a woman. When he asks how he ascertained the suspect’s intent, Callahan coolly replies “When a naked man is chasing a woman through an alley with a butcher’s knife and a hard-on, I figure he isn’t out collecting for the Red Cross.” Then there’s the famous sequence where Callahan shoots and kills all but one of four bank robbers on a crowded street. He approaches the wounded robber who is reaching for his shotgun. That’s when Callahan delivers one of his most famous monologues:
“I know what you’re thinking: ‘Did he fire six shots or only five?’ Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I’ve kinda lost track myself. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: “Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?”
LOL! That’s so awesome! It’s one of my all-time favorite movie quotes.
Eastwood delivers a knock-out performance in Dirty Harry. With it, he proved he could do something besides westerns even though Callahan is something of a modern cowboy himself. He’s the quintessential cop with the bad attitude and slow-burn temper. You can see the vein in his forehead bulging as he tries to restrain himself from knocking somebody’s head off. Callahan is a man with a strong sense of justice. He believes criminals should be dealt with swiftly and harshly. He’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen. He doesn’t care if he crosses a line to get it done either. For him, there is no line when it comes to dealing with criminals. The final scene is one that will stay with you for a long time as Callahan displays his true feelings towards the current legal system.
Robinson is perfect as Scorpio, a character loosely based on the infamous Zodiac killer. He is one disturbed dude. Somebody who would hire a professional to beat him up so he can accuse Callahan of assault is obviously not right in the head.
Setting aside any political agenda, Dirty Harry is an awesome flick. It’s a freaking classic! Come on, who doesn’t like the Dirty Harry movies? My family loved them. One of them, 1983’s Sudden Impact, was an afternoon at the movies for us. This first movie is something else though. It was daring for its time. No cop movie before it was this violent. It’s also legitimately thrilling, exciting and funny. It helps that Siegel was a top-notch filmmaker. His impressive body of work also includes the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Shootist and Escape from Alcatraz. Lalo Schifrin’s jazzy is absolutely perfect for this movie. The storyline isn’t overly complicated, yet it makes the viewer question his/her stance on the idea of law and order. Dirty Harry is a crowd pleaser, but exactly why are we cheering for him? That’s something you have to decide for yourself. If you’ve never seen it- it’s highly unlikely anyone under the age of 40 hasn’t seen at least one of these movies- I highly recommend it. It’s the template for the cop movies that would follow in the years to come.
