Dirty Harry (1971)

More than iconography here in dynamite Siegel/Eastwood teaming. The film opens with a shot of a memorial wall in praise of the San Francisco Police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty, a SFPD badge is prominent as the camera scrolls down the ream of names on the wall. Cut to a rooftop sniper shooting a girl taking a swim in a swimming pool, cut to the coolest looking cop you have ever seen making his way to the rooftop scene, he stands and surveys the whole of the San Francisco bay area, this is, his area, and we know we are in for a very special film indeed. Dirty Harry is now something of an institution, the film that pushed the boundaries of cops versus bad guys movies, some of the film's dialogue became part of modern day speak, and it's the film that propelled Clint Eastwood into the stratosphere of super stardom. Often tagged as a fascist film, I think it's more a cynical look at the rights of criminals because Harry is everyone who has ever been a victim of crime, he will do what it takes to take down the criminals festering in society, you break the law and Harry will get you any way he can. Here Harry is on the trail of Scorpio, a ruthless sniper killing at random, Scorpio kidnaps a teenage girl and demands $200.000 from the city or she will die in the hole he has her buried in. Harry is just the man for the job of delivery boy and this sets the wheels in motion for what becomes a personal crusade for Harry to take Scorpio down at all costs. Director Don Siegel crafts a masterpiece here, creating a western within the big city landscape, the pace is energetic at times yet reeling itself in to provide genuine suspense when needed. Siegel should also be praised for sticking by Andy Robinson as Scorpio, for it's an insanely great performance from him. Yet it might never had happened since Robinson was petrified of guns, but Siegel stood by him and coaxed him through it. The result is a maniacal turn that scares and amuses in equal measure - witness his mad singing during a bus kidnap scene, you will not know whether to laugh or be afraid. Yet as good as Robinson is, he gives way to a seamless piece of magnificence from Eastwood as Harry Callahan, note perfect and enthusing the role with the right amount of dynamic cool and gusto, it's no surprise that the character became a cinematic legend after such a great acting performance. Finally I must mention the wonderful score from Lalo Schifrin, jazz/electro/beat combinations segue perfectly into each scene with maximum impact to cap off one of the finest films of the 70s, and if you don't believe me then you can go argue with Harry. 9/10

The directing is remarkable but, the most interesting side of this film is the character created by Eastwood, a policeman who decides to take the law by his hand disregarding any kind of right or procedure. Quite like his characters in the far west ... but in nowadays U.S. The story itself is, plainly, bad and grotesque.

Recently I've considered drastically negatively re-appraising Clint Eastwood's work, both directorially and as a thespian, as a knee-jerk reaction to his constant defense of the more racially-bigoted face of conservative America, but because of what his work has meant to me as a cinephile over the years, plus in tribute to everyone else's work involved in this film, particularly director Don Siegel's, that simply wouldn't be fair. As well, you're basically getting, boiled down in its 103-minute timespan, 45 years after the fact, the main dilemma facing the USA. Whose rights are more important--the good guys' or the bad guys'? If they're equal, should they be considered equal, and what does that mean to the law enforcement and judicial systems? Quite simply, THE most important American-made film of the past 50 years. NOT my very favourite (that's '2001: A Space Odyssey'), but the most significant. And it hasn't aged a single day because of it.

Surprisingly straightforward story-wise, but very enjoyable all the same. 'Dirty Harry' is no doubt stylish, features an eye-catching plot and has a very good lead performance from Clint Eastwood; he really does own the role. With that noted, I was surprised at how simply the story unfolds. That's not necessarily a criticism, I just presumed it would've been more than just 'event one, event two, event three etc. ... the end'. I enjoyed it, which is all that truly matters. It's, for me, an entertaining, solid film. I have no real issues with it.

I can't imagine anyone else playing Harry Callahan other than Clint Eastwood. He will always be an iconic character with his tough demeanour and his means to get justice no matter how many rules he needs to break. Some of the scenes at the start have nothing to do with the investigation and while feel quite unnecessary to the plot, they still bring entertainment and shows us just what type of character Harry is. Andy Robinson is fantastic as Scorpio and while the investigation does take a little while to get going in the beginning, the cat and mouse game between the two really ramps up towards the end and I particularly loved the climax. Excellent film that still holds up well today. 8/10

This is one of these films that you can watch time and time again and still enjoy. Certainly, it's not the best crime story ever committed to film: the actual plot is comparatively straightforward with little by way of anything subtle, but I doubt you will readily find a more charismatic leading man who manages to combine humour, menace and style than Clint Eastwood ("Callahan"). He is a no-nonsense cop who is on the trail of a seriously psychopathic serial killer. After a few red-herrings, we discover quite quickly who the perpetrator actually is - that chase isn't really the point. It is what ensues now - a tense and suspenseful battle of wills between Eastwood and the wonderfully seedy, menacing and maddening Andrew Robinson whose performance here has to be up there with the best, all round, characterisations of any antagonist I've ever seen. Don Siegel keeps the action alive and the cast tightly knit; the dialogue - aside from the now infamous pithy quotes from "Callahan" - is potently sparing. The tension builds-up excellently using the cinematography of the city and a superb score from Lalo Shifrin whilst simultaneously exposing us to what is essentially the seamy, gritty underbelly of San Franciscan sub-culture. It is violent, brutal even - but never graphically. The imagery is designed to horrify but not, in my view, to scare. Eastwood expertly epitomises this cop - a maverick, almost vigilante, police officer and leaves us thanking the lord he is (sort of) on our side. Terrific film.