The Dead Pool (1988)

Harry is getting older and this movie is just a good combination of most of the (bad) 80's ingredients. We now have the typical asian Kung Fu fighter as Harry's partner and a horrible synthesizer sound track. Good thing about this forgettable movie, however, is the cast. We get to see Liam Neeson, Patricia Clarkson and Jim "James" Carrey in one of their first movies. Maybe, to save, the chase scene with the remote controlled toy car.

I don't care what other people think of the film--I love the Dirty Harry movies...ALL of them. Yes, it would have been much better if Eastwood himself had directed it, but the supporting cast is great.

'The Dead Pool', whilst being the weakest of the 'Dirty Harry' films and feeling a little out of place, is still good fun in my opinion. Clint Eastwood is supreme once more and is joined by some standout names in Liam Neeson and, to my big surprise, a certain yet to be famous ! This one features a very silly plot but it does make for mindless entertainment. I had a solid time with it, anyway. There is one ridiculous, yet amusing, car chase sequence. Due to that, and other parts, it kinda doesn't feel like it quite fits with the other releases, though that's not an issue in my eyes. Overall, it ends an enjoyable series well.

"The Dead Pool" fails to achieve the same high profile level of success and popularity as "Sudden Impact" (1983) and it isn't particularly difficult to understand why. "Sudden Impact" is notoriously violent with an almost ceaseless barrage of senseless shootings and beatings, but more importantly than this it still has a sense of enthusiasm and you do have the distinct feeling the cast really wants to participate, although that doesn't appear to be the case here. "The Dead Pool" too often feels as if it is being treated as something of an unpalatable chore which Clint Eastwood must carry out as quickly and efficiently and satisfactorily as possible just to please Warner Bros. and perhaps to provide them with yet another box office bonanza. However, even though there is an unmistakable atmosphere of lethargy in the air all the time, this is still a well paced and entertaining distraction.

"The Dead Pool" fails to achieve the same high profile level of success and popularity as "Sudden Impact" (1983) and it isn't particularly difficult to understand why. "Sudden Impact" is notoriously violent with an almost ceaseless barrage of senseless shootings and beatings, but more importantly than this it still has a sense of enthusiasm and you do have the distinct feeling the cast really wants to participate, although that doesn't appear to be the case here. "The Dead Pool" too often feels as if it is being treated as something of an unpalatable chore which Clint Eastwood must carry out as quickly and efficiently and satisfactorily as possible just to please Warner Brothers and perhaps to provide them with yet another box office bonanza. However, even though there is an unmistakable atmosphere of lethargy in the air all the time, this is still a well paced and entertaining distraction.