I thought
the story would be about a rogue cop. Boy, was I wrong. Dirty Harry, released
in 1971 and directed by Don Siegel, stars Clint Eastwood and Andrew Robinson as
the main characters.
In the
1070s, San Francisco is under terror as a maniac who calls himself Scorpio
sniped at random victims and requires ransom money. Inspector Harry Callahan
(nicknamed Dirty Harry) is assigned to the case.
The plot is
straightforward and requires no thinking whatsoever. It’s the performances that
make this movie unforgettable. Andrew Robinson as Scorpio is the perfect psycho,
sadistic and frightening, the kind of person you certainly would not want to
meet. My view is that his character is inspired by the Zodiac Killer, who
operated in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Clint
Eastwood is more than perfect as Harry, who'll take any job
that comes along in order to restore peace and lock up the criminals. Dirty
Harry is a cop with the type of charisma you rarely see, who pulls no punches
and is proud of that. Clint Eastwood set a standard with his exceptional macho
portrayal of Harry.
No elaborate
camera angles, no special effects, no sunshine, no flowers, only dark. Everything
is sordid and there is no humor or romance. The locations where the scenes are played
are chilling, and the final scene
is amazing. There are also so many classic lines
in this movie it is hard to keep track. My favourite line of the movie (and a perfect
summary of Harry’s character):
is amazing. There are also so many classic lines
in this movie it is hard to keep track. My favourite line of the movie (and a perfect
summary of Harry’s character):Harry Callahan: 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 kind of lost track myself. But being as 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?
Clint
Eastwood creates one of the most memorable characters in cinema history, he
just oozes cool.
Bottom line,
Dirty Harry is an absolute must.
But why do they call him Dirty Harry, might you wonder?
Harry Callahan: Now you know why they call me Dirty Harry: every dirty job that comes along.
