Rating: 
Summary: "A man's got to know his limitations."
Review: Who can forget that line from Magnum Force? It has more than one meaning here and definitely sets the theme. Dirty Harry says it a few times in the film but it has the most impact right after Hal Holbrook meets with an unfortunate accident in his car...priceless scene. This is my favorite line Eastwood says to Holbrook in the movie, with the second being when he throws a shell casing from evidence at him saying "eat it!". Magnum Force (1973) is the sequel to Dirty Harry (1971) and this time Harry is still an outsider with his own brand of justice, but he's got nothing on the 4 young motorcycle patrol cops who don't even bother with arrests and paperwork (the criminals don't make it that far!). In Dirty Harry, Callahan chased Scorpio, the mad sniper, but in Magnum Force he doesn't have to go far to find the criminals...they work with him! Action packed and stylish, Magnum Force is essential in the Dirty Harry/Eastwood Collection. The film is directed by television director, Tim Post (Baretta, Combat!) and written by Michael Cimino (director: The Deer Hunter, Thunderbolt & Lightfoot). The cast is great: Felton Perry plays Harry's unfortunate partner who just had to open his mailbox. Look for several familiar faces before they made it big: David "Hutch" Soul, Robert Urich, & Tim Matheson. Also look for a topless Suzanne Somers (uncredited) getting blown away in a swimming pool! I can imagine Joyce DeWitt from Three's Company laughing maniacally when she saw that scene.
Rating: 
Summary: "A man has to know his limitations."
Review: "Magnum Force" from 1973,the followup to "Dirty Harry",(a movie many consider to be a classic),is not as good.Of course sequels rarely are. It does have more action and laughs.You could call it a kind of black comedy,because it's kinda far fetched.The screenplay was cowritten by Michael Cimino(who also wrote and directed "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" the following year with Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges which was a good flick),and John Milius,who had an uncredited hand in the original "Dirty Harry". Milius wrote the now famous line "This being a .44 magnum,...."Do I feel lucky?" It turns up here right after the opening credits for "Magnum Force". It came out just two years after the original,both were Christmas releases,and it was just as big a hit at the box office. They both made about the same amount of money. It seemed the producer and writer had in mind to answer the critics who called Harry Callahan a fascist and a vigilante.Clint Eastwood said in an interview in 1997 that the claim that Harry was a fascist was "just nonsense"."Harry was just very concerned about the rights of the victim.What's the matter with that?" The late Gene Siskel also disagreed with those critics. He said,"If Harry were to encounter Hitler or Mussolini,he would have popped them to". The critic Roger Ebert called Harry,"extremely fair,he'll shoot anybody". "Magnum Force" is well paced and it does get intense.It has some good action sequences and a good chase scene.But,like I mentioned before the plot is a bit hokey and it's a little too violent at times.This is not a movie for the kiddies. The cinematography isn't nearly as good as in the original.It doesn't make very good use of the San Francisco locations.Lalo Schifrin's score is good though not as inspired as in the original.However,it's still better than many so called cop movies that have come out since.Particularly certain bloodthirsty,sadistic mayhem made in the '80's and '90's.In the funny book "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche" from 1982,the author Bruce Feirstein put "Magnum Force" among those movies real men will paid hard cash to see.Feirstein had a couple of dozen on the list including "Patton","Rocky",some of the James Bond movies,only the ones with Sean Connery,and"North Dallas Forty" among others.All these movies are for men only. Some trivia,Clint Eastwood said in an interview that this story was inspired by the Brazilian death squad of the 1950's. Actor Robert Urich appears as one of the rookie motorcycle cops,this was Mr. Urich's movie debut.Also,a then unknown Suzanne Sommers appears briefly in the swimming pool party scene.Ms.Sommers' scenes has her showing off a ring she just received and where she takes her bikini top off in the pool.(Not so shocking since she did do a layout in PLAYBOY about ten years later).Her name wasn't mentioned in the credits.Also,Ms.Sommers gets blasted along with the other unfortunate people at the party.And remember,"A man has to know his limitations".
Rating:
Summary: The Best of the 'Dirty Harry' Sequels
Review: Clint Eastwood's "Dirty Harry" (1971) was a tough act to follow, yet "Magnum Force" (1973) holds up quite well. Though the guiding hand of director Don Siegel is sorely missed, Eastwood and Company still deliver the goods. This time around, Inspector Harry Callahan investigates a series of murders committed by a self-appointed death squad within the San Francisco police department. The film offers plenty of 44-caliber action and some classic Clint one-liners ("A man's got to know his limitations"). As Callahan's boss, Hal Holbrook is a memorable Eastwood adversary. Seen today, "Magnum Force" would make a terrific double bill with the original "Dirty Harry." Unfortunately, the remaining three sequels ("The Enforcer," "Sudden Impact" and "The Dead Pool") were a case of diminished returns.
Rating: 
Summary: Tell Warner Brothers to release the WHOLE film!
Review: The people who assembled this DVD should be ashamed of themselves - the whole film is not there! One of the most hilarious scenes in the original version of Magnum Force was when the crooked cops are chasing Harry around inside the (very dark) hull of a ship. Every time a shot was fired down there, there would be at LEAST six or seven loud, cartoon-like ricochets. The fact that this might really happen when all of the walls and ceiling are solid steel does not take away from its comic effect. Well, when they remastered the film for DVD, they took all of the ricochets out! They also cut out some of the sting operation where three hoodlums hold up a convenience store.
Rating:
Summary: Magnum Justice
Review: This is the second of five "Dirty Harry" films in which Eastwood stars as a San Francisco police detective. By the time the last appeared (The Dead Pool in 1988), Eastwood had aged and times had changed but Callahan's non-negotiable values and unorthodox methods had remained essentially the same. In this film, directed by Ted Post with a screenplay co-authored by directors John Milius (e.g. Conan the Barbarian) and Michael Cimino (e.g. The Deer Hunter), the essential premise is that the same legal systems and law enforcement systems to which Callahan so strongly objects have encouraged others to become vigilantes, four of whom serve as police officers under the direct supervision of Lieutenant Briggs (Hal Holbrook). They target and assassinate those whom the "system" has failed to keep off the streets. Of course, Callahan has no sympathy whatsoever for those eliminated. However, he is uncomfortable with the vigilantes' methods (if not their motives) and with what the ancient Greeks -- but not Callahan -- would characterize as their hubris. Eventually, there is the inevitable and obligatory confrontation with them. (Guess who wins?) Those who enjoy this film should also check out The Brotherhood of the Bell (1970), Death Wish (1974), and The Star Chamber (1983) in which Holbrook also appeared.
Rating:
Summary: "A man has to know his limitations."
Review: "Magnum Force" from 1973,the followup to "Dirty Harry",(a movie many consider to be a classic),is not as good.Of course sequels rarely are. It does have more action and laughs.You could call it a kind of black comedy,because it's kinda far fetched.The screenplay was cowritten by Michael Cimino(who also wrote and directed "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" the following year with Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges which was a good flick),and John Milius,who had an uncredited hand in the original "Dirty Harry". Milius wrote the now famous line "This being a .44 magnum,...."Do I feel lucky?" It turns up here right after the opening credits for "Magnum Force". It came out just two years after the original,both were Christmas releases,and it was just as big a hit at the box office. They both made about the same amount of money. It seemed the producer and writer had in mind to answer the critics who called Harry Callahan a fascist and a vigilante.Clint Eastwood said in an interview in 1997 that the claim that Harry was a fascist was "just nonsense"."Harry was just very concerned about the rights of the victim.What's the matter with that?" The late Gene Siskel also disagreed with those critics. He said,"If Harry were to encounter Hitler or Mussolini,he would have popped them to". The critic Roger Ebert called Harry,"extremely fair,he'll shoot anybody". "Magnum Force" is well paced and it does get intense.It has some good action sequences and a good chase scene.But,like I mentioned before the plot is a bit hokey and it's a little too violent at times.This is not a movie for the kiddies. The cinematography isn't nearly as good as in the original.It doesn't make very good use of the San Francisco locations.Lalo Schifrin's score is good though not as inspired as in the original.However,it's still better than many so called cop movies that have come out since.Particularly certain bloodthirsty,sadistic mayhem made in the '80's and '90's.In the funny book "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche" from 1982,the author Bruce Feirstein put "Magnum Force" among those movies real men will paid hard cash to see.Feirstein had a couple of dozen on the list including "Patton","Rocky",some of the James Bond movies,only the ones with Sean Connery,and"North Dallas Forty" among others.All these movies are for men only. Some trivia,Clint Eastwood said in an interview that this story was inspired by the Brazilian death squad of the 1950's. Actor Robert Urich appears as one of the rookie motorcycle cops,this was Mr. Urich's movie debut.Also,a then unknown Suzanne Sommers appears briefly in the swimming pool party scene.Ms.Sommers' scenes has her showing off a ring she just received and where she takes her bikini top off in the pool.(Not so shocking since she did do a layout in PLAYBOY about ten years later).Her name wasn't mentioned in the credits.Also,Ms.Sommers gets blasted along with the other unfortunate people at the party.And remember,"A man has to know his limitations".
Rating: 
Summary: My Favorite Dirty Harry Sequel
Review: Okay... before I begin, I must tell you I am a bit prejudice. I actually saw a scene from this movie being filmed. I lived in San Francisco and in 1973 was walking up the hill to Lafayette Park as they shot some scenes in a high rise apartment building.
I was fascinated as they shot the scene over and over to get the "tension" just right. Now it is on DVD 30 years later. It has never looked better. Color corrected true wide screen picture, and a soundtrack that is crystal clear. 2 of the vigilante officers are played to perfection by "pre-Starsky" David Soul and, in his first role, the late Robert Urich. The scene in the darkened garage is still powerful in it's quiet threatening tone. It is SO CLEAR the cops enjoy wearing their elegant uniforms and tall boots, leather creaking and chrome gleaming in the dark... an awesome and memorable moment when those who are sent to protect and defend, go over the edge so confidently, quietly and in their minds, logically. It is still very frightening.
Rating:
Summary: Yeah, baby, yeah!
Review: Yeah, baby, yeah! Clint is the man, and my man was at his best as Dirty Harry Callahan, the San Fran dick (slang for "detective") blasting the bad guys into oblivion! In "Magnum Force," Harry takes on some bad apples in the police department, and guess who wins? I prefer the first "Dirty Harry." You can't improve on perfection, and "Magnum Force" is not an improvement. The first film was a home run, but it doesn't take a home run to win the game. And Clint wins the game. Yeah, baby, yeah!
Rating:
Summary: No Limitations Here!
Review: I rarely give 5 stars, but this is one movie that deserves it! MAGNUM FORCE is my favorite Dirty Harry movie, and my favorite Eastwood film overall. After the smashing success of the classic Siegel film in 1971, Eastwood continued with this sequal in 1973, and it does not disappoint. Ted Post, who directed the TV series RAWHIDE where Eastwood started his acting career, takes the director's chair here. While most sequals usually are not as good, I consider MAGNUM FORCE to be the most interesting of the entire Dirty Harry series, and for good reason. The plot is well-developed with a series of odd murders taking place over San Francisco. The top criminals of the city are the victims, but who are the killers? As Eastwood eventually finds out, the killers are closer to him than he thinks; they carry a badge just like him! Rookie motorcycle cops are relentlessly killing any criminal that escapes the courts. This Evil For Evil tactic is one that Harry would surely side with. Unfortunately he has sworn to protect the system he works for, no matter what. In the first movie, Harry is against the system, and was portrayed as a fascist by the critics. Ted Post did a good job of reversing this with MAGNUM FORCE. Here, Harry is protecting the system from the vigilantes that represent him from the first movie. The result is a startling puzzle that Harry puts together through instinct, determination, and patience. In true Dirty Harry tradition, he busts a gang of crooks in the beginning, a group of plane hijackers by posing as the pilot.
Hal Holbrook plays Lt. Briggs, the greying boss of Harry who puts him in stakeout to keep him out of trouble. But Harry works his way back over to homicide and is soon on thr trail of the murders. When his good friend Charlie McCoy is killed, and the only witness is a rookie cop, he begins to investigate. Who is behind it all? I won't give that away. This film has its share of comedy and lust, including Eastwood having a stand with Adele Yoshioka, an attractive Asian that lives in his apartment. Ted Post wanted to show the personal side of Dirty Harry here to counter the critics' opinions. Suzanne Sommers of THREE'S COMPANY makes a cameo appearance here as the girl that shows off her ring and removes her top in the pool! Too bad she gets all shot up. Eastwood doesn't seem to talk with as much venom in this one as he did in the first movie, and some say this film has more comedy then action. Ironically the critics that said Eastwood was too violent in the first movie, said that he wasn't violent enough in this one! Go figure. The high-speed chase at the end is exciting with Harry running for his life from the vigilante cops. The ending is startling, with a new one liner, "A man's got to know his limitations." This was the first Clint Eastwood movie I obtained and have enjoyed it for years. It will satisfy any police action movie buff. For an Eastwood fan, it is a must! No limitations here!
Rating:
Summary: A man has got to know his limitations
Review: Are we defined by what we watch or review? Given my politics, putting out my two cents on Magnum Force is like Walter Mondale going to a Republican Party Convention. However, let me state quite clearly that I'm putting this movie in the context of the times it represented, i.e. the perceived sense of the justice system's failure in the 1970's. Following his acquittal of murdering a labour reformer and his family on a legal technicality, i.e. lack of admissible evidence, labor leader Carmine Ricca and three of his associates are gunned down by a police officer. As the outcome of his trial led to wild mobs downtown, his death leads one man to say, "maybe there's hope for the world yet." Other criminals become victims, including one in a very violent swimming pool massacre. Did anyone notice Suzanne Somers in that scene? Maybe I'll look more carefully next time. Note: Ricca and the murder of the labour reformer has overtones of Tony Boyle and Jock Yablonski, who with his wife and daughter were murdered in 1970 under Boyle's orders. The frustration police officers felt in the 1970's is felt here. Charlie McCoy, one of Harry's friends, angrily says, "A hood can kill a cop, but a cop kill a hood?" Charlie's gone a bit mental, to the point that he and his wife are separated. Harry locks horns with the obnoxious and waspish Lieutenant Briggs (Hal Holbrook), a desk jockey-type whose jealousy extends to taking Harry off homicide and putting him on stakeout. Not so much with the captain, who realizes that "someone's trying to put the courts out of business" and puts Harry back on homicide. The crimes have a distinct pattern, no witnesses despite the fact there was an officer right on top of the crime scene. This movie is longer than Dirty Harry, but it further explores the "then the law is crazy" motif introduced in that movie. This time, the concept of vigilanteism. And there are two moments that show Harry effectively defusing crises, especially a plane hijacking. In the first movie, Harry seems to be powerful only with his gun, but here, he proves he's resourceful even without it. The main idea of this movie is defined by the title of my review. Not only is it man, but the law has to know its limitations as well. As Harry says to his boss, he hates the system, but unless there are effective changes, the system is all he has to go by. And as for vigilanteism, consider what one of the vigilantes say. "We're the first generation [of heroes] that's learned to fight. We're simply ridding society of killers that would be caught and sentenced anyway if our courts worked properly." Well, where do you draw the line? One day, it's killers, drug dealers, pimps, rapists, etc. Fair enough, but what about the next day? Is it jaywalkers, litterbugs, people who double park? The police are the guards of the law, but as Roman satirist Juvenal said, "Who guards the guards?" Someone needs to, obviously, to make sure they don't get too much power. The courts? But look what happens in the beginning. As the prosecutor for the Ricca trial says, "This has happened before and it will probably happen again." Compare that with what one of the vigilante cops say, "It's just not a question of whether or not to use violence. There simply is no other way." Talk about CHIPs gone bad! That, my fellow readers, is downright frightening, because there has GOT to be another way. Lalo Schifrin's back with his moody but melodic score. Of the other players, Adele Yoshioka has a small but nice role as Sunny, an Asian American neighbor of Harry's. Felton Perry is Early, Harry's partner, and he's a reserved kind of guy with that period 70's Afro. And it's interesting to see David Soul (Starsky and Hutch's Hutch) playing Officer Davis. There is the standard violent shooting scenes, but the issue here should get people thinking--what are the limitations of man and the law?
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