Rating: 
Summary: awesome movie
Review: This movie is one of the best. They don't come any smoother than ol' Harry Callahan. My favorite part is when Scorpio spots him standing on top of the bridge waiting for him. Harry definitely looks like a force to be reckoned with there. The music in this movie is very good as well. I can't think of a movie with a more intense beginning scene. I also enjoy the bank robbery scene when Harry yells out "halt!" and pieces of hot dog fly out of his mouth. It doesn't get any better than that.
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Summary: THE FIRST-AND THE BEST!
Review: Clint Eastwood best ever! I went to see the movie back when it was first released and knowing of Eastwoods former roles as a cowboy I expected to see much of the same in this film. All thoughts of that vanished when the film ended. To say the least I was so hooked on it that I went to see it again the following night. Now after so many years it still remains my favorite of all time. I honestly think that no one could have played the role of Inspector Callahan better than Eastwood did. In fact all the actors did a superb job in this classic. On another note this movie proved to be great free advetising for Smith & Wesson as I ordered a 44 Model 29 from my dealer and had to wait over a year to get one. Still great after all this time.
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Summary: "I KNOW WHAT YER THINKIN."
Review: I WAS SIX YEARS OLD WHEN THIS MOVIE PREMIERED IN 1971 BUT IVE SEEN IT SO MANY TIMES I CAN MUTE THE SOUND AND SAY ALL THE DIALOGUE FROM MEMORY.
THANKS TO DON SIEGEL AND JOHN MILIUS THIS WAS AN INSTANT CLASSIC.
AS MUCH AS I LIKE CLINT EASTWOOD AND HIS FILMS, THIS ONE STANDS HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE THE REST.
MEET HARRY CALLAHAN, A LACONIC LONER WITH NOTHING TO GO HOME TOO EXCEPT HIS SMITH AND WESSON MODEL 29 .44 MAGNUM.
BODIES ARE TURNING UP ALL OVER SAN FRANCISCO AND CALLAHAN IS ASSIGNED THE JOB OF INVESTIGATING THE CRIMES. AS A POLICE DEPT. INSPECTOR, HE IS NOTORIOUS FOR 'GETTING IT DONE'
AND "TAKING EVERY DIRTY JOB THAT COMES ALONG." THUS THE MONIKER 'DIRTY HARRY'
CALLAHAN IS TEAMED WITH A NEW PARTNER WHO HE IS SLOW TO APPRECIATE. AND TOWARDS THE END THE ROOKIE DETECTIVE FINDS LIFE WITH HARRY JUST A LITTLE MORE THEN HE BARGAINED FOR.
OUR INTRODUCTION TO HARRY HAS HIM FOILING A BANK ROBBERY WHILE EATING A HOT DOG. HIS MUSHED CRY OF "HALT!' FALLS ON DEAF EARS SO HE PROCEEDS TO TAKE OUT THE TRASH THE ONLY WAY HE KNOWS HOW.
AFTER BLOWING AWAY THE BAD GUYS HE APPROACHES A WOUNDED BANDIT WHO IS CONTEMPLATING REACHING FOR HIS DROPPED SHOTGUN.
"I KNOW WHAT YER THINKIN." STARTS CALLAHAN WITH A CASUAL GRIN.
"DID HE FIRE SIX SHOTS OR ONLY FIVE? WELL TO TELL YA THE TRUTH IN ALL THIS EXCITEMENT IVE KINDA LOST TRACK MYSELF. BUT BEIN THIS IS THE .44 MAGNUM, THE MOST POWERFUL HANDGUN IN THE WORLD AND COULD BLOW YOUR HEAD CLEAN OFF. YOUVE GOT TO ASK YERSELF ONE QUESTION, DO I FEEL LUCKY? WELL DO YA PUNK?
THE ROBBER CONSIDERS IT BUT DECIDES NOT TO REACH. HARRY CONFISCATES THE SHOTGUN AND TURNS TO GO. THE BAD GUY ASKS PAINFULLY; "HEY MAN, I GOTS TO KNOW." CALLAHAN RESPONDS BY AIMING THE MAGNUM AT THE NEER DO WELL AND SNAPPING THE TRIGGER.
'CLICK.' EMPTY!
THE BANDIT BREATHS A SIGH OF RELIEF, AS HARRY WALKS AWAY CHUCKLING. HE IS NOT A SADIST JUST THE ENFORCER.
THE GUN IS AS MUCH A CHARACTER IN THIS FILM AS HARRY OR SCORPIO, THE PSYCHOTIC KILLER WHO HOLDS THE CITY FOR RANSOM WHILE HE GLEEFULLY MURDERS HIS FELLOW MAN. ANDREW ROBINSON WHO PORTRAYS SCORPIO HASNT HAD A ROLE SINCE TO MATCH THIS ONE.
DIRTY HARRY IS A HUNT, IN THE METROPOLIS OF THE GOLDEN GATE CITY.
IT ENDS WITH A REPRIMANDED CALLAHAN CORNERING THE KILLER NEAR A MINE OF SOME SORT. THE SHOWDOWN HAS AN INJURED SCORPIO REACHING FOR HIS STOLEN P-38. HARRY REPEATS HIS CLASSIC SPEECH FROM THE EARLIER ROBBERY SCENE, BUT WITH MUCH MORE INTENSITY.
THE KILLER LAUGHS HYSTERICLY AND LUNGES FOR THE PISTOL. KABOOOM!
HE IS SHOT THROUGH AND THROUGH AS HARRYS FISTED GUN BUCKS SKYWARD IN RECOIL. SCORPIOS CORPSE CASCADES INTO A LAKE AND THE HUNT IS OVER.
BUT HARRY HAS DEFIED HIS POLITICALLY CORRECT SUPERIORS AND KNOWS HIS COP DAYS ARE OVER. HE SKIPS HIS BADGE ACROSS THE POND AND WALKS AWAY AS THE CAST ROLLS.
OF COURSE HE RETURNS IN FOUR SEQUELS, BUT NONE HAVE THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF THIS PIECE. IN A WAY IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN LEFT THERE, BUT FANS WANTED MORE AND THE REST IS HISTORY.
THIS WAS THE FIRST AND BEST OF THE ROGUE COP FILMS. THEIR WERE MANY IMITATORS BUT NONE LIKE THE GENUINE ARTICLE."I KNOW WHAT YER THINKIN." GOTTA LOVE IT.
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Summary: What a difference thirty years can make!
Review: I mean in the viewer, not the film. When I first saw this film in theaters I was a cliche flower-power poseur who used the word "pig" to refer to a policeman, even though I'd never come up against one as a suspect. I knew Hitler's "Law and Order" speech by heart. After all, what was some uniformed dude who wouldn't let The People do everything and anything we felt like doing but a stormtrooper? Power to the People, Right On! But as a hippie, I was a fraud--my own law and order ethos from watching "Dragnet" as a kid was then and still is in place. I'm a steady viewer of Dick Wolf's crime dramas today. I guess that was why I went to see this film originally. I never cared for westerns, but Clint Eastwood doing a cop flick? Far out, man--where's it showing? I guess the difference is that I no longer hold the spoiled-brat attitude about the law I did three decades ago. If you want a clue as to who still hasn't outgrown it, listen for the term "fascist" and "vigilante" to describe films like this. I personally know people who talk like that, totally in denial of the fact that they aren't as safe from crime today as they were back then. And you don't have to live in a city as big as San Francisco anymore to be fair game for society's human predators. It scares me, you know? But the fact that I got off on this flick so many years ago gave me no clue as to how it would stand the test of time. The "44 Magnum" speech--made by Harry at two completely different junctures in the film--has taken its place in cinematic history, alongside quotes by Bogart, Cagney and The Duke. Impressionists do "what if Eastwood was..." scenarios, based on how he talked as Dirty Harry. When I first heard about him playing a photographer in "Bridges Of Madison County", I dusted off my own Dirty Harry imitation and had him saying "watch the birdie". Or "I know what you're thinking--did he take 15 exposures or only 12?" But one of my favorite parts of the story is how Harry's rookie partner asks him; "Why do they call you Dirty Harry?" A few scenes later the pair are called to the scene of an attempted suicide. The firemen run him up in a cherry picker to where the jumper is perched on a ledge. Harry's flippancy about what will happen when the guy hits the ground first grosses him out, then infuriates him--"why, you...!", and he goes for Harry's throat. Which gives Harry the opportunity to slap a hold on him and they are lowered to the pavement. He then comments drily to the younger officer; "Now you know why they call me Dirty Harry--every dirty job that comes along." Think about it. A whole new slant on how to deal with a potential suicide--divert his attention away from killing himself by making him want to kill you instead.
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Summary: Clint Eastwood Therapy . . .
Review: get and own a copy of this film... ... watch this film a few times. Assimilate its spirit. Then watch your self-confidence start to do its own slow burn, as you find out what "integrity" really means. ... your therapist won't know you ... ... then move on and watch the rest of the Dirty Harry series ..."several times," as Andy Robinson would say ... ... and as you continue to discover Clint Eastwood, watch your attitude and life take a turn for the better... ...nuff said. Feelin' lucky? you will...
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Summary: Eastwood's report from the real world
Review: A lot of nonsense has been written about this movie, and as someone with a little experience in law enforcement at the urban level, I'd like to add my evaluation - not only was Dirty Harry dead on when it was released, it still pretty much sums up the real world of police work in the big city. Eastwood's portrayal of Dirty Harry accurately reflects the disillusionment any cop who cares about other people feels after enough time spent trying to work within a system that pushes violent felons through a revolving door back onto the street while hamstringing cops and honest citizens with useless and even dangerous laws which seem only to protect the criminal. The main difference between reality and the film is that the character Dirty Harry is in a position to actually do the things many of us who were involved in police work have wanted to do - dispense with the niceties and deal with the bad guys. Having said this, I think I'll just stay anonymous, otherwise I'll never see the end of the hostile Email :-)
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Summary: I'm Just Wild About Harry.....
Review: This review refers to the Warner Bros Clint Eastwood Collection "Dirty Harry" DVD........ I'm going to gush about this film and about the DVD. Don't try to stop me, I must gush! Sorry..... In 1971 Clint Eastwood made a big move and switched genres from Westerns to make this unique cop story. And what a story! "Dirty Harry" soon became a household name along with all the famous lines that came from this first in the series. "Do you feel lucky? Well do ya Punk?" "This is a .44 magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world. It'll blow your head clean off."
I Love that stuff,(can't ya just hear Clint saying that), and the taunting look he gives the recievers off these lines. Inspector Harry Callahan(Okay Dirty Harry buffs, what's his badge number?), a loner, widowed due to a drunk driver,has no qualms about sidestepping the law to apprehend a criminal.He's frustrated and fed up with murderers and rapists getting away because of some pesky problem like reading Miranda Rights! He does it his way. Audiences cheered this at the time, and he became an icon for cop movies yet to come. Okay so in this first of the Dirty Harry series, Harry is after a demented sniper.Scorpio(Andrew Robinson), as he calls himself, shoots his victims from the roof tops in San Francisco, (Based on the real life Zodiac Killer that was loose at the time), and has kidnapped and buried alive a 14 year old girl.Harry must deliver his ransom demand to this psycho before he kills again or lets the girl die.Harry is forced to go by the book, but alas things go wrong in the legal department and Harry decides it time to play it his way. Find out how he was bestowed the nickname "Dirty Harry", as he goes after this maniac with a vengance. There's lots of great action, stunts, and just plain great Clint.If you're a first time Harry viewer, I guarentee it won't be your last. If you already know you love this series you'll be thrilled with this DVD.
More gushing.......
This a a top notch transfer of this 1971 film. It's in widescreen letting you view all the action(especially the great shot of Harry standing on the bridge), in it's originally intended form(Also a standard version on the other side if you prefer). The picture quality and colors look great. I hardly noticed any signs of the age of this film. Remastered in the Dolby Digital 5.1, the action was all around, it sounded great.
Although all the special features are in the form of production notes, there's lots of terrific tid bits of information to be gained from the view.Okay..like what movie is on the marquee in the background as he shoots the bank robbers? Badge#2211.......Play Misty For Me......Have Fun..Laurie
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Summary: Go ahead punk - read my review!!!
Review: This is probably the best of the Dirty Harry films and Eastwood gives a memorable performance as Harry... a somewhat unorthodox policeman. it's not bad but it's hardly original is it?
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Summary: Did he fire 6 shots or only 5?
Review: There is a case to be made that this show is a political statement. If all cops were like Harry we'd probably be a lot safer. The "punk" had rights, although he has infringed on others rights, he still has to be tried and prosecuted legally. Rights were made to protect the innocent and he's innocent until proven guilty. Of course, Harry knows he's guilty and the viewer knows he guilty and he's low life scum. So what is the answer? Give him 200,000 bucks and a plane ride to wherever he wants to go? Not the way Harry sees it. This guy has been a thorn in Harry's side throughout the whole movie and he's not going to get away with it. Notice the expression on the punks face while on the dock about to reach for his gun while Harry asks him if he feels lucky. He does.
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Summary: a brilliant action film
Review: "Dirty Harry" (1971), as an action film, is quite unique and definitely in the upper echelon of the genre. The reasons for its success, on a purely technical level, can be found in the direction, cinematography, and editing ( the latter maximizing the laser like focus of the plotline ). San Francisco, as many times as it has been used as a film site, is showcased spectacularly. Director Don Siegel's excellent work is a model of how to maximize the potential of location shooting. Lalo Schifrin's haunting musical score fits the film like a glove. With regard to acting, Clint Eastwood ( with typically effective subtlety ) gives just enough hints of Inspector Harry Callahan's interior life (a widower, wearily independent detective, sympathetic to the "common" man ) to allow the viewer to fill in the rest of the details. "Less is more", while a cliché, does accurately describe the minimalist style with which Eastwood brings substance to the character. The main storyline is extremely focused ( no distracting subplots ), the action sequences displaying a practically unrivalled tension ( e.g., the dizzying cross-town rush with Callahan as "bag man" carrying ransom for a kidnapped teenager ). Andrew Robinson, as the killer "Scorpio" ( obviously modeled on the uncaught "Zodiac" murderer c. 1970 ) animates one of the most evil characters in film history. We know nothing of his name or background; he functions anonymously, a destroying plague killing randomly and effectively hidden in the midst of urban society. In a chilling and critically important scene ( an effective emblem of ironic "displacement" ) "Scorpio" wears a belt buckle modeled as a "peace sign" while smilingly looking over a playground full of the same kinds of children he has recently murdered. Since it is so often brought up, it is proper to spend a few moments on certain "political" objections raised about the film. Many reviewers continue to parrot the notion that "Dirty Harry" is a "fascist" film ( this accusation was first implied by the late film critic Pauline Kael ). The film was stamped "Nixonian" in a jibe clearly designed to label it as siding with the "oppressors" ( "law and order" campaign themes ) against the ( typically unquestioned ) revolutionary purity of "the people". To this day various "anointed" critics tend to regurgitate this line as if it were actually true, revealing ( among other things ) an unfortunate tendency to reduce every element of human life to the realm of politics. To this reviewer, such attacks reflect an attitude stemming from an affliction once termed "radical chic", a condition common to a certain class of intellectuals. Valid criticism should be directly linked to the content of the movie ( citing specifics ), not relying on half-baked media generalizations. And as far as the term "fascist" goes, George Orwell long ago noted the essential meaningless to which this word had already been reduced through repeated misapplication ( in a fate that has since befallen many other words, "fascist" is now commonly used to batter into silence those who dissent from a given line of thought ). On the most basic level, Harry Callahan is concerned with the innocent victims of violent crime, who were ( and are ) often denied justice due to legal machinations ( "penumbras" ) applied by monomaniacal civil libertarians whose self-proclaimed concern for "rights" is often a canard betraying a fatefully flawed ( not bearing the light of reason ) allegiance to an unconstrained ideological "vision". To conclude: "Dirty Harry" is a brilliant action film. If excitement is all one needs, the film delivers in spectacular fashion. If one wishes to "probe" further, it also works as a ( humble ) meditation on our "fallen" world and ( necessarily ) imperfect human justice.
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