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The Enforcer

The Enforcer

List Price: $14.98
Your Price: $13.48
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The dirtiest Harry of them all.
Review: The Enforcer from 1976,(the bicentennial year),is a good sequel to the now classic original. A better companion piece to Dirty Harry than the schzoid Magnum Force. The screenplay by Dean Reisner who cowrote the original and the late Stirling Silliphant(Academy award winner for the crime drama In The Heat Of The Night from 1967,the disaster flicks The Poseidon Adventure from 1972,The Towering Inferno from 1974), has a plot similar to the original.Only this time instead of one murdering,kidnapping extortionist,Harry has to deal with seven of them. I first saw The Enforcer in the theater back in early 1977(in the same place I saw both Dirty Harry and Magnum Force,Arlington,Virginia),and the movie still holds up after more than 20 years. The Enforcer seems have become one of the more popular of the series.It was on both the ABC & NBC television networks and was shown more than a half dozen times, a sign of a ratings winner.Tyne Daly,(several years before she became Detective Lacey of TV's Cagney & Lacey), almost steals the picture as the role of Harry's rookie partner.Back then in the mid 1970's she was one of the first women detectives. The cinematography is decent and makes good use of the San Francisco locations.I missed composer Lalo Schifrin's moody music.He was unavailable at the time.Also,even though there were seven villians this time,led by a wacko Vietnam vet, I didn't build up nearly as much hatred for them as for that creep Scorpio in the original.The late Gene Siskel called Scorpio one of the most contemptable louses in movie history.I couldn't agree more. That was Andy Robinson's,who played Scorpio,movie debut.Making it all the more impressive.I have The Enforcer on VHS and I hope it comes out on DVD.A bit of trivia,John Mitchum who plays Detective Frank DiGeorgio is the late actor Robert Mitchum's brother.He's a year younger.The theater trailer and the TV ads and the newspaper ads claimed The Enforcer to be the dirtiest Harry of them all.Judge for yourself.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: "Power to the People"
Review: THE ENFORCER is the third entry to the Dirty Harry series. While a good perforance by Eastwood overall, the movie does not quite match up to the Don Siegel-directed original or MAGNUM FORCE, (which I consider his movie). While THE ENFORCER is not the weakest Dirty Harry movie, it does have the weakest plot. Here Dirty Harry has to save the city of San Fancisco from a group of rebllious punks who are obsessed with heavy artiliary. They are led by Bobby Maxwell, a deranged Vietnam Vet who want to terrorize the public in exchange for ransom. After slaughtering 2 gas company employees, they break into an artility warehouse to steal the goods. Harry's partner, DeGeorgio arrives on the scene and is killed in the process. While trying to try down DeGeorgio's killer, he is assigned a new parter in the form of Kate Moore, (Tyne Daly), a yacking half-pint who wants to impress him in every way possible. Harry doesn't quite agree with the plan, especially when she is on the force just to coincide with the mayor's plans to be "stylish." But Moore turns out to be more valuable then he ever imagined, helping lead him to Maxwell, and saving his life twice along the way.

Of all the Dirty Harry films, this one has the most humor. The comments that Callahan makes at the review of Moore are hilarious. We also have him driving a car through a liquor store, (continuing with the traditon of breaking up a robbery). Another funny sequence is when he chases Henry Lee Coldwell halfway across the city and back! He follows him over fences, across rooftops, and through skylights, disturbing a porn shooting in the process! Jerry Fielding took over the musical score here, and as a result, the traditional Dirty Harry theme is nowhere to be found. This is rather disappointing and takes away from the movie's serious potential. Fielding's jazzy them is effective during the chase sequence however. These film does suffer from long sequences that really aren't neccessary. The one that will really make you laugh is when Callahan enters a brothel posing as "Larry Dickman!" Dirty Harry regular, Albert Popwell, shows up here as a leader of a black militant group.

The Revolutionary Strike Force eventually switches gears by kidnapping the mayor for even more ransom. Harry is eventually is led to Alcatraz Island, where the mayor is being held captive. The climax on Alcatraz is exciting, but I wish it didn't unfold so fast. While THE ENFORCER is not up to par with the first two movies in the series, it is still a solid chapter in the book of Dirty Harry. "Power to the People."

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Forget about following The Enforcer
Review: The Enforcer is the third, and easily the most forgettable, cinematic outing for Dirty Harry Callahan. As usual, Harry's hands are full and tied at the same time. He must break in his rookie female partner(Tyne Daly) while trying to break the red tape that's keeping him from breaking the heads of terrorists who kidnap the Mayor of San Francisco. It isn't as tough as it sounds though. The terrorists are played one dimensionally by actors who project less terror than the target bullseyes Callahan practices on. Tyne Daly's reduced to towing the feminist line against Callahan's perceived chauvenism. As for Clint Eastwood, he's the proverbial sleeping dog--roused only by those stupid enough not to let him and his .44 caliber bark lay. And the cinematography has that bad 70's grainy quality, making it look as if the photographers were dozing too. All in all, The Enforcer seems like a groggy dream. Or maybe a consussion is more apt because there's a couple of big bangs from Harry's .44 to start things off. Then, you're jolted out of the gray by climactic .44 caliber bangs. Between bangs though, the whole shooting match is a haze(or fog, since it's in San Francisco)not worth remembering.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: The Enforcer - 1976
Review: The third and extremely predictable Dirty Harry film. Eastwood's image and character as the tough San Fransisco cop is unconvincing this time around. All that's happening in this low-key movie is that Harry is out trying to get a small force of criminals with a powerful rocket blaster. He's partnered with Tyne Daly, who's not too bad. Yes, he's still got the .44 Magnum that Dirty Harry's remembered for.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Second best Dirty Harry movie
Review: This is the second best of the five Dirty Harry movies. I dont know what those other people are talking about but this movie is awesome. In this movie Dirty Harry goes up against bad cops and the San Francisco Mafia. Much better then the last three movies.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Welcome, Tonto
Review: This is the third 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-negotiaable values and unorthodox methods had remained essentially the same. What I find especially interesting in this film is the relationship which develops between Callahan and his partner Kate Moore, skillfully portrayed by Tyne Daly. Until now, Callahan has indeed been a "lone ranger," alienated (by choice or circumstance) from his superiors and fellow officers as well as from the criminals whom he pursues with deadly efficiency. Over time, Moore eventually earns Callahan's respect and trust (albeit grudgingly) as they attempt to rescue San Francisco's kidnapped mayor (John Crawford) amidst all manner of mayhem unrelated to that assignment. Credit James Fargo with keeping the narrative flowing smoothly. The supporting cast is solid, notably Bradford Dillman (Captain McKay) and Harry Guardino (Lieutenant Bressler). There is plenty of action, of course, skillfully presented. Despite its lack of much subtlety or nuance, I recommend it to those with a taste for this sort of urban adventure film. Those who enjoy it should also check out Coogan's Bluff and Bullitt (both 1968) as well as The Gauntlet (1977).

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The worst Dirty Harry
Review: This movie is probably the worst of all the Dirty Harry movies but you gotta admit it is an orginal set-up. First you have Harry Callahan who doesn't seen to work well with others and every partner he has seems to die quick. Give him a partner and that's bad. Make her a woman and then all hell breaks loose. See Harry as he tries to cope with a woman partner and try to stop a bunch of crazy people from threatening peace in San Francisco. This is probably also the most boring Dirty Harry movie also because it seems to take its sweet time getting to where its supposed to be going. Best part: The climax in Alcatraz.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: KINDOF BORING
Review: This movie really isn't that much fun to watch....I think Dirty Harry and Magnum Force are much better. There are some good scenes in it, but the acting and storyline just isn't as good as other Dirty Harry movies.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: What Do You Want Me To Do, Yell Trick Or Treat At Them?
Review: This one and Sudden Impact has the best Dirty Harry one-liners in them. Dirty Harry takes the law in his own hands, doesn't care what anyone in his department thinks. He knows what it takes to fight crime, and the rest of the department doesn't. A Dirty Harry Classic!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: "Dirty Harry" cleans up San Francisco
Review: This second sequel (out of four) to "Dirty Harry" is a good companion piece to the original, with Harry adjusting to a female partner (a competent Tyne Daly) while dealing with terrorist thugs threatening to bomb San Francisco. Harry is more hard edged than in "Magnum Force" and there are some wonderful scenes here, like when he foils a liquor store robbery by driving his car through the store window (after the punks demanded a getaway car) or when he questions a suspect while smashing a toilet plunger in his face. Tough cop Frank "Fatso" DiGeorgio (John Mitchum) has his last stand here. Lalo Schifrin's score is sorely missed, although he returned for the next two sequels. The terrorist group here is pretty forgettable, as they don't make much of an impression as screen villians. Exciting climax shot on Alcatraz. Enjoyable action fare, especially for fans who found Harry too mellow in "Magnum Force".


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