Detective Harry Callahan. He doesn't break murder cases. He smashes them.
When a madman dubbed 'Scorpio' terrorizes San Francisco, hard-nosed cop, Harry Callahan – famous for his take-no-prisoners approach to law enforcement – is tasked with hunting down the psychopath.
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Character
Earnest, classical in form, grave and effortless.
- earnestironic
- classical in formformally daring
- gravecomic
- effortlessdemanding
- cooloverwhelming
Who loves it, who doesn't
20 profiled raters. Loved most by The Cartographers; disliked most by The Genre Devotees.
Where do you stand?
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“Does it glamorize what it means to condemn?”
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“Is this Don Siegel's best work?”
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“Is Dirty Harry a masterpiece, not merely a very good film?”
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A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Curator Co.'s numbers.
- John Chardon TMDB · Sep 20159/10
More than iconography here in dynamite Siegel/Eastwood teaming. The film opens with a shot of a memorial wall in praise of the San Francisco Police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty, a SFPD badge is prominent as the camera scrolls down the ream of names on the wall. Cut to a rooftop sniper shooting a girl taking a swim in a swimming pool, cut to the coolest looking cop you have ever seen making his way to the rooftop scene, he stands and surveys the whole of the San Francisco bay area, this is, his area, and we know we are in for a very special film indeed. Dirty Harry is now something of an institution, the film that pushed the boundaries of cops versus bad guys movies, some of the film's dialogue became part of modern day speak, and it's the film that propelled Clint Eastwood into the stratosphere of super stardom. Often tagged as a fascist film, I think it's more a cynical look at the rights of criminals because Harry is everyone who has ever been a victim of crime, he will do what it takes to take down the criminals festering in society, you break the law and Harry will get you any way he can. Here Harry is on the trail of Scorpio, a ruthless sniper killing at r
Read the whole review on TMDB - Andres Gomezon TMDB · Mar 20166/10
The directing is remarkable but, the most interesting side of this film is the character created by Eastwood, a policeman who decides to take the law by his hand disregarding any kind of right or procedure. Quite like his characters in the far west ... but in nowadays U.S. The story itself is, plainly, bad and grotesque.
Read the whole review on TMDB - talisencrwon TMDB · Aug 201610/10
Recently I've considered drastically negatively re-appraising Clint Eastwood's work, both directorially and as a thespian, as a knee-jerk reaction to his constant defense of the more racially-bigoted face of conservative America, but because of what his work has meant to me as a cinephile over the years, plus in tribute to everyone else's work involved in this film, particularly director Don Siegel's, that simply wouldn't be fair. As well, you're basically getting, boiled down in its 103-minute timespan, 45 years after the fact, the main dilemma facing the USA. Whose rights are more important--the good guys' or the bad guys'? If they're equal, should they be considered equal, and what does that mean to the law enforcement and judicial systems? Quite simply, THE most important American-made film of the past 50 years. NOT my very favourite (that's '2001: A Space Odyssey'), but the most significant. And it hasn't aged a single day because of it.
Read the whole review on TMDB - r96skon TMDB · Jan 20228/10
Surprisingly straightforward story-wise, but very enjoyable all the same. <em>'Dirty Harry'</em> is no doubt stylish, features an eye-catching plot and has a very good lead performance from Clint Eastwood; he really does own the role. With that noted, I was surprised at how simply the story unfolds. That's not necessarily a criticism, I just presumed it would've been more than just 'event one, event two, event three etc. ... the end'. I enjoyed it, which is all that truly matters. It's, for me, an entertaining, solid film. I have no real issues with it.
Read the whole review on TMDB - KayP97on TMDB · Oct 2022
I can't imagine anyone else playing Harry Callahan other than Clint Eastwood. He will always be an iconic character with his tough demeanour and his means to get justice no matter how many rules he needs to break. Some of the scenes at the start have nothing to do with the investigation and while feel quite unnecessary to the plot, they still bring entertainment and shows us just what type of character Harry is. Andy Robinson is fantastic as Scorpio and while the investigation does take a little while to get going in the beginning, the cat and mouse game between the two really ramps up towards the end and I particularly loved the climax. Excellent film that still holds up well today. 8/10
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Cast
- Clint EastwoodHarry
- Harry GuardinoBressler
- Reni SantoniChico
- John VernonThe Mayor
- Andrew RobinsonKiller
- John LarchChief
- John MitchumDe Georgio
- Mae MercerMrs. Russell
- Lyn EdgingtonNorma
- Ruth KobartBus Driver
Crew
- Don SiegelDirector
- Harry Julian FinkScreenplay
- Rita M. FinkScreenplay
- Dean RiesnerScreenplay
- Bruce SurteesDirector of Photography
- Lalo SchifrinOriginal Music Composer
- Carl PingitoreEditor
- Don SiegelProducer
Where to watch
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Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Curator Co. Other media included when they land close.
The Ghost and the Darkness 199683% alikeBoth earnest, classical in form, grave.
The Poseidon Adventure 197282% alikeBoth earnest, classical in form, grave.
State of Grace 199081% alikeBoth earnest, classical in form, grave.
The Public Enemy 193180% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, grave.
One False Move 199280% alikeBoth earnest, classical in form, grave.
The Getaway 197280% alikeBoth earnest, classical in form, grave.
52 Pick-Up 198680% alikeBoth earnest, classical in form, grave.
The French Connection 197180% alikeBoth earnest, classical in form, grave.
The Fugitive 196377% alikeSeries · Both earnest, grave, classical in form.
Godless 201774% alikeSeries · Both earnest, classical in form, grave.
Often watched with
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Curator Co.
