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Dirty Harry (Widescreen Edition) |
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Dirty Harry (Widescreen Edition)
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by Warner Home Video
Sales Rank: 71598
Price: $9.98
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Whether or not you can sympathize with its fascistic/vigilante approach to law enforcement, <i>Dirty Harry</i> (directed by star Clint Eastwood's longtime friend and directorial mentor, Don Siegel) is one hell of a cop thriller. The movie makes evocative use of its San Francisco locations as cop Harry Callahan (Eastwood) tracks the elusive "Scorpio killer" who has been terrorizing the city by the Bay. As the psychopath's trail grows hotter, Harry becomes increasingly impatient and intolerant of the frustrating obstacles (departmental red tape, individuals' civil rights) that he feels are keeping him from doing his job. A characteristically taut and tense piece of filmmaking from Siegel (<i>Invasion of the Body Snatchers</i>, <i>The Shootist</i>, <i>Escape from Alcatraz</i>), it also remains a fascinating slice of American pop culture. It was a big hit (followed by four sequels) that obviously reflected--or exploited--the almost obsessive or paranoid fears and frustrations many Americans felt about crime in the streets. At a time when "law and order" was a familiar slogan for political candidates, Harry Callahan may have represented neither, but from his point of view his job was simple: stop criminals. To him that end justified any means he deemed necessary. <i>--Jim Emerson</i>
Viewer Reviews
I recently bought this DVD along with "Bullit" because I wanted to see if my recollections of these two very popular films were accurate. In the case of "Bullit", yes. This movie is actually better than I recall back when I was 17 in 1969. McQueen should have won an Oscar for that performance. "Dirty Harry" is inferior in every way: script, direction, sound, and acting. I had trouble staying with "Dirty Harry" what with all the 70s clichés that kept popping up to spoil it. But "Bullit" was fascinating from start to finish. Like James Dean, you have a hard time keeping your eyes off Steve McQueen, whether he is speaking or reacting. "Dirty Harry" is a very mediocre film that looks more like something made for TV, and it has not aged well. "Bullit" is the real deal and deserves the moniker of "iconic". Like a superb wine, it just keeps getting better.
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Dirty Harry (Widescreen Edition)
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