When someone is in a dilemma like Harry Callahan on the trail of a psychotic freak who's kidnapped a young girl and holding her for ransom, even the most liberal of judges would recognize the exigent circumstances of his situation. It's a phrase we hear on Law and Order all the time. They too, come up with some exotic interpretations of the law for their shows.
That's where the story line of Dirty Harry falls apart. But in terms of entertainment Dirty Harry is spot on. Clint Eastwood created his most iconic character in this film directed by Don Siegel.
Eastwood is Inspector Harry Callahan, a cop from the old school who hadn't heard of Miranda and Escobedo and other such court decisions that give the perpetrators a few weapons of their own in the legal system.
He's assigned to the Scorpio case. Scorpio is a psychotic and random killer who's been striking down innocent victims at random with a high powered rifle with telescopic sight. When he graduates to kidnapping and burying a victim alive and giving the city of San Francisco a set time to cough up a ransom, he's reaching a new low.
A lot of people, mostly of the liberal persuasion, have a hard time grasping the concept of pure evil for its own sake. In Andy Robinson who's made a career as a successor to Lyle Bettger playing a lovely variety of psychos, as Scorpio he's come up with a career role. This is one unredeemable dude, he's the reason you have capital punishment.
Playing the liberal types who frustrate Eastwood are John Vernon as the Mayor of San Francisco, District Attorney Josef Sommer, and Judge William Patterson. Caught in the middle are police chief John Larch and Eastwood's immediate supervisor Harry Guardino who spends the entire film being terribly harassed and getting it from both ends.
Of course Eastwood has his own methods of dealing with hoodlums as well who wish to play his own chicken game and want to test their memories as to just how many shots were fired from the most powerful handgun in the world. The 357 magnum isn't standard police issue, but it's Clint's equalizer. Some punks feel luckier than others.
Dirty Harry is not Clint Eastwood's best film, but it's certainly his most enduring character.
That's where the story line of Dirty Harry falls apart. But in terms of entertainment Dirty Harry is spot on. Clint Eastwood created his most iconic character in this film directed by Don Siegel.
Eastwood is Inspector Harry Callahan, a cop from the old school who hadn't heard of Miranda and Escobedo and other such court decisions that give the perpetrators a few weapons of their own in the legal system.
He's assigned to the Scorpio case. Scorpio is a psychotic and random killer who's been striking down innocent victims at random with a high powered rifle with telescopic sight. When he graduates to kidnapping and burying a victim alive and giving the city of San Francisco a set time to cough up a ransom, he's reaching a new low.
A lot of people, mostly of the liberal persuasion, have a hard time grasping the concept of pure evil for its own sake. In Andy Robinson who's made a career as a successor to Lyle Bettger playing a lovely variety of psychos, as Scorpio he's come up with a career role. This is one unredeemable dude, he's the reason you have capital punishment.
Playing the liberal types who frustrate Eastwood are John Vernon as the Mayor of San Francisco, District Attorney Josef Sommer, and Judge William Patterson. Caught in the middle are police chief John Larch and Eastwood's immediate supervisor Harry Guardino who spends the entire film being terribly harassed and getting it from both ends.
Of course Eastwood has his own methods of dealing with hoodlums as well who wish to play his own chicken game and want to test their memories as to just how many shots were fired from the most powerful handgun in the world. The 357 magnum isn't standard police issue, but it's Clint's equalizer. Some punks feel luckier than others.
Dirty Harry is not Clint Eastwood's best film, but it's certainly his most enduring character.