Dirty Harryis an Americanaction thriller filmseries featuringSan Francisco Police DepartmentHomicide Division Inspector"Dirty" Harry Callahan.There are five films:Dirty Harry(1971),Magnum Force(1973),The Enforcer(1976),Sudden Impact(1983) andThe Dead Pool(1988).Clint Eastwoodportrayed Callahan in all five films and directedSudden Impact.
| Dirty Harry | |
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| Created by | |
| Original work | Dirty Harry(1971) |
| Owner | Warner Bros. |
| Years | 1971–1988 |
| Print publications | |
| Novel(s) | List of novels |
| Films and television | |
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| Miscellaneous | |
| Pinball | Dirty Harry |
| Dirty Harry | |
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| Directed by |
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| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | Clint Eastwood |
| Cinematography |
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| Music by |
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Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date | 1971–1988 |
Running time | 530 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $66 million (four films, except2) |
| Box office | $309.9 million (worldwide) |
Callahan is notorious for his unorthodox, violent and ruthless methods against the criminals and killers he is assigned to apprehend. At the same time, he is assigned a partner who is usually either killed or seriously injured during the film. Clint Eastwoodwas the only actor to have appeared in all five films.
Films
editDirty Harry(1971)
editDirty Harry(1971) was directed byDon Siegeland starredClint Eastwoodas Harry Callahan. Harry tracksserial killerScorpio (loosely based on theZodiac killer). Eastwood's iconic portrayal of the blunt-speaking, unorthodox detective set the style for a number of his subsequent roles, and its box-office success led to the production of foursequels.The "alienated cop" motif was subsequently imitated by a number of other films. Early on in the movie, Callahan corners a bank robber and says, "You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?'. Well, do ya, punk?". The line became famous, although often misquoted as "Do you feel lucky, punk?"; the second movie,Magnum Force,opens with Harry asking, "Do you feel lucky?"
It was thefourth-highest-grossing film of 1971afterFiddler on the Roof,The French ConnectionandDiamonds Are Forever.
Magnum Force(1973)
editMagnum Force(1973) was directed byTed Post.The main theme of this film isvigilante justice,and the plot revolves around a group of renegade traffic cops who are executing criminals who have avoided conviction in court. Despite Harry's penchant for strong-arm methods, he does not tolerate coldblooded murder of the accused and resolves to stop the killers. In this film, Harry's catch-phrase is "A man's got to know his limitations".
The Enforcer(1976)
editThe Enforcer(1976) was directed byJames Fargo.In this film, Harry is teamed with a female partner with no field experience (in 1976, American women had only recently been allowed to fill patrol and investigative assignments in most police bureaus), Inspector Kate Moore (Tyne Daly), as they take on aterroristring calling themselves the People's Revolutionary Strike Force. Harry opposes introducing inexperienced officers to the dangers of police work, whether male or female, and sees the homicide division as too dangerous for his new partner, who worked until recently in the personnel department. Though Moore starts out overenthusiastic, she soon proves herself valuable to Harry and matures quickly, earning his respect in the process.
Sudden Impact(1983)
editSudden Impact(1983) was directed by Clint Eastwood. Aging, but still bitter, Callahan is sent to a small town to follow up a lead in a murder case, which leads him directly to a rape victim who is out to avenge herself and hercatatonicsister by killing the people who sexually assaulted them. The film is notable for Callahan's catchphrase, "Go ahead, make my day".
The Dead Pool(1988)
editThe Dead Pool(1988) was directed byBuddy Van Horn.Harry finds that he is among the subjects of adead pool,a game betting on deaths of celebrities. Someone tries to rig the game by killing the celebrities on one player's list. Harry's catch phrase in this movie was "You're shit out of luck".
After this film, Eastwood retired from playing theDirty Harrycharacter, as he felt his age (58 in 1988) would make Harry a parody.
Cast
edit| Character | Films | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dirty Harry | Magnum Force | The Enforcer | Sudden Impact | The Dead Pool | |
| 1971 | 1973 | 1976 | 1983 | 1988 | |
| Inspector Harold "Dirty Harry" Callahan | Clint Eastwood | ||||
| Inspector Frank DiGiorgio | John Mitchum | ||||
| Chief of Police Paul Dacanelli | John Larch | ||||
| The Mayor | John Vernon | John Crawford | |||
| Lt. Al Bressler | Harry Guardino | Harry Guardino | |||
| Scorpio | Andy Robinson | ||||
| Inspector Chico Gonzalez | Reni Santoni | ||||
| Bank Robber | Albert Popwell | ||||
| Lt. Neil Briggs | Hal Holbrook | ||||
| Officer Charlie McCoy | Mitchell Ryan | ||||
| Officer John Davis | David Soul | ||||
| Officer Alan "Red" Astrachan | Kip Niven | ||||
| Officer Mike Grimes | Robert Urich | ||||
| Officer Phil Sweet | Tim Matheson | ||||
| Inspector Earlington "Early" Smith | Felton Perry | ||||
| J.J. Wilson | Albert Popwell | ||||
| Inspector Kate Moore | Tyne Daly | ||||
| Capt. Jerome McKay | Bradford Dillman | ||||
| Bobby Maxwell | DeVeren Bookwalter | ||||
| Lalo | Michael Cavanaugh | ||||
| Karl | Dick Durock | ||||
| Abdul | Kenneth Boyd | ||||
| Miki | Jocelyn Jones | ||||
| Father John | M. G. Kelly | ||||
| Big Ed Mustapha | Albert Popwell | ||||
| Jennifer Spencer | Sondra Locke | ||||
| Mick | Paul Drake | ||||
| Ray Perkins | Audrie J. Neenan | ||||
| Chief Lester Jannings | Pat Hingle | ||||
| Horace King | Albert Popwell | ||||
| Capt. Briggs | Bradford Dillman | ||||
| Lt. Donnelly | Michael Currie | ||||
| Samantha Walker | Patricia Clarkson | ||||
| Peter Swan | Liam Neeson | ||||
| Al Quan | Evan C. Kim | ||||
| Harlan Rook | David Hunt | ||||
| Johnny Squares | Jim Carrey | ||||
Reception
edit
| Year | Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | Box office[1] | Inflation adjusted(as of 2019)[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Dirty Harry | 90% (54 reviews)[2] | 87 (10 reviews)[3] | $35,976,000 | $196,886,800 |
| 1973 | Magnum Force | 70% (27 reviews)[4] | 58 (7 reviews)[5] | $39,768,000 | $202,884,200 |
| 1976 | The Enforcer | 69% (35 reviews)[6] | 58 (7 reviews)[7] | $46,236,000 | $196,014,600 |
| 1983 | Sudden Impact | 57% (37 reviews)[8] | 52 (13 reviews)[9] | $67,642,693 | $187,900,400 |
| 1988 | The Dead Pool | 55% (33 reviews)[10] | 46 (15 reviews)[11] | $37,903,295 | $83,276,600 |
Influence on other productions
editSin City: That Yellow Bastard
editFrank Miller,creator of theSin Citygraphic novels,revealed in an interview that he created theSin Citystory-arcThat Yellow Bastardout of his dislike ofThe Dead Pool.Miller said: "When I went to see the lastDirty Harrymovie,The Dead Pool,I was disgusted. I went out and said, this is not aDirty Harrymovie, this is nothing, this is a pale sequel. "and I also said," that's not the lastDirty Harrystory, I will show you the lastDirty Harrystory. "[12]A character in theThat Yellow Bastardstory isNancy Callahan,named after Harry Callahan.
Bruce Willisplayed Hartigan, the "Dirty Harry of the story", in theSin City(2005) film.
The Protector
editThis 1985 film featuringJackie Chanwas Chan's second American feature film. The movie was noted for being similar to theDirty Harryseries, with inspiration taken from there by directorJames Glickenhaus.
The Rookie
editDirected by and co-starring Clint Eastwood; the film features an aging, tough cop who partners with a rookie cop, played byCharlie Sheen.Upon the film's release critics and audiences noted the similarities between Eastwood's two characters.[13]
Gran Torino
editEastwood returned to acting after a four-year self-imposed hiatus[14]in this 2008 film, which he also directed, produced, and partly scored with his son Kyle andJamie Cullum.Eastwood playsWalt Kowalski,a recently widowedKorean Warveteran alienated from his family and angry at the world. Walt's young neighbor,Thao Vang Lor,is pressured into stealing Walt's prized 1972 FordGran Torinoby his cousin for his initiation into a gang. Walt thwarts the theft and subsequently develops a relationship with the boy and his family.
Biographer Marc Eliot called Eastwood's role "an amalgam of theMan with No Name,Dirty Harry, andWilliam Munny,here, aged and cynical, but willing and able to fight on whenever the need arose ".[15]Manohla Dargiscompared Eastwood's presence on film toDirty Harryand the Man with No Name, stating: "Dirty Harry is back, in a way, inGran Torino,not as a character but as a ghostly presence. He hovers in the film, in its themes and high-caliber imagery, and of course, most obviously in Mr. Eastwood's face. It is a monumental face now, so puckered and pleated that it no longer looks merely weathered, as it has for decades, but seems closer to petrified wood. "[16]
Tania Modleski,author ofClint Eastwood and Male Weepies,said, "[f]or many reviewers,Gran Torinorepresents the final step in Eastwood's repudiation of the Dirty Harry persona. IfUnforgivenends up being equivocal in its attitude toward violence and vigilantism,Gran Torinoappears to accept the impotence of the lone, avenging hero "and that the impotence" is perhaps underlined by Walt's repeated gesture of pointing his finger at villains as if it were a gun. "[17]Amy Biancolli of theHouston Chroniclesaid that though Walt, an "old fart", does not have the same name as Dirty Harry, "there's no mistaking the rasp in his voice or the uncompromising crankiness of hisWeltanschauung."[18]Tom Charity ofCNNsaid of Walt: "Like other Eastwood heroes before him, Walt sacrifices his independence by accepting that others depend on him."[19]John Serba ofThe Grand Rapids Presssaid that Walt, who is "bitter, hopelessly cranky," "shares a sense of moral certainty" with Callahan, but that Walt "is infused with the wisdom and weariness" that Callahan does not have.[20]
Home media
editWarner Home Video owns rights to theDirty Harryseries. The five films have been remastered for DVD three times — in 1998, 2001 and 2008. They have been packaged in several DVD box sets. TheDirty Harryfilms made their high-definition debuts with the 2008 Blu-ray discs. Warner's marketing plan called for onlyThe Dead Poolto be available as a separate Blu-ray, requiring fans who want the other four movies in high definition to buy the box set.[21]In 2010, all five movies were released as a Blu-ray box set, "Clint Eastwood Dirty Harry Collection".
Other media
editNovels
editIn the early 1980s,Warner Bookspublished twelve books, authored under the pseudonymDane Hartman,that further the adventures of Dirty Harry. The novels were later translated intoFrenchin the 1990s, as theCollection Supercops.[22]
Video games
editIn 1995,Williams Electronic Games(WMS) created aDirty Harrypinball machine,inspired by the 1971 film. 4,248 units were manufactured. Notable features include a gun handle shooter, a moving cannon used to shoot playfield targets and custom audio callouts recorded by Clint Eastwood. Game modes, sounds and dot matrix animations reflect events in the film, such as a car chase, barroom brawl, defusing bombs and "Feel Lucky" mode.[23]
Dirty Harryis a 1990 video game based onDirty Harryfilm series. It incorporates several references to the film series.
Dirty Harry,originally scheduled for a 2007 release, is a canceled video game byThe Collectivebased on the 1971 film of the same name.
References
edit- ^ab"Franchise: Dirty Harry".boxofficemojo.com.
- ^"Dirty Harry".rottentomatoes.com.December 24, 1971.
- ^"Dirty Harry".metacritic.com.December 24, 1971.
- ^"Magnum Force".rottentomatoes.com.January 1, 1973.
- ^"Magnum Force".metacritic.com.January 1, 1973.
- ^"The Enforcer".rottentomatoes.com.January 1, 1976.
- ^"The Enforcer".metacritic.com.January 1, 1976.
- ^"Sudden Impact".rottentomatoes.com.January 1, 1983.
- ^"Sudden Impact".metacritic.com.January 1, 1983.
- ^"The Dead Pool".rottentomatoes.com.July 13, 1988.
- ^"The Dead Pool".metacritic.com.July 13, 1988.
- ^Robert, Daniel (August 3, 2005)."Interviews > Frank Miller Creator Of Sin City".Suicidegirls.com. Archived fromthe originalon July 23, 2008.RetrievedApril 24,2012.
- ^"Variety Reviews - The Rookie - Film Reviews - - Review by Variety Staff".Variety.com. December 31, 1989.RetrievedApril 24,2012.
- ^Turan, Kenneth (December 12, 2008)."Review: 'Gran Torino'".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on November 26, 2011.
- ^Eliot, Marc (2009).American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood.New York:Harmony Books.p.329.ISBN978-0-307-33688-0.
- ^Dargis, Manohla(December 12, 2008)."Hope for a Racist, and Maybe a Country".The New York Times.RetrievedJanuary 10,2010.
- ^Modleski, Tania. "Clint Eastwood and Male Weepies."American Literary History.2010. Volume 22, Issue 1. p. 136-158. DOI 10.1093/alh/ajp051. First published online on November 20, 2009.
- ^Biancolli, Amy. "Gran Torino."Houston Chronicle.Thursday January 8, 2009. Retrieved on March 16, 2012.
- ^Charity, Tom. "Review: 'Gran Torino' offers great Eastwood."CNN.January 9, 2009.2.Retrieved on March 16, 2012.
- ^Serba, John. "Scowls, subtlety make 'Gran Torino' classic Clint Eastwood."The Grand Rapids Press.Friday January 9, 2009. Retrieved on March 16, 2012.
- ^"New Dirty Harry DVDs: We're in luck - DVD Spin Doctor".Dvdspindoctor.typepad.com. March 10, 2008.RetrievedApril 24,2012.
- ^Used book ad for the French version ofThe Long Death.ArchivedOctober 28, 2011, at theWayback Machine
- ^"The Internet Pinball Machine Database".
External links
edit- Dirty Harryfilming locations
- The BestDirty HarryMoviesfrom American Movie Classics