Dirty Harry

After what feels like ages, I found myself alongside Harry Callahan once more, chasing down Scorpia. It's been fifty-one years since Harry's first hunt (without me, obviously), and in this latest outing, his age shows, especially in the way the blood looked, almost like washed-out clay. But that didn't dampen my enjoyment one bit, because the core message of the film remains disturbingly relevant. Just like Harry, I'm baffled by the notion that any murderous scumbag deserves more humane treatment than their victim(s) (or their surviving loved ones, for that matter). While I don't advocate for a shoot-first-ask-questions-later approach for police (because let's face it, that's a recipe for disaster), there's still a thrill in watching a righteous lawman safeguard society and save taxpayers' dollars in the process. Major props to the casting in this one. Obviously, Clint Eastwood is top-notch as always, but let's talk about Andrew Robinson as the killer. That guy could smirk with such brazenness, he'd make a blunt object seem like a perfect argument in a deep, philosophical debate. / Lesson learned: If you're not good at maths, don't mess with Harry. (10/04/2022)

You're expecting an action movie and you get something completely different. Don Siegel directed this so well that you're not captivated by the epicness of individual scenes, but simply by how everything is arranged and how incredibly realistic it all is. Clint Eastwood is an incredible tough guy and it's great to watch him. This is the kind of cop you want to have on your team because he can handle even the worst situations. (11/08/2015)

Don Siegel deserves credit if only for the fact that Dirty Harry started a new style of action films that are still being made in large numbers today. The fact that the film itself has undeniable qualities and belongs to the top of the genre is just a small, insignificant plus. The great Clint Eastwood fits the lead role of a tough detective with a loaded gun as well as anyone, and his arrogant gaze and brilliant catchphrases have become iconic. The screenplay was very bold in introducing the world to a new type of policeman in the politically tense 1970s, one who disregarded the law and publicly disagreed with high politics, which earned the film a lot of flak from the critics at the time, but that doesn't change the fact that it's an engaging, entertaining and suspenseful crime drama. The detective methods are admittedly a bit ridiculous at times, and the bullets bounce off Eastwood even more they did off the Terminator, but that's part of the point. (09/03/2012)

Where would all the detectives ignoring their bosses be without Harry Callahan? And who would have inspired Bruce Willis for Die Hard if it weren't for the guy in the jacket who shoots villains with a .45 whilst cursing them? "I know what you're thinking. Did he fire six shots or only five? Well to tell you the truth in all this excitement I kinda lost track myself..." A classic of classics that never gets old and matures and turns golden with time. Eastwood is God, Siegel is God, Schifrin is God... (22/04/2009)

I just couldn't wait for Harry to kill that demented, braindead idiot, because I haven't seen such a stupid “killer" like this in a long time. I hope the real Zodiac Killer that inspired Dirty Harry had at least a little intelligence. Clint Eastwood carries the whole film; great wisecracks alternate with action sequences that were outstanding for that era. The music is surprisingly good and perfectly complements the atmosphere of the movie. A classic. (12/06/2006)