Post by: addicted2dvd on September 11, 2009, 01:52:57 AM
Dirty Harry Marathon
(http://www.invelos.com/mpimages/08/085391148357f.jpg)
For this marathon I thought it would be fun to watch all the Dirty Harry movies. All are welcome to join in... or if you don't have time now... just add to the thread once you get the chance!
(http://www.invelos.com/mpimages/08/085391148357f.jpg)
For this marathon I thought it would be fun to watch all the Dirty Harry movies. All are welcome to join in... or if you don't have time now... just add to the thread once you get the chance!
For this marathon I will be watching all the Movies in the Dirty Harry Ultimate Collector's Edition which includes...
- Dirty Harry: Two-Disc Special Edition
- Magnum Force: Deluxe Edition
- The Enforcer: Deluxe Edition
- Sudden Impact: Deluxe Edition
- The Dead Pool: Deluxe Edition
As well as the Documentary Clint Eastwood: Out Of The Shadows.
Post by: addicted2dvd on September 11, 2009, 08:42:09 PM
Dirty Harry
In a signature role, Clint Eastwood plays a streetwise San Francisco police detective who gets the job done. A rooftop sniper (Andy Robinson) named Scorpio has killed twice. Harry Callahan will nail the perp...one way or the other...no matter what "the system" prescribes. Filming on location, director Don Siegel made the City by the Bay a vital part of one of the best police thrillers ever made.
My Thoughts:
This is one of the movies I have seen before... but it has been many years since. I enjoyed it a lot. Has a good story... as well as some good action. I will say that for me... the movie didn't age well. Well at least I remember it being slightly better then I feel it is today. Clint Eastwood was the man... and is still the man. I do think he has improved as an actor since this movie though. Not that he was bad in this... as I thought he was very good. But I do believe he has grown as an actor and has improved in his movies since this one.
My Rating:
Post by: Tom on September 12, 2009, 09:47:00 AM
Title: Dirty Harry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_Harry) (http://www.invelos.com/images/DVDLogo.png)
Year: 1971
Director: Don Siegel
Rating: 18
Length: 98 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital Mono, Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: Czech, Danish, English, Finnish, German, Greek, Norwegian, Other, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
Stars:
Clint Eastwood
Harry Guardino
Reni Santoni
John Vernon
Andy Robinson
Plot:
'Dirty Harry' is Clint Eastwood's first outing as the infamous hardnosed Police Inspector Harry Callahan in which he must hunt down a psychopathic serial killer. The killer who calls himself 'Scorpio' demands $200,000 from the San Francisco Mayor or else he'll kill one person a day.
'Dirty Harry' is based on a real life serial killer going by the pseudonym of 'The Zodiac Killer' who was never caught. On a more trivial note the 'Dirty Harry' film appears in the David Fincher film 'Zodiac' based on the same serial killer.
Awards:
| AFI | 1971 | Nominated | 100 Years... 100 Movies (1998) | |
| AFI | 1971 | Won | 100 Years... 100 Quotes (2005) | "Quote": You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well do ya punk. |
| AFI | 1971 | Won | 100 Years... 100 Thrills (2001) | |
| AFI | 1971 | Nominated | 100 Years... 25 Scores (2005) | "Composer": Lalo Schifrin |
Extras:
Commentary
Featurettes
Scene Access
Trailers
My Thoughts:
I have never seen any of the Dirty Harry movies before. Though this movie was okay, I probably wouldn't have sought out the sequels if I didn't have the boxset already. Garak was great as the psychotic killer. I had to think of Sledge Hammer (who his a parody of Harry) throughout the movie. These two are really quite similar. Even the way they dress.
In the beginning I had to think of Dr. Evil from Austin Powers. In the scene where they hear about the ransom of $100.000 and are arguing that they never could get that kind of money.
Rating:
Post by: addicted2dvd on September 12, 2009, 04:56:02 PM
Magnum Force
Underworld figures are being murdered all over San Francisco. One by one, criminals who have eluded prosecution are getting the justice they deserve, justice you'd think Detective Harry Callahan might approve of with a tight-lipped smile. But if you think so, you've misjudged Harry - and so have the killers.
My Thoughts:
This is the first time I seen this movie. And I must say I enjoyed every minute of it. I do have one problem. And this is nothing to do with the movie itself. I made the mistake of reading the overview for this movie in DVD Profiler before watching it. And what happens? I get the movie spoiled. The second paragraph (which I didn't add above... just in case) tells us who the killer(s) is/are. The beginning of the movie gives more then one possibility and I normally try to figure this type of thing out before the reveal in the movie... but I didn't have the opportunity to do this here. I really think I could have enjoyed this one a little more if it wasn't for knowing this ahead of time. Now I must remember not to read the overviews before watching each movie.
My Rating:
Post by: Achim on September 13, 2009, 05:49:20 AM
[...] Garak was great as the psychotic killer. [...]??? Could be a cross reference I am missing: Who is Garak?
Post by: Jimmy on September 13, 2009, 06:30:21 AM
Who is Garak?It's a Tom's review, so think Star Trek :whistle:
(click to show/hide)
Post by: Achim on September 13, 2009, 06:36:01 AM
It's a Tom's review, so think Star Trek :whistle:(click to show/hide)
Well, then Garak was also great as a victim...in Hellraiser
(so just as I assumed, a reference I was missing...)
Post by: addicted2dvd on September 19, 2009, 02:08:09 PM
The Enforcer
When Detective Harry Callahan stops a liqour store hostage standoff in his own no-nonsense way, he gets busted back to personnel. But not for long. When terrorists rob an arms warehouse and go on a blood-soaked extortion spree, San Francisco's leaders quickly seek out Callahan: 'The Enforcer'.
My Thoughts:
This is the first time I ever seen The Enforcer. This time we have a familiar face as Calahan's new partner. Tyne Daly who played Det. Lacey in Cagney and Lacey. While I liked the story... it was slightly less enjoyable then the first two movies. Not enough to give it a lower the score but I still preferred the first two over this one.
My Rating:
Post by: DJ Doena on September 19, 2009, 02:42:24 PM
[...] Garak was great as the psychotic killer. [...]??? Could be a cross reference I am missing: Who is Garak?
(http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/en/images/6/6a/Garak_%28mirror%29.jpg)
Post by: addicted2dvd on September 19, 2009, 09:30:31 PM
Sudden Impact
Sensitive to outcries of police brutality, the superiors of San Francisco Detective Harry Callahan have sent him on an out-of-town assignment until things cool down. But wherever Harry goes, things just get hotter.
My Thoughts:
This is the first time I seen this movie. This one has Sandra Locke in it. She is someone I completely forgot about. If I remember right she was in a good handful of Eastwood movies. Though this is the only movie I have with her in it. I enjoyed this one. It is a good revenge story. definitely worth the time put in to watch it.
My Rating:
Post by: Achim on September 19, 2009, 09:46:09 PM
This is the first time I seen this movie. This one has Sandra Locke in it. She is someone I completely forgot about. If I remember right she was in a good handful of Eastwood movies.Eastwood took cre of his girlfriend, so when they broke up she probably had a harder time to get work ;)
Post by: addicted2dvd on September 19, 2009, 09:51:33 PM
Post by: Najemikon on September 19, 2009, 09:58:10 PM
Post by: addicted2dvd on September 19, 2009, 09:59:53 PM
Post by: Dragonfire on September 19, 2009, 10:23:55 PM
And her career wasn't that great even before it ended...I really only remember her being in some of his movies and I think that stopped even before the relationship ended.
I saw an interview with her once...she had written an autobiography and I think she said she had done some directing.
Post by: Najemikon on September 20, 2009, 12:02:28 AM
I'm not saying we were aware of her being a drag, just that he made films like City Heat with her around. Then he made Unforgiven... :tongue:
I do remember thinking she went a bit bunny boiler...
Post by: addicted2dvd on September 20, 2009, 12:37:55 AM
The Dead Pool
Fame isn't Detective Harry Callahan's style. He dislikes being grouped with a rock star, a film critic and a TV host, all slain celebrities in a macabre betting pool called 'The Dead Pool'. Another name just got added: his.
My Thoughts:
This one I actually seen before. Though it has been many years. All I remembered about it is that I enjoyed it. Talking to other people about this series... this seems to be the least favorite of the bunch. After watching it today I just don't see it. I thought this one was just as good as the previous couple. But then again... that could have something to do with the movie taking place behind the scenes of a horror movie. And we all know how much I love my horror movies! I got a kick out of seeing Jim Carey in an early role as that weird rocker dude that was recording a music video tie-in for the horror movie. Once again we see that Harry Callahan has absolutely no luck with his partners. They are always either injured or killed.
I have to say... over-all this was a very well done series of movies. It is not often I can give a movie and all 4 sequels the same rating. And I can hear it now that people won't think I should have... especially with The Dead Pool. But what can I say... I enjoyed every one of these movies! And hey... that is all that matters... right?
My Rating:
Post by: Dragonfire on September 20, 2009, 03:16:55 AM
I don't think it was an accident that in retrospect, Eastwood made his worst movies between '75 and '90 which is how long that relationship lasted! He was a favourite actor of my mum and dad's, and I'm sure I still have a book somewhere that featured her just as much as him.
I'm not saying we were aware of her being a drag, just that he made films like City Heat with her around. Then he made Unforgiven... :tongue:
I do remember thinking she went a bit bunny boiler...
I seem to remember thinking something about him making a movie without her when Unforgiven came out..before that, all the ones of his I had seen had her in them. Then I heard about him getting involved with the one actress in the movie for a while and how she had a baby.. I don't think it was too long after making Unforgiven that he got involved with his current wife..I might be wrong on the exact timing though.
Post by: Achim on September 20, 2009, 09:04:31 AM
Post by: Dragonfire on September 20, 2009, 10:23:47 PM
Yes, she directed a film called Ratboy (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091827/) in which she also starred (financed with the help of Clint). Her second film Impulse, a thriller with, I believe (didn't click the link), Theresa Russel, was apparently hailed by Siskel and Ebert! She directed two more films after that but only acted again in two random movies in 1999. IMDb has not heard from here since :shrug:
I think I've seen Impulse. I'll have to go look that up. If it is the one I'm thinking of, it was pretty good.
Post by: Najemikon on February 08, 2010, 03:03:25 AM
5 out of 5
(http://www.jonmeakin.co.uk/images/harry.jpg)
A rooftop sniper (Andy Robinson) calling himself Scorpio has killed twice and holds the city ransom with the threat of killing again. Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is a tough, streetwise San Francisco cop whom they call Dirty Harry, will nail him one way or the other, no matter what the 'system' prescribes.
A new independent spirit had come into Hollywood in the 60s and in Peter Yate’s Bullitt (1968) starring ice-cool Steve McQueen, you could find a fascinating film built on the tradition of Hollywood thrillers yet mixed with a more European, introspective edge. Still, along with Frank Sinatra in the same years The Detective, little had really changed. Both could have been released in some form 20 years earlier.
Not so in Dirty Harry, one of the biggest milestones in modern action cinema. It seems to me a disillusioned, hurting America produces the best sort of films, or at least willing audiences. Consider the 1966 Miranda case was adding insult to the injury of Vietnam, while a true psychopath had held San Francisco in panic and you can see why Dirty Harry became such an enduring icon. He was exactly what the masses wanted. An angry lawman who just wouldn’t take any more shit and so he was the perfect fantasy figure to guard the country’s morals.
Directed by Don Siegel, it was essentially a Western, but audiences weren’t in the mood for period metaphors; they needed Harry Callaghan on their streets, right at that moment. As Hitchcock did with Vertigo and Yates with Bullitt, Siegel puts San Francisco front and centre. Almost as if Harry is an extension of the city itself (David Fincher’s Zodiac makes a nice reference to the films approach too). Clint Eastwood couldn’t have been any more perfect, considering his Dollars work. Although relatively early, this still endures as one of his best parts. He cuts an imposing figure, delivers classic hard witty dialogue with a trademark growl and a cold stare. It perhaps shows just how good an actor he is, because by all accounts, Clint Eastwood is a gentle, kind hearted man, bordering on shy.
Yet it is a truly violent film. Not so much in the gritty action, though it has its share of uncomfortable moments, but in character, mood and in the irony of making the viewer even more aggrieved as Scorpio gets what amounts to police protection due to crippling policies that defy common sense. Thanks, Miranda! Andy Robinson is terribly convincing as a baby-faced perverse villain with perverse habits (very Joker like) and the film isn’t interested in where he came from or why he does these awful things (he’s possibly just as angry and confused as everyone else). It’s a film about delivering cathartic retribution.
It’s very much a 70s film, with a jazz-y score, and a focus more on passive action and style in long wide shots, rather than a convoluted mystery to solve. Still, it is a strong story, with an intriguing undercurrent of sexual deviancy: very subtle, but consider how the scene when Harry is accused of voyeurism essentially makes voyeurs of the audience, or Scorpio paying for someone to beat him up. It’s another angle on the depraved society breeding violence that Harry will surely go some way to clean up.
There hadn’t been anything like Dirty Harry before and there possibly wouldn’t be again until First Blood (although even that can’t claim such wide appeal). Obviously it inspired the cliché of a maverick cop, delivering street-level punishment with a bullet and without a shred of paperwork; and it can probably be blamed in some part for the style revenge movies follow like Death Wish, which are abhorrent in how they project indignation onto the viewer. Dirty Harry was a film of its time and will always be relevant because of that. It, unlike all the pretenders since, had a reason to exist. Modern equivalents may claim some social relevance, but are generally just too noisy, because the first rule now is to entertain in set-piece led plots. Up until Dirty Harry, it wasn’t quite acceptable to say just how cool you found watching such violence. Now it’s a requirement.
Post by: Achim on February 09, 2010, 05:52:16 AM
Post by: Najemikon on February 09, 2010, 11:40:52 AM
I just watched Magnum Force the other night actually and realised how hard it works to make the line between vigilantes and Harry very distinct! :laugh:
Post by: Jimmy on February 09, 2010, 11:47:38 AM
Absolutely. When they made Dirty Harry, they had something to be angry about, but from then on they realised it was fun to just make audiences angry because it gave an excuse to blow shit up!Jon you must really watch Vigilante that I reviewed some time ago here (http://www.dvdcollectorsonline.com/index.php/topic,695.msg93649.html#msg93649) (you even comment on it), you will see that not all the vigilante movies are excuse to blow thing up.
Post by: Achim on February 09, 2010, 11:53:05 AM
I just watched Magnum Force the other night actually and realised how hard it works to make the line between vigilantes and Harry very distinct! :laugh:I remember there is one scene where harry actual says it! The other guys tell him that they are following his example and he tells them that they obviously don't understand him at all (or something like that).
Jon you must really watch Vigilante that I reviewed some time ago here (http://www.dvdcollectorsonline.com/index.php/topic,695.msg93649.html#msg93649) (you even comment on it), you will see that not all the vigilante movies are excuse to blow thing up...
It's too far down on my wish list, I keep forgetting about it. I just saw the trailer again yesterday, as it's on the Night of the Creeps disc, and got reminded that I should buy it.
Post by: Najemikon on February 09, 2010, 12:35:16 PM
Absolutely. When they made Dirty Harry, they had something to be angry about, but from then on they realised it was fun to just make audiences angry because it gave an excuse to blow shit up!Jon you must really watch Vigilante that I reviewed some time ago here (http://www.dvdcollectorsonline.com/index.php/topic,695.msg93649.html#msg93649) (you even comment on it), you will see that not all the vigilante movies are excuse to blow thing up.
I was being rather facetious, because I love those sort of films any day of the week and a good portion of them are commendable. Well, not so much Death Wish, which is why I used that.
There's something inherently brutal and raw about Dirty Harry. I can't help but think that if they'd tried to make it in 1961, someone would have demanded more plot, more emotion, more something, instead of just fly-by-wire, find the bastard and kick his head in while the audience cheers. Heck, I doubt they even thought of making it back then.
Vigilante is still on my wish-list too, don't worry about that. You remind me though, while I wrote that review, I was trying to think if there was anything Dirty Harry was simply following in exploitation. I think it has a little of that flavour itself, especially the most famous scene, but everything my feeble knowledge of your genre could come up with was after Harry. Could it be Dirty Harry is responsible for that surge in blaxploitation? Both Coffy and Foxy Brown followed it... :hmmmm:
By the way, for anyone who has never seen it (Karsten? :P), here is one of the finest action sequences you could see with possibly the greatest icon of them all. Truth be told, all this waffle just made me want to see it again! :-[
Post by: Antares on February 09, 2010, 06:11:41 PM
There's something inherently brutal and raw about Dirty Harry. I can't help but think that if they'd tried to make it in 1961, someone would have demanded more plot, more emotion, more something, instead of just fly-by-wire, find the bastard and kick his head in while the audience cheers. Heck, I doubt they even thought of making it back then.
I think if it would have been made in 1961, they would have given it a more noirish structure in the screenplay. Harry would be rogue, but with an achilles heel, being some femme fatale that eventually brings about Harry's destruction.
Oh, and though that is one of my favorite scenes in film history, the Hollywood aspect of it has always driven me crazy.
Harry is pointing the Magnum directly at him, the crook can see the cylinder, yet he can't tell that the cylinder is empty? When you look at a loaded revolver head on, you can see the bullet points in the cylinder. I hearken back to the last scene in The River Wild, when Meryl Streep is pointing the 38 at Kevin Bacon and he thinks she's fired all the rounds, but then notices as she's pulling the trigger, that the final bullet is revolving into the firing chamber.
I know, I know, I'm being too technical, but it has always bugged me.
Post by: Achim on February 09, 2010, 06:15:28 PM
Post by: Najemikon on February 16, 2010, 11:05:07 PM
3 out of 5
(http://www.jonmeakin.co.uk/images/dh2.jpg)
Underworld figures are being murdered all over San Francisco. One by one, criminals who have eluded prosecution are getting the justice they deserve, justice you'd think Detective Harry Callahan might approve of with a tight-lipped smile. But if you think so, you've misjudged Harry - and so have the killers. Written by future directors John Milius and Michael Cimino, this 'Dirty Harry' sequel stars Clint Eastwood in his signature role of Callahan, here facing an unexpected kind of lawbreaker: one who carries a badge. Sharp shooting rookie motorcycle policemen have turned vigilante. Their real enemy is the system. But the system is what Harry is sworn to protect. And he does - with 'Magnum Force'.
Magnum Force is an oddity, yet may be as responsible for the modern action movie as much as its illustrious predecessor. For one thing, Harry isn't quite so Dirty in this. The first film would have created some controversy over the blunt tactics of its anti-hero, so the plot of this one sets out to redraw the line between the no nonsense detective on the side of the law and an all out vigilante with no morals. The screenplay is almost at pains to point this out. Eastwood isn't as angry and this is a problem because now he's just doing his job, rather than instilling indignant rage in the viewer. Still his delivery is fantastic and the character at least still has his edge.
This isn't helped by the gang he's out to stop. Although their methods are obviously too brutal, their dispatching of various high-profile criminal figures means we're left wondering just who we should sympathise with. As if trying to account for the shortfall, the sequels action has a sillier edge to it and so it is great fun without asking anything of the audience except to come along for the ride! Dirty Harry still had a whiff of realism, but here we have what would become the staple of Lethal Weapon, etc: car chases, assassination attempts with bombs, police operations staged without a shred of paperwork, daft stunts, especially on bikes in the finale. All of which should cause us to question its logic, yet we don't. We just cheer instead.
Therefore is this the first throwaway action movie, perfect for a Friday night with a pizza? We still have the iconic hero, the brilliant dialogue (when his boss claims he's never drawn his weapon, Harry answers, "well you're a good man, Briggs. A good man knows his limitations." :laugh:), but now without a real reason to exist, so in way of a plot, we get set-pieces.
So thank you, Magnum Force. You live forever in shadow of the far superior Dirty Harry, but maybe you showed the way for Shane Black. We should all be thankful.
Post by: venomsinner on February 17, 2010, 12:18:51 AM
Post by: Najemikon on March 01, 2010, 09:43:21 PM
3 out of 5
(http://www.jonmeakin.co.uk/images/dh3.jpg)
When Detective Harry Callahan stops a liquor store hostage standoff in his own no-nonsense way, he gets busted back to personnel. But not for long. When terrorists rob an arms warehouse and go on a blood-soaked extortion spree, San Francisco's leaders quickly seek out Callahan: 'The Enforcer'.
Clint Eastwood takes dead aim again in this third of his five 'Dirty Harry' films. Presaging her four-time Emmy-winning stint as half of TV's 'Cagney and Lacey', Tyne Daly co-stars as Harry's new partner, who has two jobs: nailing the terrorists - and winning hard-boiled Harry's confidence. Stoked with brisk humour and hard-hitting mayhem, 'The Enforcer' carves another winning notch in the handle of Harry's .44 magnum.
Despite a great start that sees Harry getting properly angry again and a well staged ending, this plods something rotten in the middle section. It feels like a TV movie, complete with seriously crap music! But while women's lib was always going to be too easy a target, Tyne Daly gives it some life, cutting a nice balance between plucky and scared. Of course, Clint Eastwood is dependable as ever, though seems to be lacking a proper catchphrase: in Dirty Harry we had "Do you feel lucky?"; in Magnum Force "a good man's got to know his limitations", but here, just a running joke with Daly. Still there's plenty of other Harry-isms, like "seven-point suppository..." delivered to his snivelling boss with the trademark growl! The villains are predictable caricatures, but the leader Bobby Maxwell (DeVeren Bookwalter) is a truly vile piece of work and certainly enough to piss off Harry and us, which I think Magnum Force lacked.
Despite the middle section lacking vitality, there's still plenty of action, with poor old Daly trying to keep up (almost getting a faceful of rocket at a test site was funny, as was the run through San Francisco). Albert Popwell pops-up again! Here he plays Mustapha, a suspected gang leader Harry cuts a deal with, and he finally gets a solid speaking part. If you haven't recognised him, he was the bank robber in Dirty Harry ("Hey man. I gots to know...") and the pimp in Magnum Force (killed the prostitute with drain cleaner). ;)
Overall it's passable fun and better as a sequel than Magnum Force. The weird thing is -and don't laugh- but from about halfway through, I couldn't get the similarirites with Robocop of all things out of my head! I said, don't laugh. ???
(click to show/hide)
Post by: Jimmy on March 01, 2010, 11:27:25 PM
Post by: Achim on March 04, 2010, 05:27:23 AM
...for the RoboCop reference.
Post by: Najemikon on March 06, 2010, 02:28:05 PM
:o
...for the RoboCop reference.
Is that a "good grief I never noticed!" shocked, or a "are you nuts?" shocked... :laugh:
Post by: Achim on March 06, 2010, 08:13:31 PM
:hmmmm::o
...for the RoboCop reference.
Is that a "good grief I never noticed!" shocked, or a "are you nuts?" shocked... :laugh:
"never noticed"...
Post by: Najemikon on June 14, 2010, 10:40:18 PM
3 out of 5
(http://www.jonmeakin.co.uk/images/dh4.jpg)
Sensitive to outcries of police brutality, the superiors of San Francisco Detective Harry Callahan have sent him on an out-of-town assignment until things cool down. But wherever Harry goes, things just get hotter.
One of the interesting things about the Dirty Harry franchise is how it maintained a decent level of quality throughout the series. We're at number four in Sudden Impact and while a couple of glaring faults let it down, in the main it is a worthy sequel, continuing to try something new. How many other series can claim that? Number five is another issue, but for now, this is a great achievement, all things considered.
There's a new edge to Harry and Clint plays him as well as ever since the original, and with a great new catchphrase ("Go ahead. Make my day"). He's got a real chip on his shoulder because trouble seems to be following him around without him even trying now! This time he's making enemies of organised crime, which means he can't avoid being a target and causing untold damage everywhere he goes. So his bosses send him to a quiet town and it doesn't stay quiet for long, with a great action sequence using a bus to chase a thief!
He's there to help the reluctant local police investigate a murder and little does he know but the murderer is right there. Reclusive artist Sondra Locke is on a mission of revenge to pick off several members of a gang who years before raped her and her sister, who is now little more than a vegetable. She takes out the first couple with relative ease, but then morals start getting murky and the last couple are serious threats.
How much you like Sudden Impact rather depends on how much credibility you give the plot. On one hand, it's directed by Eastwood himself who has always made interesting and challenging films where he can and it's easy to see this as a more natural development of Dirty Harry than the previous two films. Locke is pretty good at convincing as a cold-blooded killer and shy artist, so she gets the viewers sympathy. Eastwood is asking us to be angry again, but also consider the cost of revenge. Finally, Harry also literally takes the law into his own hands, which marks him as much the flawed anti-hero as ever.
Then again, this is hardly Oldboy. Hardly even Play Misty For Me and the plot frequently goes for cheap set-pieces, so you have to wonder, how much of the dark moralising was on purpose and how much by accident of making such a film?
Albert Popwell is in it again and this time he gets more of a speaking part, but his character suffers a pointless fate that is blatantly only there to piss Harry off and make him and the viewer mad. Then we move to the predictable and limp showdown in the fair ground. It's dumb decisions like that reveal it as just any other part 4 of a tired franchise. But they are rare moments and there's enough good stuff here to mark it in the top two or three Dirty Harry's.
Split the odds and it can be seen as a nice mix of the serious drama of Dirty Harry and the sillier Magnum Force, which possibly set the template of cheap action movies. So it's extending both legacies and leaves us thinking while still having fun. Definitely a success overall. And it has Harry's best partner yet: Meathead, the farting bulldog! :laugh:
Post by: Najemikon on June 23, 2010, 10:49:51 PM
2 out of 5
(http://www.jonmeakin.co.uk/images/dh5.jpg)
Clint Eastwood returns for his fifth Callahan caper, and this time Harry's new partner is a karate wiz. Mafia goons sworn to snuff Harry now scramble to protect him. And in the most amazing San Francisco chase since Bullitt, Harry puts pedal to the metal to out-race a bomb-carrying, radio-controlled toy car.
Ah, well. Getting to number four relatively unscathed was an achievement in itself. It's too much to ask that part five actually be any good. Because The Dead Pool isn't. At all.
That's not true. Eastwood is still very good as Harry and the relationships with both partner Al Quan and reporter Patricia Clarkson are great (though the romantic twist is absurd) begrudgingly earning this film another star, but he is let down by the plot. It rehashes earlier moments for no reason, especially when it fails to have a point, which all the predecessors had. For the only time in the franchise, it feels like it's chasing other films like Lethal Weapon, rather than the other way around.
The story is a joke and makes no sense when you think about it too long (a film directors "Dead Pool" game is hijacked by a real killer. Pardon?). Liam Neeson as the stereotype British Arsehole looks lost and the villain is pathetic, and his reasons for being a villain even worse. One "James Carrey" comes out of the film best amongst the supporting cast and proves he would work well in more supporting, serious roles. In fact, he's wasted, even in his brief moment here. Also, what was with the bloody Guns 'n' Roses cameos?
At least the action makes up for it, eh? Erm, actually no. The direction is laboured and wheezy, which is ironic considering Callaghan is getting long in the tooth yet Eastwood convinces he could still run rings around anyone. Shame the film can't keep up. The synopsis writer must be having a laugh if he thinks chasing model cars around San Francisco is comparable to Bullitt. Shut up. Just... no.
Buy the boxset. Even the Blu-Ray is astonishingly cheap at the moment. You get one classic film, three fun sequels and you can use this thing as a novelty coffee mat.
Post by: Antares on June 24, 2010, 12:00:36 AM
Post by: Najemikon on June 24, 2010, 12:06:24 AM
It's been a while, but wasn't it this film when he whips out the huge anti-tank gun? I'm not talking about the rocket launcher from The Enforcer, this one almost looked liked a hydraulic whaling harpoon in size.
"Looked like"? No, it was a whaling harpoon! ;)
Post by: Antares on June 24, 2010, 12:24:49 AM
Post by: GSyren on June 24, 2010, 09:07:31 AM
Post by: Najemikon on June 24, 2010, 07:03:45 PM
Post by: GSyren on June 24, 2010, 08:39:01 PM