DIRTY HARRY [1971] review

I recently heard an interview with Clint Eastwood.  He’s long been a favorite actor of mine, and even a favorite director.  I of course knew the famous line from DIRTY HARRY, “You’ve got to ask yourself, do I feel lucky?  Well do you?  Punk,” but I had never actually seen the movie.  So quite out of nowhere Aya and I decided to watch it this past Saturday night.  It was a very good choice.

I think action movies of recent times just can’t compare to the analog grit and irony free dialogue of action movies of the past.  Certainly Clint’s iconic character, Harry Callahan, has very funny lines, even things one might call one-liners, but they are totally in character and not gratuitous.  

Of course Clint is the true definition of a Man, and also the true definition of a bad-ass, the likes of which might not even exist still today.  He is totally unapologetic for his possibly racist remarks or his questionable tactics.  Like all dedicated cops, he just wants a case and wants to see it through to the end.  

Cliches like assigning a young partner to a veteran cop don’t even slow this movie down at all.  Maybe this was the first time it was done?  Either way, it was done right.  Through Harry’s new partner, we learn many things about Harry.  What I found the most interesting, was the true meaning of “Dirty” in Harry’s nickname.  This touch in the script elevated this movie for me into a rarified air.  Anytime a movie can dash your expectations and put things on multiple levels at once, this is usually a recipe for success and distinction.

The serial killer played by Andrew Robinson, in his first major acting role, was quite disturbing and played note perfectly.  When he’s doing the pain inflicting, he’s confident and menacing.  When the tables get turned on him, his cowardly underbelly is exposed.

I kept thinking, wow, the movie is going to end already?  I was wrong as the script was surprisingly imaginative allowing it to offer a series of seeming climaxes to the movie, that only offered a reset and for Harry to start all over in pursuit of ending the menace Robinson’s Scorpio Killer was inflicting upon San Francisco.

I look forward to watching the rest of the films in the Dirty Harry series.

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