The Dead Pool

Now we get to the finale of "Dirty Harry Month" with the last installment, "The Dead Pool," released in 1988. 

Apparently, a small remote controlled car is irritating "Dirty" Harry Callahan. Steve Rhodes noted in his review, "A remote controlled toy, the jet black Corvette must have a souped-up engine since it can chase Harry's squad car with ease." However, it's not how fast that aggravates Inspector Callahan, it's the deadly weapon that is inside the children's toy car. Once it goes under a police car, it will incinerate Harry and his partner. 

Rhodes noted, "THE DEAD POOL, the last of the five Dirty Harry movies, is being re-released on DVD with a new digital transfer in celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of the start of the series." In this film, Harry is trying to stop a roulette game, called the dead pool, where people are betting on how different San Francisco celebrities, including Harry, will die. 

Out of all the movies in this franchise, this one has the best supporting cast, which has Patricia Clarkson as an annoying reporter, Liam Neeson as an avant-garde director and one of the betters in the game and Jim Carrey as one of the names to be crossed off the list rock star and drug addict. Carrey has tremendous energy and inhuman in one of his first films. Remember how I said that this film was released in 1988? It wouldn't be until 1994 when "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" and "The Mask," both which starred Carrey, would skyrocket his name. Rhodes noted, "Carrey fans, of course, will remember one other well known film before THE DEAD POOL in which Carrey had a minor role -- 1986's PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED." 

What's lacking of this differently enjoyable film from beginning to end is that there aren't any classic Dirty Harry quotes. Still there are a few that you can choose from – the best one being a line that's unwritten about a fortune cookie. Another is about his boss's lack of children. "Do you have any kids, lieutenant?," Harry asks. "No," Lt. Ackerman, played by Michael Goodwin, replies. "Lucky for them," Harry responds in his usual serious look. 

Also, Harry's partner in here is played by Evan C. Kim. 

In the end, go see this film for crying out loud. It's a "Dirty Harry" film, and I think all of you will enjoy it, if you enjoyed the previous ones in the series. I know I did, as I don't think any film in this franchise is worse than the other. All of them are good in their own way and all are worth checking out. 

Now we have come to the end of "Dirty Harry Month." I hope all of you enjoyed these reviews. Stay tuned next Tuesday for my yearly "Independence Day" reviews.

Sudden Impact

"Dirty Harry" meets his match in a woman whose look at justice is much larger than his in "Sudden Impact," the 1983 film that is fourth in the franchise and the only one Clint Eastwood directed. TV Guide noted in their review, "One of the seamiest and most brutal of the lot, it's brimming with over-the-top gore, blistering action, and some hilariously foul-mouthed dialogue and one-liners, including the now-legendary "Go ahead...make my day," a threat that was quickly adopted by then-President Reagan." 

Jennifer Spencer, played by Sondra Locke, an artist who comes from the small seaside town of San Paulo, is trying to find and kill a group of men (Michael Maurer, Jack Thibeau, Paul Drake) and one lesbian (Audrie Neenan) who raped her and her sister (Lisa Britt) a few years before, leaving her sister completely comatose. When the body of a man from San Paulo is found in San Francisco with bullet holes in his groin and head, Frisco homicide detective Harry Callahan goes to San Paulo to investigate. Harry isn't welcomed by the local police chief Jannings, played by Pat Hingle, who specifically tries to keep him away from the case, but Harry is fearless. He meets up with Jennifer and falls in love with her, not knowing she's the murderer. Jennifer continues to murder the members of the gang one at a time, but when she gets to one of the last members, who turns out to be Jannings's son, she's attacked by Mick, played by Paul Drake, the most dangerous of the group. Mick kills Jannings and takes Jennifer to the beach to rape her again, but Harry shows up and kills Mick. Harry then puts Jennifer's gun on Mick, making it look like he had been the one killing the gang all this time, and lets Jennifer go. 

TV Guide noted, "SUDDEN IMPACT is a hard-hitting actioner in which Eastwood examines the darker aspects of Dirty Harry and comes up with a brooding, grim drama that probably comes the closest to the nihilistic tone which was set by director Don Siegel in the original. Like most of the films Eastwood has directed, the story deals with transference of guilt and twisted sexuality (not to mention the symbolism of Harry's new longer-barrelled Magnum .44 in a plot dealing with castration), and there is also the rather bizarre recurrence of having a character played by Sondra Locke--who was Eastwood's lover at the time--being brutalized and gang raped, something she was also subjected to in Eastwood's THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES (1976) and THE GAUNTLET (1977) (perhaps he was subconsciously trying to tell her something). Eastwood also throws in some unmistakable Hitchcock references, as the first murder takes place under the Golden Gate Bridge, which recalls VERTIGO (1958), and Jennifer sometimes bears an uncanny likeness to Tippi Hedren's cool blonde character in MARNIE (1964), while the finale takes place on a runaway carousel, a la STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951)." 

TV Guide went on to say, "Aided by ace cinematographer Bruce Surtees (nicknamed "The Prince of Darkness" for his ultra-noirish lighting, or lack thereof), Eastwood handles the visuals in a lean and dynamic manner that would make Siegel proud, but his control of the narrative is less successful and the plot is disjointed and overlong." Looking firm on giving non-stop excitement, the film make one high-speed, set piece after another in the first 45 minutes, which basically doesn't further the actual plot. However, they are engaging as Harry kills some criminals robbing a diner, crashes the wedding of a mob boss' daughter and causes the man to have a heart attack, is chased by some rookies who try to kill him by throwing molotov cocktails in his car, and breaks up a bank robbery the moment he arrives in San Paulo. TV Guide mentioned, "The cartoonish script boasts the usual outraged sentiments about revolving door justice and how criminals have more rights than victims, as well as a full quota of the kind of outrageously politically incorrect stereotypes that one could never get away with anymore. There's a bad-tempered female judge who lectures Harry about his tactics, a slew of criminal, jive talking blacks ("Whatcha doing--you pighead sucka"), and pasta-eating Mafiosi, and for good measure, a sadistic, ultra-butch lesbian who talks like a sailor and cackles with glee while Jennifer is being raped." However, Eastwood keeps his audience engaged at a fast pace and the series' formula of having an old man like Harry removing the warning tape and killing the criminals of the city remains irresistible. 

If you are a fan of the franchise after seeing the previous installments, you will not want to miss this one. Especially with the line, "Go ahead, make my day" said at the beginning of the film. Little known fact: people tend to mix up that quote for being in the first movie, when it was never said there. This film gets another recommendation from me, and I say definitely check this one out because you will love it a lot. 

Now look out next week for the finale of "Dirty Harry Month."

The Enforcer

The third installment in "Dirty Harry Month" is quite a game changer here folks, which is none other than the 1976 underrated classic, "The Enforcer." 

Another day, another dead partner. By now, Harry Callahan has learned that any partner he is assigned he shouldn't even think of becoming friends with because they will end up being murdered in the most painful ways. Callahan is not a man who is worried with self-pity and guilt as he spends a lot of the movie plotting on how to stop an environmental terrorist group than mourning over his latest partner (John Mitchum) getting stabbed when he was arresting one of the terrorists (DeVeren Bookwalter). The villains in this movie aren't as threatening as Scorpio or the vigilante cops in the first two films, and they just come across as mostly forgettable. What is fascinating is seeing Callahan trying to find out who is in charge of the secret base of these terrorists. When they kidnap the mayor of the city (John Crawford) and hold him for a price, Callahan says that he needs to up his game. 

Continuing with this pattern, Callahan is not given a male partner this time around and is instead assigned a female partner. Transferred to personnel, he agrees to interview the new team of rookies, and ends up being interested in Kate Moore, played by Tyne Daly. Daly is the real scene stealer in here, who spends most of the movie trying to keep up with Callahan and putting her life on the line to crack the terrorist group despite Callahan trying his best to keep a distance from her. Kate Moore is a very complex and interesting partner to Callahan's methods and she plays the officer effortlessly. Her deeds are what's the most interesting parts of the film, and she does well in handling Callahan's silly methods when handling criminals. Mostly Callahan comes off as a satire of the character from the first two films. His first time on the case has him dealing with a fake heart attack person in a restaurant and completely destroying a grocery store so he can catch a couple of thieves. Felix Vasquez stated in his review, "Why he isn’t in jail or in a mental ward is beyond me, at this point."

Vasquez goes on to say, "But Harry gets the job done and by the luck of knowing everyone on the force and raking in his share of fans, he lives to see another day of duty on the job. “The Enforcer” focuses on Harry implementing his classic interrogation methods and fist pounding skills to get answers from local thugs to locate a prostitute who may know where the ring leader of the terrorist group is hiding." As the film goes on, Harry ends up respecting Kate as they get close during the case, and he learns that the new era of police aren't all that soft as he thought they would be. Daly plays Kate very sensitively and it's engaging to watch and the way she shows heroism is just intense and worth seeing alone. Even though "The Enforcer" is not the finale in the "Dirty Harry" franchise, it's still a worth watchable sequel in the series.  Vasquez ended his review by saying, "While Harry gradually transforms in to a caricature, “The Enforcer” is a strong if flawed entry in the film series with the added benefit of a memorable and dazzling supporting performance by Tyne Daly and some raucous shoot outs." 

Like I stated already, this is an underrated entry in the "Dirty Harry" franchise and definitely is not one to be missed out on. If you saw the last two movies and liked them, you should continue watching them and give this one a chance. If you end up liking this one the least, that's fine, but I didn't. I thought every single entry was just as good, but that's just my opinion. This one gets a recommendation. 

Tune in next week when I talk about another amazing entry in "Dirty Harry Month." 

Magnum Force

Welcome back to “Dirty Harry Month,” where today I will look at the 1973 sequel, “Magnum Force.” The basic story is when a known criminal is innocent on murder because of the lack of acceptable evidence, the human population is furious. However, out of nowhere a series of vigilante killings start, eyeing known people that are in narcotics, prostitution and murder. Harry Callaghan and his new partner Inspector Early Smith are assigned the case by their supervisor Lieutenant Neil Briggs.

Throughout the movie Harry Callaghan says, “A man’s got to know his limitations,” in this intense police action sequel to “Dirty Harry.” The highlight is on the .44 Magnum, “the most powerful handgun in the world,” which is suddenly being used for vigilante killings of unknown people. Screenwriters John Milius and Michael Cimino have made a stiff, thrilling screenplay that deals with dirty tactics and taking the lawn into your own hands. Louise Keller said, “Eastwood is totally credible in the tailor-made role of the cop who has to do things his own way ('If you do something someone else's way, you take your life in your own hands).”

Keller goes on to say, “After the opening sequence in which we watch a murderer walk out of court a free man because the justice system has failed, we get to see the unconventional policing style of Harry Callaghan.” When a team of hijackers ask for an overseas pilot to fly the plane, Harry puts on the pilot’s hat. His new partner, Early Smith, played by Felton Perry, is obviously having trouble dealing with the intense parts of the job and there’s an ongoing joke between them involving eating. Even though he's tough on the outside, Harry is actually not that tough. He is sympathetic to his friend Charlie's (Mitchell Ryan) ex-wife (Christine White) who asks why he has never look at her in a loving way, and when beautiful Sunny (Adele Yoshioka) who lives at his apartment asks, “What does a girl have to do to go to bed with you?” Harry smiles and responds, “Try knocking on the door.”

There is also the ongoing rancor between Harry and his superior Lieutenant Briggs (Hal Halbrook) and finding out the incredibly accurate shooting ability of the rookie traffic officers, lead by David Soul's Officer John Davis. We see up close the ongoing murders of mobsters by the black-leather wearing vigilante cop, whose execution method is known to us. One of the best things about this film is there is always an element of risk with the action. Keller said, “When Harry is clutching onto the bonnet of a speeding car as it screeches around corners, we are not sure he will be safe. I love the evocative music between the boom of the Magnums, the sound of the motorbikes and speeding car being chased down a steep winding road in the lead up to the thrilling conclusion. It's a fitting end to an enthralling thriller which resounds like the boom of the Magnum force.”

Just like the first movie, this one is an intense thrill ride from first minute to last. You have got to see this movie if you haven't, it's probably in the same vain as the first movie. If you saw the first movie and you liked it, definitely don't miss out on this one. I actually didn't know that they made sequels to the first movie until I looked it up online.

Look out next week when I take a look at the third film in “Dirty Harry Month.”

Dirty Harry

Well everyone, this month is going to be another good one because I will be reviewing another great series of films that was simply iconic for one of the greatest actors of all time, Clint Eastwood, the Dirty Harry franchise. After mentioning this maybe a few times in my reviews, now is a good time to review the franchise. Let’s dive right in with the very first film, “Dirty Harry,” released in 1971.

Is this film fascist, or is the film about a fascist cop? TV Guide answers, “Either way, this is suspenseful, energetic stuff, directed with urgency and style by Cahiers du Cinema favorite Don Siegel; embellished with some of Lalo Schifrin's coolest electro-jazz confections; and driven by the inimitable Clint as Detective "Dirty" Harry Callahan, last line of defence against the assorted hippie liberal types who, in the early 70s, threatened the very fabric of Western civilization.”

Individualist San Francisco officer “Dirty” Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is given a task by the city mayor (John Vernon) to track down a serial killer known as Scorpio (Andy Robinson). This murderer wants $100,000, or he will keep killing people. The mayor and everyone else is going to pay him, but Harry disagrees, seeing it would just be the first time he asks. Harry stiffens when partnered with rookie Chico, played by Reni Santoni, against his demands (Chico dissatisfies Harry in three ways, by being new on the job, Mexican-American, and, maybe the worst of it, college-educated), but he starts to accept the rookie partner. Scorpio says he’s buried a teenage girl somewhere in the city and will let her die unless everyone pays him $200,000. TV Guide said, “Eastwood gets the job of delivering the money (backed up by Chico), but eventually pursues his own, extralegal route to nail Scorpio.”

“Dirty Harry” was popular, controversial and influential. TV Guide noted, “With uncredited screenplay contributions by John Milius, the film represented, via its title character, the apotheosis of the maverick cop figure that Siegel had portrayed in films from HELL IS FOR HEROES through MADIGAN. Harry Callahan is both more openly scornful of the law--his nailing of Scorpio is basically a critique of the concept of "criminal rights"--and, thanks to Eastwood's perfectly calibrated performance, more compelling an individual, than Siegel's earlier neo-vigilantes.” The film excelled Eastwood to his second time rising to stardom, left its mark on endless cop flicks that came after, and was the start of one of the most celebrated director/star relationships in film history – one inspirational callback by Eastwood-as-director in the team-up dedication of his 1992 magnum opus, “Unforgiven,” “To Sergio and Don.”

This film is also famous for one of the best film quotes in history, which is: “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. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and would blow your head clean off, you’ve gotta ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?” It’s often misquoted, but who cares, it comes relatively close.

As I have stated before in other reviews, this film just has to be seen to be believed. It is one of the best movies ever made and you will absolutely love it. I give you my word, it is that good. I would say that this is another one of my favorites since I love how Harry is a rebel, no-holds-barred officer that will stop at nothing and do whatever he wants to get the job done. See it if you haven’t, it’s one of the best Eastwood movies ever.

Check in next week when I go further in the franchise in “Dirty Harry Month.”