Transformers: The Last Knight

Guess what everyone? I came back today from seeing the new Transformers movie, which came out last week, "Transformers: The Last Knight." Do you want to know how it is? Well, here it goes: 

Alan Jones started his review out by saying, "Phew, I think I need to lie down! It begins in the Dark Ages with hints of Monty Python and the Holy Grail and ends up at the Stonehenge monument in an "Oh, so that’s why it was built there?" flash of enlightenment." 

Jones goes on to say, "In between, Michael Bay, helming his fifth and supposedly final Transformers movie (who shouted "hooray"?), takes you into outer space, back in time to Nazi Germany, outside 10 Downing Street, into every far-flung corner of the globe for another super-sized slice of incomprehensible action and deep down into an ocean abyss to solve the convoluted mystery that lies at the heart of this quite overwhelming spectacle. Nothing seems to have changed in that mind-numbing aspect endemic to this franchise." 

Bay leaves no stone unturned as he finishes the franchise (unless he decides to return to direct another Transformers movie) basically crushing the viewer into dizzying submission. 

I guess it's debatable whether this or "Age of Extinction" is the worst in the series, but the first is still the best, but it definitely has the plot that has so much jammed into it that it's hard to keep track of. 

You will thank Anthony Hopkins who comes in at just the right time to explain everything – somewhat – so the audience can relax into another stretched out finale of mindless robotic action that is complete and total pandemonium. 

The basic jest (which the scriptwriters failed at) Optimus Prime, reprised by Peter Cullen, has gone back to Cybertron, the Transformers home planet. He gets manipulated into becoming Nemesis Prime by Quintessa (Gemma Chan) and ordered to go back to Earth and retrieve Merlin's staff that was buried by Merlin himself (Stanley Tucci). 

You heard right: Merlin was real, as was King Arthur – his round table was an extraterrestrial metal plate – and the Transformers have did their role in every huge and epic disaster in human history. 

Why? Because Earth is actually the evil space enemy Unicron in disguise, ready to kill humans and turn the planet into the Transformers' peaceful slumber when Cybertron eventually dies off. 

That is currently going on, and the Transformers' new ally, inventor Cade Yeager (Mark Whalberg), is chosen to be the Last Knight needed to help Oxford University Professor Vivian Webley (Laura Haddock), Merlin's descendant, find Merlin's staff before evil Transformer Megatron (Frank Welker) and his team of Decepticons do. 

Hopkins' character, Sir Edmund Burton, is the watcher of the Transformers family tree and the one who brings Cade and Vivian together and gives them the task on how to save Earth from becoming Unicron. 

This is exactly what returning Agent Simmons (John Turturro) is doing in Cuba or homeless teen Izabella (Isabela Moner) and her robot sidekick Sqweeks (Reno Wilson) have to do with all of this catastrophe is beyond what you can say. 

The right answer is that what is needed is unnecessary but with all of these different plot threads – you'll easily miss Mitch Pileggi from "X-Files" as a Transformers Reaction Force group leader – you can't focus on one little detail for a second as this "The Fast and the Furious" action goes by quickly. 

When he's on screen and evidently has a fun time – with lines like "What a rockin' car she is!" - Hopkins also brings, as Jones says, "a much-needed aristocratic gravitas to the scattershot logic." 

Jones goes on to say, "And while the pairing of Whalberg’s rough-and-ready hero with posh fish-out-of-water English Rose Haddock must have looked good on paper, they generate zero chemistry together, and the much hinted at post-credits romance feels a non-starter." 

Hands down the most amusing and funny character in the head-banging mess is Sir Edmund's robot butler, Cogman, voiced by Jim Carter. Jones describes him as a "C3PO’d "headmaster" (a Transformer fused with organic life, do keep up!) with anger-management issues is virtually the actor’s Carson character from Downtown Abbey in sleek Aston Martin disguise." 

Someone somewhere knows how to loosen things up, and Cogman playing background music at a church scene is the one joke that works in the repetition of comic reliefs that don't work – like Cade's friend Jimmy, played by Jerrod Carmichael. 

Seeing how no one goes to see a Transformers movie thinking there will be a story must have been the main problem this entire time. 

The technically overwhelming, grandiose set-piece ramble continues in Bay's overdrive style where he doesn't look like he's directing as much as assembling cinematic maneuvers. 

Jones said, "A pyrotechnic display from Bumblebee (Erik Aadahl) kicks off the action in high style and the frenetic hyperkinesis continues relentlessly through junkyard wipe-outs, frantic driverless car chases, drone-hopping acrobatics, titanic underwater odysseys, extravagant Autobot face-offs and abstract, Escher-type dimensional battles." 

Jones goes on to say, "Add bodies exploding everywhere in artful slow-motion and the painterly sight of horn-shaped intergalactic spacecraft jutting through the Namibian and Jordanian deserts and you still won’t have a clue about how completely over-the-top this movie is." 

"The Last Knight" is way too much, yet not anywhere close to enough to say it's fun entertainment in anyone's blockbuster wordlist. It may not be easy to watch, but the awesome visual looks will keep you in your seat. 

As I have stated before, it's better than "Age of Extinction," since it's nearly not as long, but it may be worst in the sense that there isn't much focus on Optimus or Megatron, the action goes on way too long, there are boring scenes in here, and the human characters just aren't that interesting. However, I thought it wasn't really that bad. I might have liked this over "Age of Extinction," but I still don't think it's a good movie in any way. None of the "Transformers" movies are good, but I still enjoy the action for some time before I start getting bored by it. Hopefully this is the last movie that Michael Bay directs, but if he comes back, I won't be surprised. I would say wait for this to come out on Blu-Ray to rent, but if you want to go to the theater, then that's fine. 

Thank you for joining in on my review, stay tuned Friday for the finale of "Dirty Harry Month."

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." 

Wonder Woman

I came back from the theater after watching "Wonder Woman," which came out on the 2nd, and I was really excited to see this movie, especially since Gal Gadot killed it in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." Did she succeed in satisfying viewers when watching this movie? Let's find out: 

Steve Persall started his review out by saying, "Not only Wonder Woman winning World War I, but director Patty Jenkins righting a DC Universe burdened by Batfleck and other less-than-super men. Jenkins crafts a superhero flick defying the dark DC template, not only with gender but by rousing core comic book values that have nothing to do with gloom. Truth, justice and the American way (a century ago) defended by a pure-of-heart champion isn't hokey; it's about time." 

As Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot kills it from beginning to end, each determined tramp, a symbol in motion. One in particular says the movie's place is present time, when Wonder Woman marches to the front line pits of World War I, along with soldiers who she's saving. The only way is through No Man's Land, which is right in the middle of chaos. 

That's where she goes, deflecting each CGI bullet off her bracelets as men run to keep up while staying alive. Persall mentioned, "A woman persisting, conquering territory men can't. It's a stirring sequence, a feminist statement in motion. Let the memes begin." 

Even when following superhero movie is a thing, "Wonder Woman" is innovative than the others. Her origins story is unique compared to other superheroes, the only child raised on the hidden island of Themyscira where other Amazon women train for combat. There, she is called Diana, and she is told that he was made from clay and brought to life by Zeus. I agree with Persall when he said, "Beats watching Bruce Wayne's parents getting killed again." 

Diana (Lilly Aspel at 8 and Emily Carey at 12) wants to be an Amazon warrior like her aunt Antiope (Robin Wright) despite that her mother, Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) doesn't want Diana to be one. Diana is then put to the test when British spy pilot Steve Trevor, played by Chris Pine, crashes onto the island with German enemies trailing behind. The following fight between swords and guns is intense and sad, a peaceful place ruined by outsiders. 

According to Amazon legends, this war can only be planned by Ares, the god of war. Diana vows that she will find and kill him. She goes with Steve to London giving evidence to his superior, played by David Thewlis, of a German plan to set off chemical weapons in the war. Then they go to the front along with a few friends (Ewen Bremner, Said Taghmaoui and Eugene Brave Rock) where German General Ludendorff (Danny Huston) and deformed scientist Dr. Poison (Elena Anaya) follow through Ares's plans. 

Persall noted, "While the villains are standard issue evil, Wonder Woman is remarkable in the genre for its early 20th century setting and Gadot's galvanizing performance. Rather than steampunk cliches, Jenkins grounds her fantasy in conventional designs. She finds amusement in Diana's immersion into then-modern living, turning the Pretty Woman makeover montage on its ear." 

Persall continues to say, "More than an action figure, Gadot's role sifts through facets of womanhood that aren't supernatural; compassion for victims, courage to push back yet also the maternal reflex to coo over a cute infant. Her naivete in the real world is endearing but never, ever signals weakness." "Wonder Woman" will not be the subject of any jokes or anything to check out. 

Persall admitted, "I wish Jenkins hadn't succumbed to superhero sensory overload in her third act. It's more thrilling to see Wonder Woman leg-sweeping attackers than bracing against generic CGI debris." However, this is better than the same repeated stuff we continuously see, which "Wonder Woman" certainly isn't. 

After seeing that this movie got a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, I was thinking that this was the DC movie that would win people over. It would be exactly how "Iron Man" was for the "Marvel Cinematic Universe." My main reason for wanting to see this was because of Gal Gadot, and she did not disappoint. My cousin said that her and Chris Pine were the only memorable characters and the rest weren't. I understand that, but if you hadn't been satisfied with the past DC movies, this one will definitely get you pumped again. This is one of the best I have seen from DC in a long time. Although I liked the past few DC movies, I acknowledge the flaws, but this one was definitely one of the best movies, and another one of my favorites. We finally get a Wonder Woman movie and a good, strong female portrayal for little girls, which is needed today. The previous ones we had in the past all were terrible, like "Supergirl," "Elektra" and "Catwoman" (no, I refuse to see that one, especially with all the bad reviews I heard). This movie is good for little girls to see. 

If you want to see this movie, definitely do so because it is worth it. It's in the same vain as "Captain America: The First Avenger," but it was told in its own unique way. My cousins liked "Batman v Superman" better, which I understand, but if you did not, this movie will get you hyped for "Justice League" later in the year.  I actually saw the trailer for that before this movie started, and I'm actually excited now to see it.

Thank you for joining in on my review, stay tuned for this Friday when I review the next installment 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.”

Avatar

Google brought it to my attention that today is World Environment Day. Thank you for that Google, because I would like to talk about an environmental movie that I hate but everyone else loves. I'm of course referring to the 2009 James Cameron movie that is the highest-grossing movie ever made, "Avatar." After talking about this a few times, I feel that today I will give in and talk about why I don't like this movie.

First off, there are some things that I do actually like about this movie. I liked how the scenery looked because it looks like nice scenery. If you have ever seen illustrations, it's not innovative, but it was nice to see this in a big-budget movie.

Since I refused to go see this in the theaters when my cousin invited me (because I thought it was the adaptation of my favorite cartoon "Avatar: The Last Airbender," but it wasn't, and don't worry, we'll get to that cinematic abomination later), I don't know how the 3D looked, so I'll let Doug Walker say what he thought of the 3D: "I did like the 3D. I thought it was pretty cool. But, again, How to Train Your Dragon came out maybe a month later, few months later. Totally blew it away. I mean, unbelievable 3D. Best I've ever seen. So, doesn't have that going for it."

Obviously what I really hate about the movie is the story. The good thing is that people who like this movie admit the story's not good. Well that's a relief, at least there's something we can agree on.

Look, I understand guilty pleasures, I know you want to jump into this environment, but the technology isn't anything that spectacular. Sometimes the images looked like it was really there, but you can guarantee that you're looking at CGI-imagery, because that's what they are. They look nice, but they move like computers, the texture looks like computers, it's still computers. Doug Walker even admitted, "I never felt like "Hey, I can reach out and touch these people." Only once or twice."

In all honesty, they're blue cats. How can you make that look real? That's a challenge in it of itself, and to make that look real, they must have done a decent job, but for everyone to be building it up like that wasn't really worth it.

Like I stated already, the story is what got to me because I've heard this story before multiple times. I've seen Walt Disney's "Pocahontas," but apparently this type of environmental story has also been told in "Ferngully: The Last Rainforest" and "Dances with Wolves." Look, it was old when they were telling the story. For this movie to come out and be the highest grossing movie is telling everyone that they want more of this story and want to hear it repeatedly. We can tell this story like the back of our hands and people who watch it can agree the story's not very good. By making this the highest grossing movie is saying that the audience wants more of this story because it's new to them.

What I hate is that they're already planning sequels to this movie which has got to be the same story told again.

Online readers: I don't mind stories about prejudice or the dominant person using his power over the lower class, but I want to know "why." Why are they doing that? What is their motive? Money, just wanting more power, domination? Look, we know the story. What is the moral? "Don't judge." We understand that because that's something our parents have told us since we were babies. We know this story from first page to last. Unless you give us something new instead of replacing the Native Americans with blue cats, it's not going to be engaging.

I would like to see a story that tells us why these prejudices exist, like maybe it might be greed. Why do we think that to get the valuable item (like gold or oil, obviously) is more important than human life? That I think would be something worth telling because it would be new. This movie didn't do that but tell us a story we've seen so many times. You can predict it from beginning to end, which is annoying, but granted, the movie did look nice.

Anyone who says that they love "Avatar" for the look of it, I can understand and respect that, because that's what I actually like about the movie. I wouldn't want to see this movie again because I was annoyed by the story, but I wouldn't mind seeing any of the visuals and the look of this movie, whether it be in clips or images. So, just to recap: this is not a movie that I hate entirely, as there are things about it that I like.

Happy World Environment Day everyone. Now everyone knows why I don't like "Avatar," so if you were wondering at certain moments when I mentioned it, now you know.

Stay tuned this Friday for the next installment of "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.”