Rent Dirty Harry (1971)
3.9 of 5 from 253 ratings
1h 39min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Harry Callahan is a tough, streetwise San Francisco cop whom they call Dirty Harry. In this action classic, you'll see why - and also why Clint Eastwood's reputation as a premier film star and movie maker is secure. A rooftop sniper (Andy Robinson) calling himself Scorpio has killed twice and holds the city ransom with the threat of killing again. Harry will nail him... 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 'Dirty Harry', a practice continued in its four sequels. The original remains one of the most gripping police thrillers ever made.
- Actors:
- Clint Eastwood, Andrew Robinson, Harry Guardino, Reni Santoni, John Vernon, John Larch, John Mitchum, Mae Mercer, Lyn Edgington, Ruth Kobart, Woodrow Parfrey, Josef Sommer, William Paterson, James Nolan, Maurice Argent, Jo De Winter, Craig Kelly, Ann Bowen, George Burrafato, Joy Carlin
- Directors:
- Don Siegel
- Writers:
- Harry Julian Fink, Rita M. Fink
- Studio:
- Warner
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Classics, Thrillers
- Collections:
- Action & Adventure, Award Winners, Brando: A Centenary Celebration, Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: Clint Eastwood, Heist Movies: Masterminds and Mavericks, inema Paradiso's 2023 Centenary Club: Part 2, The Best Tough Guys Films, The Biggest Oscar Snubs: Part 1, A Brief History of Film..., The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to: Charles Crichton, Top 100 AFI Thrills, Top Films, What We Were Watching in 1971
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 09/06/2008
- Run Time:
- 102 minutes
- Languages:
- Brazilian Portuguese Dolby Digital 1.0, Castilian Spanish Dolby Digital 1.0, English Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, French Dolby Digital 1.0, German Dolby Digital 1.0, Italian Dolby Digital 1.0, Spanish Dolby Digital 1.0
- Subtitles:
- Brazilian, Castillian, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
- DVD Regions:
- Region 2
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
- Colour:
- Colour
- Bonus:
- Commentary by historian/Eastwood biographer Richard Schickel
- New Retrospective Documentary: The Long Shadow Of Dirty Harry
- The Acclaimed American Master Profile 'Clint Eastwood: Out Of The Shadows'
- Vintage Profile 'Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso'
- 2 Vintage Featurettes: 1971's Dirty Harry's Way and 2001's Dirty Harry - The Original
- Interview Gallery
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Reviews (2) of Dirty Harry
Punk are you feeling lucky. - Dirty Harry review by JD
There are so many scenes which have become etched into film fable. Without question in the top 5 most famous American detective action dramas. Some of the scenes I remember have been clipped possibly for violent censorship reasons. The baddie is the most detestable I have ever seen and Clint the most heroic goodie. I watched it mainly for the famous bits particularly the "punk...." scenes, but some bits are a bit incidental and slow.
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
A Key American Cop Thriller - Dirty Harry review by GI
One of the most famous (or infamous even) American cop thrillers, a character that Clint Eastwood is often best known for (the film spawned four sequels of varying quality - none as good as this original) and a much studied, critiqued and analysed film. It's often cited as morally right wing, and it certainly praises the law of the gun, with its narrative that focuses on the question of importance of offender rights and whether society wants its law enforcers to have free hand in bringing criminals to justice. Overall though this is basically a violent (and in 1971 seen as considerably so) thriller about the hunt for a murderous psychopath, played here by Andy Robinson who calls himself Scorpio and is clearly based on the real life 'Zodiac Killer'. The film opens with his shocking shooting of a young woman swimming in her pool and from this we are introduced to the film's anti-hero, homicide Detective (in the film referred to as Inspector which is the title that the San Francisco police used for it's detectives), Harry Callahan. He's a very savvy, uncompromising, arguably racist, cop known to shoot first and ask questions later, exemplified by his use of an unofficial .44 calibre revolver. He's certainly a character that appeals to the more conservative viewer and his actions are defended in the film by showing he always knows more than everyone else, especially his more cautious bosses and he disdains the political interference of the city Mayor (John Vernon). With it's famous "Did I fire six shots or only five......" speech and equally famous set pieces from an opening bank robbery foiled by Harry, to his unsympathetic dealing with a man on a roof considering suicide (a scene later copied 1987s Lethal Weapon) and the highly contentious torture scene which is given a moral justification this is a tough and gritty story with Eastwood (sporting a very bouffant haircut!) making the transition from the western to the contemporary thriller. If you study the various scenes closely you'll see many make little sense and so the story is preposterous but director Don Siegel makes the whole thing a thrill ride dominated by a sardonic and original lead character. It's key film of the 1970s, a decade where the cinematic rule book was rewritten.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.