Dirty Harry

Name: Dirty Harry
Genre: Action, Thriller, Crime
Released: December 23, 1971
Duration: 102 min
Rating: 87
Cast: Andrew Robinson, Clint Eastwood, Harry Guardino, John Larch, John Mitchum

1971

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Universal acclaim based on 10 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 77 Ratings

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8.2

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8.2	User Score Universal acclaim based on 77 Ratings

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Dirty Harry

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Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. | Release Date: December 23, 1971 | R

Starring: Andrew Robinson, Clint Eastwood, Harry Guardino, John Larch, John Mitchum, John Vernon, Lyn Edgington, Mae Mercer, Reni Santoni, Ruth Kobart

Summary: When an individual known as 'the Scorpio Killer' menaces the city, tough as nails San Francisco Police Inspector Harry Callahan (Eastwoood) is assigned to track down and deal with the psychopath. "Iknowwhatyou're thinking. Did he fire six shots or only five? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I've kinda lost track myself.When an individual known as 'the Scorpio Killer' menaces the city, tough as nails San Francisco Police Inspector Harry Callahan (Eastwoood) is assigned to track down and deal with the psychopath. "Iknowwhatyou're thinking. Did he fire six shots or only five? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I've kinda lost track myself. But being as this is a 44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've only got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk?"… Expand

Director: Don Siegel

Genre(s): Action, Thriller, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 102 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Dave Kehr

A crisp, beautifully paced film, full of Siegel's wonderful coups of cutting and framing. Read full review

100

Joshua Rothkopf

Try to get Siegel’s masterful camera rise out of your head: gun-happy Harry looming over his jabbering perp, who screams like a stuck pig as the shot recedes high into a dense night fog. This is not a cop film. It’s a monster movie. Read full review

100

Empire Mark Dinning

It is also, of course, quite unrelentingly cool. Read full review

Pauline Kael

As suspense craftsmanship, the picture is trim, brutal and exciting; it was directed in the sleekest style by the veteran urban-action director Don Siegel, and Lalo Schifrin's pulsating, jazzy electronic trickery drives the picture forward. It's also a remarkably single-minded attack on liberal values, with each prejudicial detail in place - a kind of hardhat The Fountainhead.

Roger Ebert

Dirty Harry is very effective at the level of a thriller. At another level, it uses the most potent star presence in American movies -- Clint Eastwood -- to lay things on the line. If there aren't mentalities like Dirty Harry's at loose in the land, then the movie is irrelevant. If there are, we should not blame the bearer of the bad news. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

A fascist film, or a film about a fascist cop? Either way, this is suspenseful, energetic stuff, directed with urgency and style by Cahiers du Cinema favorite Don Siegel. Read full review

Josh Larsen

The movie is both vile and risible. Read full review

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User Reviews

Steven1981

Apr 23, 2020

Dirty Harry is a 1971 action thriller that stars Clint Eastwood as a cop trying to find and capture an assassin who's using rooftops to sniper innocents, yes he's using a sniper rifle but he tries to evade police at every stop. The killer, badguy in question who's killing off innocents isDirty Harry is a 1971 action thriller that stars Clint Eastwood as a cop trying to find and capture an assassin who's using rooftops to sniper innocents, yes he's using a sniper rifle but he tries to evade police at every stop. The killer, badguy in question who's killing off innocents is played by Andrew Robinson who even takes a bus full of school kids hostage and sings with the kids whilst threatening them which is amusing. Then we see cop Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) jump on the roof of the bus in a bid to stop the killer. Basically Dirty Harry is full of some of the best quotes in film history, great action scenes, shooting scenes, chases, violence, nudity and a good cast and brilliant acted performances especially by Clint Eastwood. Dirty Harry had a few sequels but none made a dent on the original and best one. A must watch and great movie, also stars Reni Santoni, John Vernon as the mayor.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

geewah

Feb 4, 2021

A classic.
Along with The French Connection, released in the same year, the two were game changers for police/homicide movies for decades to come.
Eastwood is perfect as Harry, in this well paced, tightly scripted, re-quoteable gem.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

kyle20ellis

Mar 22, 2022

If there was a category for quintessential crime thrillers, I would almost certainly put Dirty Harry in that category. Everything about Dirty Harry is wonderful. The cinematography is fine and the locations and scenery are quite striking. Lalo Schifrin's music sets the atmosphere very wellIf there was a category for quintessential crime thrillers, I would almost certainly put Dirty Harry in that category. Everything about Dirty Harry is wonderful. The cinematography is fine and the locations and scenery are quite striking. Lalo Schifrin's music sets the atmosphere very well too, while the story is taut, the script is quotable and cleverly written, Don Siegel's direction is superb and the violence is shocking and daring. The acting is also great, in his more complex roles Clint Eastwood was born for the role of Dirty Harry, and all the supporting roles are very well played. All in all, brilliant and one of the crime thrillers there is. 10/10 Bethany Cox… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

alejandro970

Apr 28, 2019

¿Do you feel lucky, bum? An essential of 70s about an antisocial, ruthless detective of San Francisco who is the sum of all prejudices and his efforts for bring down a murder. No wonder why Gorillaz dedicated him a song.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Deanomite

Feb 18, 2020

It's important to understand this is a 50 year old movie. my only vintage memory of this is Clint Eastwood shooting black people while eating hot dogs, but I have come to respect the genre after seeing Bullitt, Point Blank, The French Connection etc. San Francisco in the early 70s justIt's important to understand this is a 50 year old movie. my only vintage memory of this is Clint Eastwood shooting black people while eating hot dogs, but I have come to respect the genre after seeing Bullitt, Point Blank, The French Connection etc. San Francisco in the early 70s just oozes freedom and fresh air, it's on of those magical times in history. I believe it was made with the concept of police breaking the law in order to prioritize the rights of the victims over the criminals. An original idea at the time, interesting to think it began somewhere. Bullitt did much of this as well, and better but not as bombastic as this, thanks to the writing of John Milius. This was a pioneer of killing a criminal before he commits the crime. They laugh about beating prisoners, this was a time we trusted police and didn't need 75 cops tv shows to do it. He jokes about all the races he hates. Creeps on women in their homes. He beats and insults a guy threatening suicide. He shoots first. He uses illegal weapons. He breaks into homes. He doesn't get search warrants. He shoots unarmed people. He doesn't read rights or allow legal counsel before questioning. He tortures criminals. He stalks people in off hours. He causes car wrecks, involving kids, nearly shoots kids. The scorpio killer is a good character, like the Joker but 40 years ahead. The best scene is the scorpio killer paying a black guy to beat him up. The scene with him slapping kids for not wanting to go to the ice cream factory is hilarious, it's very dysfunctional family.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

amheretojudge

Sep 17, 2018

aptly humane and sane..

Dirty Harry Dirty Harry is a character driven crime thriller about a madman who is on a killing spree and to stop him, an equally bold cop is hired to pull off this job. The feature may be of "cat and mouse" nature but its simple chess politics that it plays with allaptly humane and sane..

Dirty Harry Dirty Harry is a character driven crime thriller about a madman who is on a killing spree and to stop him, an equally bold cop is hired to pull off this job. The feature may be of "cat and mouse" nature but its simple chess politics that it plays with all tricks in, is what makes it smarter and cunning than the usual cop cases. If it is brimmed with action then it is full of slick moves, if it has any chase or physical sequences it is performed with panache and if there are any morale conflicts or threats they are projected with gut wrenching execution that screams the glorifying cinematic experience that every fan aspires for. The background score is palpable enough to add the cynicism on each sequences, the cinematography is decent with sharp sound effects and fine editing but poor art designing. The way it simplifies the human necessities and emotional aspects by choking up the characters' nerves and narrowing its abilities is how it offer a three dimensional perspective to them which is purely cathartic to the eyes. Eastwood is lethal and also vulnerable and with a character range that he has offered he milks out the essential bits and foliates it through finesse on screen. The narration is appreciative and thoroughly gripping but with Siegel's brilliant execution it creates the anticipated impact on screen. The smarter ideologies of the crimes are written with maturity and depicts the entire subjective procedure to the viewers to elaborate the bar and the magnitude of the stakes and emotions that the characters are going through it. Thoroughly competent action and chase sequences, gripping and layered screenplay that enfolds with appealing characters and revealing concepts are the high points of the feature. Dirty Harry is undeniably dirty but it is aptly humane and sane whose buoyant natured script is the real gem that keeps giving it back.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Tyranian

Apr 7, 2019

A pretty good cop film, Eastwood is very good and story is solid though the film has dated a bit.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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