X
- 1971
- R
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 42 m
- 1971
- R
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 42 m
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 mysel...
Directed By: Don Siegel, Clint Eastwood
- 1971
- R
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 42 m
- 1971
- R
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 42 m
Dirty Harry
87
8.2
Where to Watch
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 mysel...
Directed By: Don Siegel, Clint Eastwood
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
87
80% Positive
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
10% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
10% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
87
80% Positive
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
10% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
10% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
The pleasures of this movie are abundant. The pacing is as swift as a speeding bullet. There are wonderfully evoked lived-in San Francisco locations... And there are splendid set pieces that showcase the perpetually-underrated Don Siegel's great skill a director. This film is efficient, unpretentious and much wittier and more stylish than your average cop movie.
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.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 101 User Ratings
8.2
92% Positive
93 Ratings
93 Ratings
6% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
2% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 101 User Ratings
8.2
92% Positive
93 Ratings
93 Ratings
6% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
2% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
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 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
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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.
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.
Strip away the philosophical garbage and all that's left is a well-made but shallow running-and-jumping meller. Don Siegel produces handsomely and directs routinely.
The movie is both vile and risible.
Directed by Don Siegel in 1971.... Dirty Harry is the original and best in the series, Dirty Harry spawned sequels but none of them could maintain the high standards of the violent and gripping original, filled with tension and tense moments and classic quotes and lines... A killer named Scorpio (Andrew Robinson) is a rooftop killer because he's snipering people from roofs but at times keeps a low profile but eventually runs out of luck, he results in taking a school bus of kids hostage and demanding money or certain people die. Inspector Callahan also known as Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood) chases the killer on a few occasions, follows him and tries to stop him at each turn but the killer is always a step ahead usually until the end. Full of violence and bad language and an excellent performance by Eastwood I'd say Dirty Harry is a classic crime thriller and one of the best movies ever made. It may have scenes of nudity so kids should avoid it and Eastwood carries his signature 44 magnum on him so we can all spot him casually walking around the streets blowing the badguys away after chomping on a hotdog.... It's fairly dark in places and always entertaining even when the action scenes aren't operational because the storyline is so good. Excellent film and a must watch in my opinion, also stars John Vernon as the mayor and Reni Santoni.
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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 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.
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Ahh, the 70s. They gave us some of the best action films. Can we get some similar stuff today? .
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The character of Dirty Harry is great and it has the best characterization of Harry among all five films. Some early dialogues and scenes give a very clear introduction to the iconic character portrayed by the great Clint Eastwood. His lines are just awesome. And the way he delivers them is fantastic. Not just this, his characterization is very firm and strong. We can fully get behind his way of working and going against the law to do something right. One more thing, Harry is a badass character, and is full of testosterone. But he isn't a super-powerful and literally invulnerable guy. As a matter of fact, he feels humane and believable. He has weaknesses and the clear belief that his methods are good. The villain in this movie is also good. He gives a very good support to the character of Harry Callahan, being a sadistic and crazy a$$hole at the same time. He gets under our nerves very quickly. The actor has done a fine job in (perhaps) his only film role. Speaking of the story, it's not about who did it sort of a mystery thriller, but rather a "chase". It's all about how Harry gets "unstable" little by little because of the doings of Scorpio. It gets more and more serious as it proceeds. The final showdown between Harry and Scorpio is worth the build up of the story. The conclusion is really satisfying. There are entertaining action scenes. There are disturbing and dark moments. Eastwood gives some badass moments and quotable lines. And the way Eastwood delivers the the same quote in the first act and in the third act is quite great. There are also a lot of scenes where he messes up with authorities and even says "the law is crazy". None of them feel forced or so. In short it is a representative **** 70s Hollywood crime action film. Nothing holds the film down. .
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Conclusion : One of the best 70s Hollywood movie. It has all the excitement that an action film needs and all the right elements of a cop drama/crime movie. It will not disappoint at any level whatsoever. Completely recommended for old film lovers and to the genre fans. .
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Rating. .
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Score : absolute 10/10
Grade : golden A+
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Production Company
The Malpaso Company
Release Date Dec 23, 1971
Duration 1 h 42 m
Rating R
Tagline Dirty Harry and the homicidal maniac. Harry's the one with the badge.
Awards
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 2 Nominations
National Film Preservation Board, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Online Film & Television Association
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
