Dirty Harry: 2 Disc Special Edition

Introduction

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 kind of 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 got to ask yourself one question: do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

It's 1971, the start of a decade where US citizens were feeling a bit hacked off with their country. Political assassinations were quite high profile in recent times with both Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy amongst the victims. The Vietnam War caused huge protests amongst the populace and people were a little sick of both central and local Government. It appeared that the 60's search for the causes of crime rather simply punishing the perpetrators had tipped the balance unfavourably into the hands of criminals, and people no longer felt safe.


Then came Dirty Harry. Clint Eastwood was already a star, but this role as maverick cop Inspector Harry Callahan arguably swept him into superstardom. Harry was a police Lieutenant who had his own moral compass that wasn't quite in sync with the San Francisco Police Department or City Hall; he had no compunctions about hunting down criminals and taking them down like big game. He even carried a big gun, a .44 Magnum trademark revolver that was the most powerful handgun in the world at that time.

Our introduction to Harry and his unique brand of policing comes quickly, as a bank robbery unfolds whilst he's taking his lunch. Still chomping down his hot dog, Harry strolls calmly across the street, taking out all four robbers with his trusty Magnum and leaving a city street looking something akin to a battlefield. And, of course, leaving us chuckling over the above quote and it's inevitable but unexpected punchline.


Meanwhile a psychotic sniper named Scorpio (Andy Robinson) has killed from above and is demanding a Dr Evil-esque $200,000 ransom if they want to keep him from killing roof top swimmers (or anyone else, actually) again. A game of cat and mouse then begins between Harry and Scorpio…

Visual

The picture looks superb, much better than the old DVD I've got, it's very clear and sharp - comparisons made with some of the extras show you what it could have been like (particularly the Harry's Way featurette). The dark scenes are still very dark though, as was the fashion.

Audio

Rather spiffing 5.1 Surround track that is quite powerful, especially when you consider the age of the film. There are also German and Spanish mono soundtracks and an English Stereo 2.0 soundtrack. Subtitles in English are available on both the main feature and the extras.

Special mention to a superb score by Lalo Schifrin, a kind of jazz funk affair that probably set the standard for cop flicks for the rest of the decade.

Extras

Commentary by Richard Schickel - interesting and informative commentary from the film critic and Eastwood biographer.

Dirty Harry: The Original - this half hour documentary on the phenomenon of the Dirty Harry character, presented by Robert Urich who starred in Magnum Force himself.


Interview Gallery - series of short interview that can be played individually or as one piece. Contributors are Patricia Clarkson (The Dead Pool), Joel Cox (Editor for Eastwood's film production company), Clint Eastwood, Hal Holbrook (Magnum Force), Evan Kim (The Dead Pool), Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ted Post (Director), and Robert Urich (Magnum Force)

Dirty Harry's Way - 7 minute original promo feature for Dirty Harry, comparing the character with famous screen icons of the past.

Trailer Gallery - Trailers for all five Dirty Harry films

The Long Shadow of Dirty Harry - half hour talking heads piece on the legacy of Dirty Harry with contributions from a lot of Hollywood script writers, production staff and stars. This is a recently produced extra when you consider some of the writer's credits shown as they talk (Smokin' Aces, for example).

Clint Eastwood: The Man From Malpaso - excellent documentary on Clint Eastwood, documenting most of the major films in his career

Some of these extras have appeared on DVD before, but in total they do make this a real Special Edition for a change.

Overall

Dirty Harry can probably be recognised as the original of the modern cop/action flick, the anti-establishment loner who is part of the very system he despises. Just about every big action film since (Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, any manner of Schwarzenegger films) derived in some part from the influence of Dirty Harry. In truth, it's not as if this kind of outsider cleaning up crime was anything new, just that the traditional arena for this kind of character was in the Western genre - John Wayne and Gary Cooper amongst those who came previously.


Eastwood played the role to perfection. Calm and collected whilst dispensing justice rather than blindly following the law, he would vent his frustration at City Officials who were more concerned at ensuring that the perp's rights were not infringed. And there's the anomaly. In life we would abhor such a member of our police force, labelling them animals and accusing them of police brutality. On the screen, it's not only fine, it's welcome with people living out their dreams of emulating this kind of wild justice in a world where it increasingly looks as if the rights of victims are forgotten.

It could have been so different as well. Frank Sinatra was originally earmarked to play Harry Callahan, and that would have changed the dynamic entirely. As it is, Dirty Harry is now an iconic character with a further four sequels to seal his place in cinematic history.

This release is a proper Special Edition for a change and can also be purchased as part of the Dirty Harry Ultimate Collector's Edition box set.