Dirty Harry (1971)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Don Siegel

Writers:

Harry Julian Fink (screenplay) &
Rita M. Fink (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

23 December 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

You don't assign him to murder cases, You just turn him loose.

Plot:

A San Francisco cop with little regard for rules (but who always gets results) tries to track down a serial killer who snipes at random victims.

Plot Keywords:

Dirty Harry | Ransom | Sniper | Police | City

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Police Inspector Harry Callahan
Harry Guardino	...	Police Lt. Al Bressler
Reni Santoni	...	Police Inspector Chico Gonzalez
John Vernon	...	The Mayor
Andrew Robinson	...	Scorpio Killer (as Andy Robinson)
John Larch	...	The Chief
John Mitchum	...	Police Inspector Frank DiGiorgio
Mae Mercer	...	Mrs. Russell
Lyn Edgington	...	Norma
Ruth Kobart	...	Bus Driver
Woodrow Parfrey	...	Mr. Jaffe
Josef Sommer	...	Dist. Atty. William T. Rothko
William Paterson	...	Judge Bannerman
James Nolan	...	Liquor Store Owner
Maurice Argent	...	Sid Kleinman (as Maurice S. Argent)

Also Known As:

Dead Right (USA) (original script title)
Harry, el sucio (Argentina) (Peru) (Spain) [es]
Dirty Harry (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
L'inspecteur Harry (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
A Fúria da Razão (Portugal) [pt]
Brudny Harry (Poland) [pl]
Dirty Harry (Denmark) [da]
Dirty Harry (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Harry el brut (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Ispettore Callaghan: il caso Scorpio è tuo (Italy) [it]
Kirli adam (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Likainen Harry (Finland) [fi]
O epitheoritis Callahan (Greece) [el]
Perseguidor Implacável (Brazil) [pt]
Piszkos Harry (Hungary) [hu]
Prljavi hari (Serbia) [sr]
Smerige klabak (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]

Runtime:

102 min | Portugal:99 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | UK:X (original rating) | Finland:K-16 (1972) (cut) (re-rating after appeal) | Netherlands:12 (TV rating) | Netherlands:16 | France:-12 | UK:15 (2008) | Ireland:15 (re-rating) (2008) | Ireland:18 | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) | Argentina:18 | Peru:18 | Norway:15 (DVD rating) | Brazil:14 | Australia:MA | Australia:R (original rating) | Finland:(Banned) (1972) | Italy:VM14 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:16 (cut) | Norway:18 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Bank of America Building - 555 California Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Malpaso Company, The

Trivia:

Clint Eastwood performed all his own stunts, including the stunt where he jumps onto the roof of the hijacked school bus from a bridge. His face is clearly visible throughout the shot.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: At the end of the bank robbery Harry delivers his famous line which includes "Did I fire 5 times or 6"? Some viewers have suggested that Harry fired only 4 times, but in actuality you only see Harry fire 4 times - if you listen carefully you hear 6 shots.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Harry Callahan: Jesus.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

"Go ahead, make my day"

It's interesting seeing Dirty Harry for the first time, since I expected to hear that catch phrase over and over again. I only heard it twice and both were well merited- the first is said to a caught bankrobber and it's spoken like it's right out of the script, direct. The second comes near the end when Harry finally has his culprit cornered, and all the rage and fury is revealed, which made me want to cheer even though I was watching it by myself.

Dirty Harry is one of the best and indeed grittiest action films from the 70's, possibly from the 20th century, and it makes Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry into a star by making such an anti-hero witty and likeable, sort of in a sense like an avenging, cop version of McDowell's character in Clockwork Orange (both released in 1971). In this first installment of the "Callahan" movies, Harry is brought on the case of the zodiac killer (Andrew Robinson), and is given a new partner, which Harry can't stand, and as the events unfold he knows he has to get him. Robinson is perfectly cast as the killer, with his scene on the bus ranking as one of the more terrifying, visceral scenes in the movies. Very 70's, but it's hard-boiled status can't be denied for Clint buffs. A+