The Enforcer (1976/I)

Director:

James Fargo

Writers:

Harry Julian Fink (characters) and
Rita M. Fink (characters) ...

Release Date:

22 December 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

The "dirtiest" Harry of them all!

Plot:

Dirty Harry must foil a terrorist organization made up of disgruntled Vietnam veterans. But this time, he's teamed with a rookie female partner that he's not too excited to be working with.

Plot Keywords:

Terrorist | Police | Alcatraz | Vietnam Veteran | Policewoman

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Insp. 'Dirty' Harry Callahan
Tyne Daly	...	Insp. Kate Moore
Harry Guardino	...	Lt. Al Bressler
Bradford Dillman	...	Capt. McKay
John Mitchum	...	Insp. Frank DiGiorgio
DeVeren Bookwalter	...	Bobby Maxwell
John Crawford	...	The Mayor
Samantha Doane	...	Wanda
Robert F. Hoy	...	Buchinski (as Robert Hoy)
Jocelyn Jones	...	Miki Waleska
M.G. Kelly	...	Father John
Nick Pellegrino	...	Martin
Albert Popwell	...	'Big' Ed Mustapha
Rudy Ramos	...	Mendez
Bill Ackridge	...	Andy

Also Known As:

Moving Target (USA) (original script title)
Dirty Harry III - Der Unerbittliche (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
L'inspecteur ne renonce jamais (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Cielo di piombo ispettore Callaghan (Italy) [it]
Den hårda jakten (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Dirty Harry renser ud (Denmark) [da]
Enforcer - hårding (Sweden) [sv]
Hårdingen (Sweden) [sv]
Harry - O Implacável (Portugal) [pt]
Harry l'executor (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Harry, el ejecutor (Spain) [es]
Murskaaja (Finland) [fi]
O epitheoritis Callahan xanaktypa (Greece) [el]
Sem Medo da Morte (Brazil) [pt]
Sin miedo a la muerte (Argentina) (cable TV title) [es]

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M (TV rating) | Spain:18 | Iceland:16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Finland:K-18 (1977) (cut) | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | USA:R (certificate #24716) | France:Unrated | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2008) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Australia:MA (Cable TV rating) | Brazil:14 | Canada:18A | Australia:R | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 (cut) | UK:18 | South Korea:18 | Norway:16 (1977) (cut) | Norway:15 (DVD rating) | New Zealand:PG (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

23rd & Capp Streets, Mission District, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The original script was titled "Moving Target", and onward to the working original title "Dirty Harry III", before officially being titled "The Enforcer".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Harry confronts the priest in his church (shortly before Harry's partner shoots the alleged "nun"), Harry pushes the priest forcefully backwards into the confessional. When the priest hits the 'tiled' rear wall, you can see it shake, revealing it to be a cardboard prop.

Quotes:

Mustapha: [inviting Harry to come in and talk] Why don't you just come into my office here.
[Inspector Moore starts following Harry in]
Mustapha: Uh, just you.
Black Guys: Don't worry, pig, we'll see she don't get lonesome.
Harry Callahan: Well, that's mighty white of you.
Black Guys: [start to move closer to Kate Moore with mischief looks]
Kate Moore: Now gentlemen, before anybody does anything uncalled for, I'd like to take this opportunity to point out to you that I am a police officer, and if you touch me with intent to do bodily harm...
[fades out as Harry continues inside]
Kate Moore: [... moments later when Harry exits shop, the confrontation is still going on]
Harry Callahan: Having fun, Inspector? If you're through socializing, we do have work to do.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "20 to 1: Memorable Movie Characters (#3.11)" (2006)

Sometime You Need Neanderthals In The Department

It might not be the best of the Dirty Harry films, but The Enforcer is my favorite one. This is the one where the sexist side of Inspector Harry Callahan is explored and challenged.

Clint Eastwood is now on some dead end assignment in the San Francisco PD because he's once again offended someone powerful. He's now reviewing applicants for promotion. But when a robbery occurs of an armory and some heavy duty weapons are stolen, the SFPD has to turn to Dirty Harry.

In this case something called the People's Liberation Strike Force with those weapons and explosives now start making demands on the city of San Francisco.

A lot of dead bodies pile up in this one, including John Mitchum in his third and final appearance in a Dirty Harry film. Mitchum was one of the detectives in the SFPD Homicide Squad and had a peripheral role in the first two films. Here he becomes Clint's partner and actually uncovers the hideout of the militants, but the leader gets the drop on him and kills him.

Harry Guardino returns as Eastwood's immediate superior, Guardino was absent from Magnum Force, he figured prominently as the constantly harassed superior. Bradford Dillman is an ambitious politically minded captain, who gets the liberal mayor, John Crawford's ear.

Tyne Daly gives the best performance, probably her best big screen role as the female partner Eastwood is assigned with. It's part of the new look the SFPD is being given. She's quite the inexperienced klutz at first, something Clint doesn't really need. In the end she really does redeem herself. And Clint loses a bit off the testosterone here.

The final shootout with the militants who've hidden out on deserted Alcatraz Island is the best climax of any of the Dirty Harry films. The Enforcer's got the best ending of any Dirty Harry film.

As you gather some punks chose to try their luck with Dirty Harry.