Review #881: Dirty Harry (1971)

Title: Dirty Harry
Year: 1971
Director: Don Siegel
Country: US
Language: English

Along with Blazing Saddles (1974) one film that would absolutely NOT be remade for 21st Century audiences would be Dirty Harry (1971). The first of five films in the Dirty Harry Series starring Clint Eastwood, Dirty Harry is not only filled to the brim with racist and sexist stereotypes, but the main character openly sneers at liberals for aiding and abetting society’s scum. In our current society where "Black Lives Matter", police are viewed under a microscope and any word can be used against you it's hard to see what place this film would have. 

When a mad man calling himself 'the Scorpio Killer' menaces the city, tough as nails San Francisco Police Inspector Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is assigned to track down and ferret out the crazed psychopath.

With Dirty Harry, it's amazing to see how many movies and TV shows have copied key elements from that film: the loose cannon police detective, the crotchety superior officers, the cackling sleazeball criminals, the catchphrases, and more. Made during the "New Hollywood" era, a time when the Hays Code of Golden Hollywood no longer mattered and filmmakers were pushing the boundaries of what could be shown onscreen, Dirty Harry took advantage of the elevated tolerance for adult content to deliver something truly outrageous. 

America in the early 70's was either a hippie paradise or a conservative's nightmare. Upon becoming president Richard Nixon promised to crackdown on "pothead liberals" and I believe Dirty Harry was a more right-wing reaction to this. Despite its politics Dirty Harry is a surprisingly entertaining picture that will have you hooked in shock, disbelief and suspense. Bruce Surtee's photography is the real standout in this film, as such Dirty Harry has an excellent sense of city and landscape. 

 I don't agree with Dirty Harry's politics and I don't know how I could recommend this film to a friend without sounding insane. However, this picture is a classic and it deserves to be viewed as such. It's a thoroughly entertaining picture that benefits from being on shaky moral ground. Moreso it's a landmark in the history of cinema, inspiring countless films since its release.