Dirty Harry, 1971.
Directed by Don Siegel.
Starring Clint Eastwood, Harry Guardino, Reni Santoni, Andy Robinson, John Larch, and John Vernon.
SYNOPSIS:
The iconic 1971 classic Dirty Harry, directed by Don Siegel and starring Clint Eastwood, makes its 4K Ultra HD debut. The film looks great, and the bonus features are awesome. I’m even willing to reassess this movie in my old age.
I’ll admit I had a knee-jerk reaction to Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry character in the 80s because of Ronald Reagan’s fondness for quoting his “Go ahead, make my day” line from 1983’s Sudden Impact. I’ve also never been a big fan of vigilante films, although I can understand the impulses that push people to take the law into their own hands.
However, I was willing to give the first film in this series, titled simply Dirty Harry, a look from the perspective of a 55-year-old guy with a family and a career, as opposed to a teenager in the 80s who didn’t care for a politician. (I realize this movie came out in 1971, but I was one year old at the time, so my memory of the character begins in the 80s.)
While I don’t feel the need to see the rest of the films in the series, I can look at this one through the lens of the era in which it was released. The Zodiac killer had recently terrified the San Francisco Bay Area, which is where this film is set, and many American cities were dealing with an upswing in violent crimes and unrest that would peak during the 1970s. (Side note: show this movie to anyone who thinks criminal activity is out of hand now compared to “the good old days.”)
I mention the Zodiac killer because that was the inspiration for the criminal at the heart of this film, a serial killer who uses a sniper rifle to take out his victims. Like the Zodiac killer, he taunts local government and law enforcement through a series of letters and demands a reply in the newspaper, although this guy, nicknamed “Scorpio,” is fine with a message placed in a classified ad. (It’s what people used before Craigslist.)
Dirty Harry’s “I’m too old for this shit” shtick seems cliche today, especially when he’s paired with an inexperienced rookie against his wishes, but it made sense during a time when people were reeling from several years of unrest. And the story takes place just a few years after the Warren-led Supreme Court’s 1966 ruling that established what are now known as criminal suspects’ Miranda rights, which were met with a fair amount of outrage at the time.
And, hey, I get it. Harry is facing off against a lunatic who demonstrates that he’s not afraid to threaten the lives of children. There’s no reason given for Scorpio’s motives, although I don’t think there has to be — some people are just defective. When Harry discovers incriminating evidence but, oops, didn’t get a search warrant first, I can understand the frustration he feels, knowing that he’s being hamstrung in his attempt to bring the guy to justice.
But, yes, there’s a reason why our system treats suspects the way it does, and that’s because many crimes aren’t as clear-cut as Scorpio’s kills for thrills, with suspects who aren’t necessarily as obviously guilty as him. In the end, I see Dirty Harry as a movie akin to later ones like Falling Down, where the protagonist is pushed to his limits and engages in behavior that many people (hopefully) don’t agree with but can also understand.
Okay, with that out of the way, Warner Bros. has issued this one, along with Eastwood’s Pale Rider and The Outlaw Josey Wales (reviews coming soon), on 4K Ultra HD. The new transfer found here was sourced from an 8K scan of the original camera negative, and it looks great. Like so many other recent 4K releases, this one is pretty much the pinnacle of what you can expect on home video (unless you have a really insanely big screen and could actually benefit from an 8K disc).
You also get a code for a digital copy and a nice assortment of bonus features:
• Audio commentary: Film critic and Clint Eastwood biographer Richard Schickel serves up a richly detailed discussion of the movie, putting it in the contexts of film history at the time and its star’s career. It might be a bit dry for the casual listener, but I love these kinds of audio commentaries.
• Generations and Dirty Harry (6:15): Newly created for this release, this is a quick spin through various folks’ appreciation for the movie, regardless of their ages. Warner Archive’s George Feltenstein, IndieWire writer Jim Hemphill, podcasters Chris Collins and Josh Rodriguez, and others share their thoughts.
• Lensing Justice: The Cinematography of Dirty Harry (7:54): The only other new extra found here, this one pays homage to the cinematography of the late DP Bruce Surtees, who worked on several other Eastwood films.
• American Masters Career Retrospective – Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows (86:57): This is a fabulous documentary from 2000 that offers a comprehensive look at the actor/writer/director/producer’s illustrious career to that point. It’s definitely worth watching.
• Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malposo (58:07): This is a 1993 documentary about Eastwood’s life, treading on a lot of the same territory as the previous one but ending with his work on Unforgiven.
• Clint Eastwood – A Cinematic Legacy: Fighting for Justice (17:33): This is a chapter from a 2021 documentary about Eastwood, focusing specifically on Dirty Harry Callahan and other similar characters.
• Dirty Harry’s Way (6:58): This is an old-school EPK produced when the movie was made. Very fluffy, but I suppose completists will be glad it’s included.
• Dirty Harry: The Original (29:43): This one was created for the movie’s 2001 DVD release. It’s hosted by Robert Urich.
An interview gallery of roughly 25 minutes worth of bits cut from the sessions for that aforementioned documentary rounds out the platter. You won’t find any trailers, and my understanding is that a featurette from the 2008 Blu-ray is missing too.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Brad Cook
