Directed by Don Siegal
Written by Harry Julian Fink, Rita M. Fink and Dean Reisner
1971/US
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
District Attorney Rothko: You’re lucky I’m not indicting you for assault with intent to commit murder.
Harry Callahan: What?
District Attorney Rothko: Where the hell does it say that you’ve got a right to kick down doors, torture suspects, deny medical attention and legal counsel? Where have you been? Does Escobedo ring a bell? Miranda? I mean, you must have heard of the Fourth Amendment. What I’m saying is that man had rights.
Harry Callahan: Well, I’m all broken up about that man’s rights.
This is the ultimate “rogue cop who dispenses justice without regard to any pesky Constitutional rights” movie. It is as well made as it can be. But I don’t have to like it.
Inspector Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is a homicide detective with the San Francisco Police Department. He is called “Dirty Harry” because he always gets the “dirty” jobs as he has a “dirty” attitude. He back talks everyone, usually is operating outside shouting distance of his partner, and never calls for backup. And obviously he isn’t wearing a body camera or, to be fair, military issue.
He is assigned the case of psychopath serial killer “Scorpio” (Andy Robinson). Scorpio taunts the police and then Callahan personally and vows to keep killing until he is paid a ransom. Callahan just wants to catch up with the guy and nail him but the mayor and district attorney want to humor him for awhile. Several more killings ensue. The murders are all senseless and heinous. Callahan finally catches up to Scorpio and wounds him. The creature lies sniveling on the ground whining about his rights and how he wants an attorney and medical care. He is arrested and taken away in an ambulance but the district attorney says the killer will be released since all the evidence is tainted by Harry’s violation of his rights.
So Scorpio gets out of the hospital and really goes to town. Now the two antagonists are at war with Scorpio humiliating Callahan on a wild goose chase through San Francisco. At the height of his villainy Scorpio kidnaps a bus full of school children and uses them as human hostages.
This was an extremely popular movie back in the day but I have avoided for these many years because I was pretty certain I would react the way I indeed have done. First off, this is a movie that doesn’t pull any punches on the subject of “coddling criminals” as all these relatively new Warren Court cases extended limits on police overreaching in extracting confessions or obtaining evidence.
On the other hand, for the life of me, I can’t understand why any competent proscecutor couldn’t have put together a case that would have put Scorpio out of commission for several years at the very least for his first assault on Callahan. But the main reason I may have avoided it was on the assumption it was really for boys. Testosterone fuels this action-packed thriller. There isn’t even a love interest or partner. The only females we see are victims and the school bus driver. As a historical artifact I would call this a must-see.
Liberals hate this movie. Harry represents the type of cop we see all to often in today’s news. The judge, jury and executioner, the law be damned. To the Conservative Harry is the righteous avenger sent from God. This movie is so well made, thanks to Don Siegel, one needs to study it for whatever cinematic merits it has and let the political and moral discussion begin. An important, brilliant and toxic film!
You are so right. It’s an insidious film that makes up fake “rights” so that it can shoot down the accused’s legitimate rights down along with them. I remain firmly convinced that 1) a solid argument could be made that the warrantless search was allowed under the circumstances and b) even if the search was invalid, Scorpio could have been convicted for assault on two police officers based on the testimony of the officers and numerous eye witnesses. Somehow this makes me doubly mad at this movie. That it has helped get us where we are today makes me even madder.
Although I have to admit the film is extremely effective it is basically a right-wing wet dream. It remains one of the four controversial mainstream films of 1971. The others: 1) Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, far more shocking today than when first released 2) Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs, oh you’re gonna love that one! and 3) Ken Russell’s The Devils, good finding that one.
It might not come as a huge surprise but I have seen both A Clockwork Orange and Straw Dogs and once was more than enough. I may also die before I see The Devils.
Your life will be complete without seeing The Devils.
When they smashed in the door and shot Breanna Taylor, the cops had “Dirty Harry” dancing in their heads.
Yeah, they were going to solve Louisville’s drug problems with some semi-automatic weapons for sure.
It is difficult not not to feel dirty watching this.
I was wondering the same thing, the guy is so obviously guilty, it must have been possible to nail him for something. It looks more like a political statement.
Yes, dirty cops, dirty politicians, maniac criminals, people running around with guns in downtown San Francisco for God’s sake. I think it is strongly political. I thought it was interesting that they made Harry’s kill clearly in self-defense so you can’t really say that it promotes vigilante justice by rogue cop. Except that the whole thing does.
The search probably was not even illegal/unconstitutional as it occurred during the active pursuit of a suspect in the course of a crime. Even if it was and evidence could not be used to prove the previous murders, Scorpio could have been put away for assault on at least two police officers, I think.
I watched The French Connection yesterday. Stay tuned for another rant!