I’ve never seen Dirty Harry before. It’s one of those well known film titles that I’ve just never got around to. I know that Harry is Clint Eastwood. But why is he dirty? Well Harry Callahan is a cop. A detective to be precise. In 60s San Fransisco. He’s after a killer and this wastes no time setting the tone. The body count kicks off in the opening scene. The premise, the mayor coughs up $100,000 or the killing continues. Enter Harry, he doesn’t play by the rules, hence the dirty moniker. He also has an ironic issue with authority figures… like the mayor, his bosses, or anyone really. He’s the lovable rogue and Eastwood is perfect, especially young Eastwood. He’s essentially a cowboy let loose on the city streets. This is a city film. Concrete and cars, a time capsule immortalising an analog America. There’s never been a time I recall when America wasn’t considered a dangerous country and cinema like this does little to quell that. It’s stylish though. That’s the point, it’s a love letter to Harry type, the all American no nonsense Anti-hero. Straight talking. Straight shooting. Doing what’s right by his own conscience and nothing more. He fixes problems, dirty ones. The score is both of its time and brilliant, adding to the slick cool and the energy of the killer (Andrew Robinson) on the loose. As the body count rises, so do the stakes. Harry finds himself being instructed to “do what you’re told”. Good luck with that. The first half of the film although all set up is still packed with a nice mix of action and character building. We meet Chico (Reni Santoni), Harry’s new reluctantly welcomed partner and learn that the Scorpio killer is more than just a madman with a sniper rifle. Harry though, is more than just a cop. In fact he’s not a particular good cop. It’s not the most complex plot (to start at least), but it’s bloody good fun to watch unfold and there’s an intriguing moral, social and constitutional element to it. Ah America and its constitution. The third act provides an interesting twist as it proves there’s more to this than first meets the eye. It’s a great film. I bet gun toting republicans love it!!
7/10
Comments