The Dirty Harry Films.

[Charles Bronson]

Last night I was watching Liam Neeson in 'The Dead Pool' One of his first big roles in films. I wanted to see some of Liam's early stuff because Liam is an actor I like a lot. The film was made in 1988 and was the final Dirty Harry film.

Liam played the part of a young English film director, and gave a fairly good performance.

I have to say I enjoyed this 'Dirty Harry' film a lot more than I thought I would. It was very entertaining. The scene were Harry is being chased by a little model car was very good.

I think 'Dead Pool' was the only Dirty Harry film I hadn't watched yet, but I might try and rewatch a few more now. Magnum Force wasn't bad, so I will try and get hold of that one.

Charles.

[Gene Hunt]

I have the box set of these Charles and have to say I like them. Like most things in this category, it is far fetched, but it is still entertaining. The original Dirty Harry movie which starred Andy Robinson is still the best of the set though.

Gene.

[Villain]

The first two films are still excellent, the first will always be the best of course but 'Magnum Force' still hits the spot. Lalo Schifrin's score for 'Dirty Harry' is pure genius and sounds great in the car.


Villain 

[Bojan Scores]

The first Dirty Harry is wonderful and based loosely on the Zodiac murders. As mentioned this is Lalo Schifrin’s finest moment as well as Clint’s! The film’s tone is still controversial now, is it a right wing vigilante statement or a post Altamont comment on the generation gap and liberal views on criminality - maybe both? The French Connection came out in the same year and is probably more influential, Dirty Harry is my favourite out of the two (just).
I know that Frank Sinatra was signed up for the Harry Callaghan role before injury forced him to pull out. Artwork and posters still exist of FS as Harry. I believe Steve McQueen and Paul Newman also turned it down before it got to Clint. It’s arguably a remake of Coogans Bluff to a certain extent, a film where Clint also worked with DH director Don Siegel. The scene where the District Attorney explains why he’s released Scorpio, and Harry’s reaction is the key scene in its so called political commentary. As with Get Carter, and so many other films and TV at the turn of the 1970s the underlying tone is one of cynicism and bleak outlooks. I was lucky enough to see DH at the cinema in 2008 due to a Sunday Times sponsored classic film season. It was like viewing it for a first time, and the visuals just blow you away in the big screen format. Oh, before the hijacked school bus drives into a tunnel I swear blind you see an Austin 1100 in front of it!

[Bojan Scores]

[Charles Bronson]

Very good piece there Bojan.
I'll make it my business to watch 'Dirty Harry' again soon.It's a while since I've seen it.

I wish I could have seen it on the big screen myself. You cant beat seeing a film at the cinema. It's so much better.
Over the years I saw quite a few of Clints films at the cinema, but unfortunately no Dirty Harry ones.

Charles.

[Arthur Pringle]

Kenneth Williams went to see Dirty Harry on April 13th 1972- 'it was very good indeed and technically brilliant', two days after he saw it he wrote enthusiastically about it in his diary. Later that year in September he saw 'Joe Kidd'- 'it was, as usual with this actor, excellent'.

Magnum Force is probably my favourite, it lacks Don Siegel's expert hand but the script is very good. I've never thought of Callahan as the 'fascist cop' some critics described him as, just as an individual at odds with the system & on the side of the victim, however you can't ignore the fact that Callahan, an at times reckless cop, comes away from each film alive whilst his Mexican, Black & female sidekicks either die or are hospitalised.

[Vienna]

Jan 29, 2018 11:33:17 GMT Gene Hunt said:

I have the box set of these Charles and have to say I like them. Like most things in this category, it is far fetched, but it is still entertaining. The original Dirty Harry movie which starred Andy Robinson is still the best of the set though.

Gene.

I presume you have the Blu-ray box set, Gene 




Vi

[Gene Hunt]

Jan 29, 2018 19:24:02 GMT Vienna said:

Jan 29, 2018 11:33:17 GMT Gene Hunt said:

I have the box set of these Charles and have to say I like them. Like most things in this category, it is far fetched, but it is still entertaining. The original Dirty Harry movie which starred Andy Robinson is still the best of the set though.

Gene.

I presume you have the Blu-ray box set, Gene 




Vi

That's the one Vienna 

[Charles Bronson]

Jan 29, 2018 19:42:48 GMT Gene Hunt said:

Jan 29, 2018 19:24:02 GMT Vienna said:

I presume you have the Blu-ray box set, Gene 




Vi

That's the one Vienna 

This sounds very tempting indeed.
I will have to look on Amazon.

Charles.