Dirty Harry: Difference between revisions

Dirty Harry is a

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The film opens with a serial killer nicknamed "Scorpio" (played by Andrew Robinson) murdering a young girl in a rooftop swimming pool using a high-powered rifle. The spent casing is found on a rooftop across the way by Callahan. Scorpio then blackmails the city of San Fransico and says that he will kill one person every day until he is paid a ransom.

Inspector

Infuriated that his plans have been foiled, Scorpio kidnaps a teenage girl, rapes her and then incarcerates her in a hole. Then he contacts the city and demands a ransom twice that of the previous one. He claims that it must be paid quickly as his prisoner only has enough air to last until 3:00 a.m. the following morning. The mayor (John Vernon) decides to submit, and Callahan is asked to deliver the money to a location in the docks. When Harry reaches the drop point, Scorpio contacts him through a public pay phone. He sends Callahan on a journey between various pay phones in the city in order to separate the inspector from any back-up that he may have. Fortunately Scorpio does not realise that Callahan has a wire, allowing Chico to know where his partner is going.

The chase ends when Callahan reaches an enormous cross in one of the city's parks (

Scorpio limps to a hospital and is treated for his leg wound. Later the doctor who treated Scorpio is questioned by Callahan and his new partner Frank DeGeorgio. The doctor tells them that Scorpio works and lives in the nearby Kezar Stadium. Callahan then breaks into the stadium and searches Scorpio's room without a warrant. Callahan hears Scorpio fleeing and chases him onto the stadium's field. Frank turns on the stadium lights to give Callahan a clear view and Callahan stops Scorpio by shooting him in the leg. Scorpio is unwilling to reveal the location of the girl to Callahan, claiming he has the right to legal representation. In response Callahan tortures Scorpio by standing on his wounded leg. Scorpio finally tells Callahan where he has been keeping the girl. Unfortunately, by the time the police find her, she is already dead and to make matters worse Scorpio is released without charge, because Callahan broke into his home illegally and tortured him to obtain his confession.

After his release, Callahan follows Scorpio on his own time in order to prevent him from killing again. Scorpio pays a thug to punch him in the face and then tells the press that the police are harassing him and names Callahan as being responsible. The chief and mayor order Callahan to leave Scorpio alone, but Callahan protests that he's innocent. "Anyone can tell that I didn't do that." "How?" "Because he looks too damn good, that's why!"

With Callahan off his tail, Scorpio is able to kidnap a busload of children. He demands another ransom and a private jet to take him out of the country and presumably beyond Callahan's reach. The mayor insists on paying, but Callahan pursues Scorpio on his own and eventually rescues the children and chases Scorpio into a nearby cement factory. Scorpio flees the factory and captures a boy that was fishing in a nearby river. Callahan shoots Scorpio, who releases the boy and drops his gun. As Scorpio looks to pick up his gun, Callahan asks him if he feels lucky. Scorpio evidently does because he tries to grab the gun, but Callahan shoots and kills him. The film ends with Callahan disgustedly throwing his detective's badge into a nearby river.

Influence and popularity

Clint Eastwood's iconic portrayal of the blunt, cynical, unorthodox detective who is seemingly in perpetual trouble with his incompetent bosses, set the style for a number of his later roles and, indeed, a whole genre of cop films. Harry Callahan is nicknamed "Dirty Harry" due to his propensity for accepting the dirtiest assignments. The box-office success of Dirty Harry led to the production of four sequels. The cop who cares more for justice than rules motif was one subsequently imitated by a number of other films.

"Dirty" Harry Callahan also helped popularize

Scorpio, the film's antagonist, was based on the real-life Zodiac Killer, who was on the loose in San Francisco at that time. Unfortunately, the Zodiac Killer has never been caught. Audie Murphy was first approached to play the Scorpio Killer, but he died in a plane crash before his decision on the offer could be made. The part eventually went to the relative unknown, Andrew Robinson. Robinson's portrayal was so chilling that after the film was released he reportedly received several death threats and was forced to get an unlisted telephone number. In real life, Robinson is a pacifist who despises guns. In the early days of principal photography, Robinson would flinch violently every time he fired. Director Don Siegel was forced to shut down production for a time and sent Robinson to a school to learn to fire a gun convincingly. [1] Nonetheless, he still blinks when he shoots.

Filming Locations

• USA
• California Hall, San Francisco, California, USA
• City Hall - 1 Dr.
  Carlton B. Goodlett Place
  , San Francisco, California, USA
• Hall of Justice - 850 Bryant Street, San Francisco, California, USA
• Holiday Inn Select Downtown Hotel - 750 Kearny Street, San Francisco, California, USA
• Kezar Stadium - Frederick Street, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, USA
• Larkspur, California, USA
• Mill Valley, California, USA
• Mission District
  , San Francisco, California, USA
• Mt. Davidson Cross - Mount Davidson, San Francisco, California, USA
• San Francisco, California, USA
• St. Peter & Paul Church - 666 Filbert St., San Francisco, California, USA
• Washington Square, North Beach, San Francisco, California, USA

Trivia

• In the Dirty Harry video game for the
  Every Which Way But Loose and Any Which Way You Can [2]
  .

• The virtual band Gorillaz has two singles named "Clint Eastwood" in their debut album and another called "Dirty Harry" on their recent album Demon Days.

• The final scene, in which Callahan throws his badge in the river, is a homage to a similar scene from
  High Noon
  .

• Alan Spencer's police sitcom Sledge Hammer!
  is a satire based on the no-nonsense approach to law enforcement in the Dirty Harry films. Alan Spencer envisioned a police officer, Inspector Sledge Hammer, whose approach was even more over-the-top, to the point of comical absurdity.

• In the television show Firefly the aggressive and violent Jayne introduces the name of his favorite weapon, "Vera", as a "Callahan full-bore auto-lock, customized trigger, double-cartridge thorough-gauge"

• In the 2004 movie,
  Starsky and Hutch
  , there is a Dirty Harry poster that is clearly visible in Starsky's bedroom.

• Mark "The Undertaker" Calaway
  in the Eastwood role.

• Eastwood performed the stunt in which he jumps on to the roof of a speeding schoolbus himself, without a stunt double. His face is clearly visible throughout the shot.

• Don Siegel told Andy Robinson that he cast him in the role of the Scorpio killer because he wanted someone "with a face like a choirboy."

• Eastwood has claimed that he took the role of Harry Callahan because of the character's obsessive concern with the victims of violent crime. Eastwood felt that the issue of victims rights was being neglected in the political atmosphere of the time.

• A section of the Philippine police force ordered a print of the movie for use as a training film.[3][4]

• The gun used by Clint Eastwood in the filming of the movie was reportly not a .44 Magnum. According to legend, Smith & Wesson did not have a Model 29 in stock at the time one was requested for filming. Instead, they used a Smith & Wesson Model 57 in .41 Magnum. The Model 29 and Model 57 are identical except for minute differences in bore size, chamber dimensions, and exterior markings, none of which are visible in the film. An actual Model 29 was used for the opening close-up shot in the sequel, Magnum Force.

• Another version of the Dirty Harry gun story: In the sequence where we see Clint Eastwood drawing his oversized revolver for the first time, the gun used was actually a Smith and Wesson Model 29 in .44 Smith and Wesson Magnum with an 8 3/8" barrel, but subsequent shooting (both with the cameras and the gun) was conducted using a Smith and Wesson Model 25 in .45 Long Colt with a 6" barel. The choice of .45LC over .44 Magnum was a consequence of the wish to use the standard "Four-In-One" blank cartriges used for filming cowboy movies and thus easily found in moviemaking circles.

• In 1972 soon after the release of the film in Australia, in an apparent copycat crime, two men kidnapped a teacher and six pupils at gunpoint, and forced them into a red delivery van, demanding a $1 million ransom, which the state government agreed to pay. The children escaped with their teacher, the ransom was not paid and the kidnappers were jailed. Coincidentally, one of the kidnappers was named Eastwood. He escaped from prison and again tried kidnapping school children for ransom.

• The term Dirty Harry has also inspired an alcoholic beverage. This drink consists of 2 parts Southern Comfort, 1 part Kahlua, and 3/4 part of Creme de Cacao. The drink is served over ice in a tumbler glass.

Quotes

• Harry Callahan: Well, when an adult male is chasing a female with intent to commit rape, I shoot the bastard. That's my policy.
• The Mayor: Intent? How did you establish that?
• Harry Callahan: When a naked man is chasing a woman through an alley with a butcher's knife and a hard-on, I figure he isn't out collecting for the Red Cross! [walks out of the room]
• The Mayor: He's got a point.

• Harry Callahan - "I know what you're thinking: 'Did he fire six shots or only five?' Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I've kinda lost track myself. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?"

• The Mayor: Well, lets have it.
• Harry Callahan: Have what?
• The Mayor: A report. What have you been doing?
• Harry Callahan: Well for the past three quarters of an hour, I have been sitting on my ass in your outer office, waiting on you.

• DA Rothko: ...What I'm saying is that man had rights. (referring to a suspect from whom Callahan had beaten a confession)
• Harry Callahan: Well I'm all broken up over that man's rights. [Referring to the illegal search and torture]

External links

• Dirty Harry at
  IMDb
• Dirty Harry at Rotten Tomatoes
• Harry Callahan fan site
• Clint Eastwood on Dirty Harry