Magnum Force

The second installation in the Dirty Harry series, how does it hold up?

I got to admit it's a fantastic follow up to the first movie, with Harry encountering some mysterious murders of the most prolific of San Francisco's crime syndicate both big and small. Harry takes up the case to prove that it is not himself that is murdering these criminals, and that's all well and good...until the 25 minute mark. I mean the mystery rolls pretty good, it makes you ask a few questions, and then it turns painfully transparent who is commiting these murders. Even though it is clear what is going down, the movie really doesn't lose that much. The action is still good, Harry gets some good character development proving that he does the law his way but he still has respect for the system of law and order, Harry gets a new partner and I think he's awesome, so it certainly doesn't downgrade from the last movie. The music once again composed by Lalo Schifrin is good but very minimalistic, oh it's there but it is not prevalent in every scene. The scenes speak for themselves, and are directed very well so music is not always required. Clint gets a lot of stuff to do in the movie, he stops plane hijackers, the entire finale he doesn't even fire a single shot and wins, and he gets a little uh, hey hey...if you know what I mean. He was a good looking fella back then, so I kinda get the attraction. But anyway, good movie, watch it if it peaks your interest, and we shall continue the series tomorrow.

Dirty Harry

Yesterday I was thinking about what I could review this week, when I remembered a movie series that many people might not know is a movie series and it's a action movie so I figured why not?

So without further delay, let's look at all 5 Dirty Harry movies this week. The first movie is definitely the best one in my opinion, a true Clint Eastwood classic. The story follows San Francisco officer Harry Callahan as he tries to track down a serial killer by the name of Scorpio. The plot is your basic cop movie plot, but I'm not sure why this movie does it better than many, many other cop movies of the past few decades. Probably because it was one of the first that followed the formula of hardboiled cop, no rules to follow but his own, gets a partner he doesn't want, has to hunt down a serial killer, and all the while be a complete badass. The film was made and is set in the then present day of 1971, so of course it's going to look straight up 70s but I love that, it gives the film it's own unique look and feel to the story. The music composed by Lalo Schifrin is excellent with great female choirs, and a very almost jazz type of music that really makes the movie for me, especially the very last song. The cinematogrophy is pretty inavative for the time and sucks you into the movie, with handheld cameras, zoom ins, and sweeping shots. The acting is great with Clint Eastwood being well, Clint Eastwood in a part that fits like a glove on him. The Scorpio killer played by Andy Robinson is psychotic and creepy even though the actor himself is a pacifist and all around a nice guy. All in all, it's a great movie and I do recommend it if you are a fan of Clint Eastwood, or just like cop movies. But there is much more ground to cover this week so I will see you tomorrow.