Dirty Harry (1971)

'Dirty Harry' and 'Bullitt' are two films whose protagonists are modeled based on the San Francisco cop Dave Toschi and they came out within 3 years of each other. While in 'Bullitt', the character is more stylish, in 'Dirty Harry' he is rawer. In both films the character has scant respect for procedure as compared to getting the job done.

'Dirty Harry' spawned a series of sequels and is Clint Eastwood's most memorable character after his 'man-with-no-name' in Sergio Leone's trilogy during the 60's. One viewing of this film and you would know why. Chiseled good looks, cool shades, burning rage within, a devil-may-care attitude for the system and a desire to rid the world of scum, make you want to have a Harry Callahan in your city's police force. It is quite reminiscent of Amitabh Bachchan's character in 'Zanjeer' which came out 2 years after this film did and Inspector Vijay's inner anger is said to have been inspired by this film.

The plot is fairly simple with a serial killer named Scorpio on the loose. Callahan's attempt to arrest him and get him behind bars is overturned by the courts since it did not involve proper procedures being followed. The killer, now free, eyes his next target. How will Callaghan stop him, with his own department and public opinion being against him is what the plot tries to answer.

The film stands out mainly for the character it introduced. Apart from that, Don Siegel's direction grips you initially as Callahan and Scorpio match their wits while a girl battles for her life. Once Scorpio is out on the loose, the plot loses its grip on the viewer and it is just a question of 'when' the climax would take place rather than 'what' that climax would be.

I've never really rated Eastwood as an actor. This film does not challenge him in any way on that front. It just suits his personality and all he needs to do is beat up the bad guy and mouth some amazing lines, two of which find themselves in AFI's top 100 movie quotes of all time. The background score with its heavy jazz influences uses percussion expertly during tense moments. That is another standout point.

'Dirty Harry' has influenced countless ronin-type protagonists across borders, but as the original it remains a classic.

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