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Dirty Harry (1971) is a crime thriller produced and directed by Don Siegel. It is the first film in the Dirty Harry series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first outing as San Francisco Police Department Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan. There have been a number of re-makes of the film, but none of these have achieved critical acclaim.
Dirty Harry was followed by four sequels: Magnum Force in 1973, The Enforcer in 1976, Sudden Impact in 1983, and The Dead Pool in 1988.
Plot
A serial killer who calls himself "Scorpio" (Andy Robinson) murders a young woman in a San Francisco high-rise rooftop swimming pool using a high-powered sniper rifle. The spent shell casing is found on the roof of another high-rise across the street by Inspector Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood); it's accompanied by a message from the Scorpio Killer:
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To the city of San Francisco, I will enjoy killing one person every day until you pay me $100,000. If you agree, say so tomorrow morning in Personal Column San Francisco Chronicle and I will set up meeting. If I do not hear from you, it will be my next pleasure to kill a Catholic priest or a nigger.
Scorpio
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The department cautiously assigns Harry to the case (he's recently been in trouble for pre-emptively shooting a rapist in the Fillmore district). They also provide extra helicopter surveillance and station men on rooftops around the churches and the city's black community.
In a later (and famous) scene, Harry goes to a cafe for lunch. As he waits for his food, he notices a car parked in front of a nearby bank with the motor running; he correctly deduces that a robbery is taking place and tells the cafe owner to relay a message to the police department that a "2-11" (armed robbery) is in progress. While he waits for reinforcements, the robbers emerge from the bank, shooting wildly into the bank and threatening innocent passersby, forcing Harry to take matters into his own hands. He shouts a warning at the robbers, one of whom fires a shotgun at him; Harry returns fire and sends the offending robber sprawling to the ground. The other robber makes it into the getaway car, after which the driver aims the car right at Harry. Harry fires at the car several times, causing the driver to lose control and crash into a fire hydrant. At this point, Harry turns back to the robber he shot earlier; as he approaches the wounded man (Albert Popwell) lying on the ground, the robber tentatively reaches for the shotgun, mere inches from his hand. Harry, with his massive handgun pointed directly at the wounded man, utters his famous line, with a wry smile on his face:
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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- |
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The robber relents and Harry takes possession of the shotgun. As he starts to walk away, the robber blurts out, "Hey, man- I gots to know." Harry obliges his curiosity by aiming at the horrified man's head and pulling the trigger; the hammer falls with a click on a spent shell (Harry had, in fact, fired all six rounds and was bluffing).
Inspector Harry Callahan ( Clint Eastwood) in the "do you feel lucky" scene.
Much to his annoyance, the next day Harry is assigned a rookie partner named Chico Gonzalez (Reni Santoni). Harry notes that his partners always get injured (or worse) while working with him and that he needs someone experienced, but accepts Gonzalez when the Chief gives him no other option.
A police aircraft foils Scorpio's second attempt at murder, when he's targeting an African American in a park, but he escapes. The next night, he manages to kill a young boy from another rooftop.
Chico proves himself when he saves Harry from a beating while Harry's investigating a briefcase matching the helicopter team's description of Scorpio's rifle case.
Harry's nickname, "Dirty Harry," is a reference to his reputation for taking on the "dirtiest" cases and solving them, even if it means violating the criminal's rights. It's commented on twice, once by Harry himself, when saving a suicidal "jumper":
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Now you know why they call me "Dirty" Harry- every dirty job that comes along... |
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After Harry saves the jumper's life, Chico remarks:
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Now I know why they call him "Dirty" Harry- he gets the shit end of the stick every time. |
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As Scorpio's last victim was African American, the police believe Scorpio is likely to choose a Catholic priest as his next victim, as he threatened in his first ransom note. They conduct a sting, positioning men on rooftops throughout the city, but leaving the rooftop Scorpio used in his last murder clear, and providing a target of opportunity, a priest at the St. Peter and Paul Church. Harry and Chico wait for Scorpio on an adjacent rooftop, Harry with a high-powered rifle and Chico with a spotlight. They initiate a shootout with Scorpio when he appears; however, Scorpio escapes and kills a police officer.
Infuriated that his plans have been foiled, Scorpio kidnaps a teenage girl, rapes her and buries her alive. He contacts the city and demands a ransom twice that of the previous one. He claims that it must be paid quickly as the girl only has enough air to last until 3:00 a.m. the following morning. The Mayor of San Francisco (John Vernon) decides to pay, and Harry is asked to deliver the money to a location at the docks with no back-up. Without the permission of the Chief, Harry wears a wire and has Chico follow him. He also tapes a knife to his shin. 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, bouncing him around town in order to separate the inspector from any back-up that he may have. However the wire allows Chico to follow him.
The chase ends when Harry reaches an enormous cross at Mount Davidson, one of the city's parks. Scorpio instructs Harry to drop his gun and the money, then to face the cross and stand up against it. Scorpio then proceeds to beat Harry before revealing that he has "changed his mind" and is going to let the girl die anyway, and kill Harry as well. Chico, thanks to the wireless microphone, arrives at the scene and ambushes Scorpio, firing at him and saving Harry. Chico is shot in the resulting shootout. While Scorpio is distracted, Harry stabs him in the leg with his concealed knife. Scorpio screams hysterically and escapes without the money.
Chico survives his wound, but tells Harry he will be resigning from the force. Chico's wife discovers that Harry's wife was killed in a traffic accident with a drunk driver, and that Harry himself doesn't seem to know why he is still a police officer.
Scorpio being tortured by Callahan.
Harry and his new partner Frank DiGerogio question several doctors in the area. They find the doctor who treated Scorpio. The doctor tells them that he has seen Scorpio working and living in the nearby Kezar Stadium. Running out of time, Harry and Frank break into the stadium and search Scorpio's room without a warrant. Harry hears Scorpio fleeing and chases him onto the stadium's field. Frank turns on the stadium lights, which lights up Scorpio on the field. Harry shoots Scorpio in the same leg he was stabbed in, and approaches. Scorpio is unwilling to reveal the location of the girl to Harry, asking for his right to a lawyer and a doctor. In response, an infuriated Harry tortures Scorpio by standing on his wounded leg. Scorpio finally tells where he has been keeping the girl but, unfortunately, she is already dead and probably was before she was buried.
To make matters worse, Scorpio is released without charge because Harry broke into his home illegally and tortured him to obtain a confession. As Scorpio's rifle was seized improperly, it cannot be used as evidence and the DA decides that he cannot be charged with any of the other murders.
After his release, Harry follows Scorpio on his own time. Scorpio sees Harry following him, and pays a thug to give him a severe but controlled beating. He then tells the press that the police are harassing him, personally naming Harry as the one responsible for his injuries to the press. The police chief orders Harry to stop following Scorpio, despite Harry's protest that he didn't beat the man, because despite his injuries "he looks too damn good". However, he follows his orders, knowing he cannot stop Scorpio if he is suspended or fired. On the next evening, Scorpio attacks a liquor store owner, takes the store owner's pistol and leaves.
The next day, Scorpio is able to kidnap a busload of children using the pistol. He demands another ransom and a jet to take him out of the country. The mayor again insists on paying, but Harry, enraged by the ongoing soft response of his superiors, refuses to deliver the money this time. He pursues Scorpio without authorization. Scorpio spots Callahan standing on the top of a railroad trestle over the road to the airport. When the bus passes underneath him, Callahan jumps onto the top. A panicked Scorpio starts shooting through the roof and drives the bus erratically while attempting to shake Harry off. Scorpio stops the bus after crashing through some gates while swerving to avoid a truck. The children escape while Scorpio runs into a nearby cement factory.
Scorpio holds a boy hostage before being shot by Harry in the arm.
Harry pursues Scorpio, shooting at each other as they go. Scorpio retreats and captures a boy who happens to be fishing at a nearby slough. Harry pretends to be willing to surrender, then shoots Scorpio in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground. The boy escapes, and Scorpio looks up to see Harry standing over him, gun drawn. Scorpio's pistol is inches from his hand. Harry then reprises his now-famous "Do you feel lucky, punk-" speech, this time with anger and contempt on his face instead of his earlier smile.
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I know what you're thinking, punk. You're thinking, 'Did he fire six shots or only five-' Now, to tell you the truth, I forgot myself in all this excitement. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and will blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself a question: 'Do I feel lucky-' Well do ya, punk-! |
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Scorpio, unlike the bank robber in the earlier scene, tries his luck and grabs for his gun, laughing maniacally. Before he has a chance to fire his weapon Harry shoots him through the heart. Scorpio falls into the water, dead.
Harry watches as Scorpio's body floats on the surface of the water. With police sirens heard behind him, he takes out his inspector's badge. After looking at it, he hurls it into the water and walks away, presumably indicating his loss of faith with the system and realizing that his career as a police officer has probably come to an end.
Cast
Original story and casting
According to Mark Whitman's book, "The Films of Clint Eastwood", the original draft for the script was titled "Dead Right" by Julian and Rita Fink. It was set in New York City, not San Francisco, and ended with a police sniper taking out Scorpio instead of Callahan. Another earlier version of the story was set in Seattle, Washington.
Although Dirty Harry is arguably Clint Eastwood's signature role, he was not a top contender for the part. Indeed, the role was originally written for Frank Sinatra, but the singer had broken his wrist ten years earlier (possibly during the filming of The Manchurian Candidate), found the large handgun too unwieldy, and declined the role. It's also been suggested that the death of Sinatra's father prompted him to seek lighter material. Still, the Nov. 9th 1970 issue of Box Office magazine was one trade-paper that touted the pre-production Dirty Harry starring Frank Sinatra.[1]
John Wayne was considered for the role at one point but was not offered the part due to his age. Wayne later portrayed a Dirty Harry-like detective in McQ, a 1974 film directed by John Sturges and set in Seattle. Marlon Brando was also rumored to be attached to the project. Eastwood was only offered the role of Harry Callahan after Steve McQueen and Paul Newman also declined the role for varying reasons. One of Eastwood's stipulations for accepting the role was the change of locale to San Francisco. 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.
Scorpio, the film's antagonist, was based on the real-life Zodiac Killer, who was on the loose in the San Francisco Bay Area at the time. In a later novelisation of the film, Scorpio was referred to as "Charles Davis," an escaped Canadian mental patient who murdered his grandparents while still a teenager. 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 a relatively unknown actor, Andy Robinson. Siegel told Robinson that he cast him in the role of the Scorpio killer because he wanted someone "with a face like a choirboy." Robinson's portrayal was so memorable 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.[2] Nonetheless, he still blinks when he shoots. Robinson also reportedly was squeamish about filming the scene where he verbally and physically abuses several schoolchildren.
The character Dirty Harry is allegedly based on real life San Francisco police inspector Dave Toschi, one of the investigators of the Zodiac murders. Writer John Milius has also mentioned being influenced by a friend of his, a Long Beach police officer who dealt with criminals in a rather summary fashion. According to Milius, his friend "rarely brought people back" but was, contrastingly, extremely gentle with animals.
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. The film resonated with an American public that had become weary and frustrated with the increasing violent urban crime that was characteristic of the time. The box-office success of Dirty Harry led to the production of four sequels.
At the time of the film's release, the film caused controversy, sparking debate over issues ranging from police brutality to victims' rights and the nature of law enforcement. A section of the Philippine police force ordered a print of the movie for use as a training film.[1][2] The motif of a cop who cares more for justice than rules was one subsequently imitated by a number of other films. The movie can also be counted as the seminal influence on the Italian tough-cop movies, Poliziotteschi, which dominated the 70s and that were critically praised in Europe and the U.S. as well.
In 1972, soon after the release of the film in the state of Victoria 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 A$1 million ransom, which the Victorian 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.
Depiction of firearms
"Dirty" Harry Callahan also helped popularize the Smith & Wesson Model 29 revolver, chambered for the powerful .44 Magnum cartridge. The film initiated a modest increase in sales of the powerful handgun, which continues to be popular some thirty-five years after the film's release. Throughout the film Eastwood's Model 29 is lionized as an all-powerful instrument capable of sending assailants flying wildly through the air, while in reality the round is far less dramatic than depicted. The .44 Magnum round is not considered to be a practical caliber for urban police use due to excessive recoil (making target re-acquisition difficult) and over-penetration issues, which greatly increases the likelihood of the bullet going through its target and injuring bystanders.
The gun used by Clint Eastwood in the filming of the movie was reportedly not a Model 29. According to a story related by a member of the studio's prop department, 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 Remington 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.
Another version of the Dirty Harry gun story: In the scene where we see Inspector Callahan drawing his oversized revolver for the first time (bank robbery scene), the gun used was a Smith & Wesson Model 29 in .44 Magnum with a 6 1/2" barrel, but at the entrance to the alley when chasing the man with the tan suitcase, the model with the 8 3/8" barrel is clearly visible. 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" barrel. The choice of .45LC over .44 Magnum was to use the standard "Four-In-One" blank cartridges which were widely used in filming cowboy movies and thus, readily available (unlike blanks for a .44 Magnum, which the prop department would have had to fabricate from scratch). As in the story above, the Model 25 and Model 29 are so similar that it would be impossible to distinguish them at a glance. However, the film's co-writer, John Milius, who owns one of the original guns from "Dirty Harry" and its sequel, Magnum Force, has written in gun magazines that a .44 Magnum was indeed used for filming and publicity shots.
The 44 Magnum cartridge has since been eclipsed as "the most powerful in the world." Factory-produced examples include the .454 Casull, the .475 Wildey Magnum, the .50 Action Express, the .460 S&W Magnum and the .500 S&W Magnum. Some gunsmiths also offer custom-built or limited-production handguns chambered for proprietary calibers or high-velocity rifle cartridges. Perhaps the most powerful handguns ever made are single-shot pistols chambered for the 50 BMG (Browning Machine Gun) and .600 Nitro Express calibers.
The gun Scorpio steals from the liquor store owner and uses in the bus hijack is a 9mm Walther P38. Scorpio also uses an MP40 submachine gun in his rooftop shoot-out with Harry.
The .44 Magnum ranked second in a 2008 20th Century Fox poll of the most popular film weapons, which surveyed approximately two thousand films fans.[3]
DVDs
Warner Home Video owns rights to the Dirty Harry series. Dirty Harry (1971) has been remastered for DVD three times: In 1998, 2001 and 2008 (for release June 3). It has been repurposed for several DVD box sets. Dirty Harry made its high-definition debut with the 2008 Blu-ray disc. The commentator on the 2008 DVD is Clint Eastwood biographer Richard Schickel.[3]
Filming locations
The first scene of the film includes a memorial, which is located in the Hall of Justice in San Francisco
In San Francisco, California:
Other locations:
Production notes
Albert Popwell in the first "Do I feel lucky-" scene in Dirty Harry. He also appeared in the following 3 Dirty Harry films in various roles
- The final scene, in which Callahan throws his badge in the water, is an homage to a similar scene from 1952's High Noon.
- Callahan's badge number is 2211 and his police dispatch call ID is "Inspector 71".
- In one early scene when Callahan walks across the street we see a cinema board advertising Play Misty for Me, Clint Eastwood's directorial debut.
- Eastwood performed the stunt in which he jumps on to the roof of the hijacked school bus from a bridge himself, without a stunt double. His face is clearly visible throughout the shot. Eastwood himself also directed the suicide-jumper scene.
- The line "My, that's a big one" which is said by Scorpio when Callahan removes his gun was an ad-lib by Andrew Robinson. The crew broke down in laughter as a result of the double entendre and the scene had to be re-shot, but the line stayed.
- This film makes references to court trials such as Miranda v. Arizona and Escobedo v. Illinois
References in culture
Film
- In Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment, the character of Mr. Sweetchuck closes his store and puts a lifesize cardboard cutout of Dirty Harry holding a .44 Magnum by the door as a deterrent to crime.
- In A History of Violence, the character Mr. Fogarty who has been pressuring the protagonist, Tom Stall, about his identity suggests that Fogarty's group better leave before "He goes all Dirty Harry on us."
- An exchange between Dirty Harry and the mayor was lampooned in the first Naked Gun movie.
- In Beverly Hills Cop II, when Billy pulls his .44 Magnum out of its holster, Axel responds with "Who do you think you are, Clint Eastwood- Dirty Rosewood-"
- In Big Trouble in Little China, the old chinese man gives the main character a 44 Magnum and jokingly says "Here. You can try this one, it will make you feel like Dirty Harry."
- In The Mask, The Mask (Jim Carrey) imitates Dirty Harry near the end of the film while saying, "You have to ask yourself one question: do I feel lucky. Well, do ya... [pulls and cocks out a number of guns on both hands] punks-", Carrey also parodies the famous line in Bruce Almighty.
- In Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Borat visits a gun shop and boasts that he will be like "Dirty Harold".
- In Transformers, Ironhide greets Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) and Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) with "Do you feel lucky, punk-"
- In Scary Movie 2, Dwight Hartman (David Cross) threatens Hugh Kane, Hell House Ghost (Richard Moll), saying, "I know what you thinking. Did I fire three shots or a hundred and seventeen- Well, do you feel lucky, [pause] punk- Do you [pause] feel lucky- [says faster] Do you feel lucky, punk-"
- In Johnny Dangerously, Danny Vermin (Joe Piscopo) has a revolver - an "eighty-eight Magnum" that "shoots through schools."
- In Zodiac, the characters are seen watching the film at a theater. Both Dirty Harry and Zodiac were inspired by the Zodiac Killer.
Television
- In an episode of The Golden Girls in which the four ladies are robbed, Dorothy recites Dirty Harry's famous "Do you feel lucky" speech to scare off any potential robbers in the house.
- In the Robot Chicken episode Squaw Bury Shortcake, the scene wherein Dirty Harry asks the bank robber if he feels lucky is played. However, this time the robber responds by saying he does, and picks up his shotgun and knocks Harry away. He goes about his day with incredible luck, later realizing he stepped on a leprechaun. When he removes the leprechaun, he is immediately shot by Harry.
- Several episodes of Whose Line is it Anyway featured the famous line voiced by other personalities, such as Carol Channing or Scooby Doo.
- WWE did advertisments for WrestleMania 21, where the wrestlers played their versions of movie scenes. The Undertaker did his version of the 'Do you feel lucky, punk-' line; afterwards the man claims "I knew you didn't have what it takes to kill me." After that, Dirty Harry then points the taken shotgun at the man and shoots him.
- The Simpsons paid homage to Dirty Harry (according to the commentary on the DVD) through the character McGarnagle which appears in the episodes "Bart's Inner Child" and "The Boy Who Knew Too Much".
Music
- The virtual band Gorillaz has a single called "Dirty Harry" on their album Demon Days.
- Drum and bass artist Adam F has a track called "Dirty Harry's Revenge" on his album KAOS, featuring Beenie Man and Siamese.
- In the song "Trigger Happy" performed by Weird Al Yankovic, has many references including "you better ask yourself, do you feel lucky, punk-"
- Hip Hop artist Lil Wayne referenced on his song "La La" saying "and we stay clean but we get dirty like Harry."
- Country singer T.G. Sheppard recorded a novelty song called "Make My Day" in which Eastwood, in character, utters the iconic line at the end of each verse (and, during the song's closing fade, adds other well-known Callahan lines such as "Do you feel lucky, punk-" from the first Dirty Harry film and "A man's got to know his limitations" from Magnum Force). The song appeared on the Sudden Impact soundtrack and was released as a single in 1984, reaching #62 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #12 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
- The late Detroit rapper, Proof (rapper) of D12, often referred to himself as "Dirty Harry".
Video games
- A Dirty Harry video game was recently cancelled. It was to follow the storyline of the movie closely.[citation needed]
- In Conker's Bad Fur Day for Nintendo 64 if one plays as a squirrel SHC soldier and aims at an enemy, the character will utter "Do you feel lucky, punk-".
- In the video game The Getaway: Black Monday, there is a hostage rescue mission involving a criminal called Levi Stratov, who is described as a "Latvian Cowboy". When confronted, he almost directly quotes Harry Callahan from this film and its later sequel, Sudden Impact, by shouting: "This is 44 P Magnum! Make my day! You feel lucky, punk-!"
- In the video game Warcraft 2, if you click on Korgath Bladefist he will eventually say "Do you feel lucky, punk-".
- In Fallout 2 is available revolver .44 Magnum with description: "Being that this is the most powerful handgun in the world, and can blow your head clean-off, you've got to ask yourself one question. Do I feel lucky- Well, do ya punk-"
- There is a game called Dirty Harry for the Nintendo entertainment system.
Literature
- In Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, the motto of the City Watch is "Fabricati Diem Pvnc," which is dog Latin for "Make my day, punk." Sgt. Colon believes that it means "To Protect and Serve", which is similar to the motto for the Los Angeles police department.
References
Notes
External links
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