Reviews
PRivate ScReeningS
By Wout Thielemans
Dirty Harry Ultimate
I know what you’re thinking,
punk. Are there 5 DVDs in this
collection or are there 6? Well,
to tell you the truth, in all this
Collector’s Edition
excitement, I’ve kind of lost
track myself… Okay, that’s
enough pathetic paraphrasing. is a replica of the criticism of the San Francisco Police Department
And in fact, there are 7 DVDs with regards to the script. You also get a replica of Harry’s wallet,
in all in this set. with identity card so that you too are now licensed to stalk the
Dirty Harry caused quite a streets of your city, pushing the barrel of your .44 Magnum S&W
stir when it was first released. in peoples faces and hissing, “Do you feel lucky, punk?” at them.
It made a superstar out of There’s also a map of San Francisco showing the Scorpio killings
Eastwood, and it translated the from the first film, some memos from the Warner Bros. archives
feeling of unease and despair at which detail the end of Sinatra’s involvement with the film, and
the rioting and the perceived reproductions of the poster art for each film.
lack of social stability and The discs themselves all benefit from a commentary track (though
justice in the States to the screen. Before the script came to none with Eastwood) and a couple of featurettes. The first film is
Eastwood, Sinatra and McQueen had been considered for the lead commented on by Eastwood friend and biographer Richard Schickel,
(Sinatra had to bow out because of a hand injury), and their loss who discusses the genesis of the film, adds some anecdotes and (as
was Clint’s good luck. does everyone else) points out just how cheaply and efficiently
The first film in the series is an extremely well made tough made the film is—a trademark of Eastwood’s filmmaking style.
police thriller, with Eastwood at his most iconic, Andy Robinson Other extras include a fairly uninteresting featurette on the
as a great sadistic villain, and sterling direction from Don Siegel. Dirty Harry phenomenon, and a vintage promo piece from 1971.
It’s also somewhat more nuanced than its reputation leads to On Disc 2, there’s another featurette on the character, which doesn’t
believe. Harry Callahan is a widower, and his rage and extreme really add anything to the first, and a long TV portrait of Eastwood,
concern for crime victims stem from the senseless death of his The Man From Malpaso. Eastwood only appears in these
wife. In later films in the series, this level of subtlety disappears featurettes, by the way. There are also interview galleries with all of
completely. The film is a lean, mean crime classic and allows the the people present in the featurettes.
audience to make up its own mind as to whether Harry goes too Writer John Milius is on hand for Magnum Force, but his
far or not (though its sympathies are clearly discernible). commentary is dull, slow and interspersed with many silences.
Magnum Force is a half-hearted attempt at trying to mollify The other extras consist of another featurette on the morality of
the critics who felt the first film was fascist, by having Harry go the series (more interesting than the previous two) and another
after a death squad of cops who murder criminals and their coterie. contemporary promo piece, which includes some behind-the-
Ted Post directs in an efficient but flat way, never capturing the scenes footage.
intensity of Siegel. Director James Fargo does commentary duties for The Enforcer.
Things get worse when James Fargo helms The Enforcer. His commentary is the most interesting as he talks about the
In this movie, Harry goes up against a gang of left-wing terrorists practical challenges of his first shoot. There’s another vintage promo
who seem to have absolutely no idea of what their goal is, apart piece, and the new featurette is all about the age-old question:
from shooting innocents and stealing money. does violence in film affect the viewer?
After a fairly long hiatus, Harry is back in Sudden Impact. Richard Schickel is back for an OK but unspectacular track on
Directed by Eastwood himself, this film at least has a more compelling the Sudden Impact DVD. The featurette on the disc looks at
storyline as Harry is on the hunt for a female sex killer who turns Eastwood’s evolving career, but the same material is treated in far
out to be the victim of a gruelling gang rape. more depth in the Eastwood documentaries in the set—one of
Finally, Harry Callahan is laid to rest in The Dead Pool. A fairly which, Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows, is found in the
pointless film, frankly, with a pathetic villain, a lame finale and a “goodie box”.
lacklustre comic car chase with an incomprehensible finish. The Finally, The Dead Pool has producer and cinematographer
film tries to be socially responsible by attacking sensationalist media reminiscing about the making of the film, in a gently entertaining
reporting, but it doesn’t say anything remotely new or surprising track. The featurette pays homage to the off-screen regulars, such
on the subject. as the editors, cameramen and composer Lalo Schifrin.
THE EXTRAS CONCLUSION
This Ultimate Collector’s Edition comes with the prerequisite All in all, this is a nice set, though only the original film can be
bells and whistles. The goodies include a 44-page booklet, which considered to be a must-have. For die-hard fans of the series, though,
summarises each film and provides the body count. The first page this Ultimate Collector’s Edition definitely lives up to its name. n
www.moviescopemag.com 77
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84