A psychopathic rooftop killer called “Scorpio” is on the loose in San Francisco. “Dirty” Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is the calloused, rock-hard cop who attempts to track him down before it’s too late to save the young teenage girl Scorpio has kidnapped. The director Don Siegel does his job and keeps this a taut and suspenseful cult classic.

Eastwood is perfect as Callahan, making any other choice in casting unimaginable, and showing a thorough understanding of his character. The film is wonderfully shot by Siegel, and supported with a distinctly ‘70s musical score by Lalo Schifrin; those two elements combine to make Dirty Harry the best of Eastwood-Siegel productions, with Escape From Alcatraz coming in second place.

Dirty Harry spawned five sequels, but none of them equal to their predecessor. The famous “Do you feel lucky?” is in this film, which is the precursor to Callahan’s “Go ahead…make my day.” Dirty Harry is a searing commentary on the Police Department; Harry Callahan shows clear disgust for the bureaucracy and “by-the-book” methods. This is evidenced by his abuse of Scorpio’s civil rights when he questions him to find the young girl he has kidnapped. It’s hard to condemn a man like Harry who acts by his beliefs. Harry is a sort of gritty, good-bad cop. The kind who does what it takes.

Related Links:

Northern California Movies: Dirty Harry
Review by Tim Dirks
The Dirty Harry Tour of San Francisco
Movie poster
Movie poster 2

Trivia about Dirty Harry:

The title role was originally intended for Frank Sinatra. After he refused, it was offered to John Wayne and then Paul Newman, before finally being accepted by Eastwood.
American war hero and actor Audie Murphy was first approached to play the villain “Scorpio.” Murphy was killed in a plane crash in 1971 and it is not known whether he had said he would or would not take the part.
After Harry has foiled the bank robbery at the beginning of the film, he strides over to the one surviving robber. In doing so, he walks in front of a theatre, which is showing Play Misty for Me (1971), which Eastwood directed and starred in.
Opening sniper scenes shot from atop San Francisco's Bank of America Building on California Street. The sniper's target is a girl swimming in the pool on the roof of the Holiday Inn in Chinatown a few blocks north on Kearny Street.
When Callahan (Eastwood) is being run all over town by Scorpio, he passes a wall, which bears the graffiti “Kyle,” the name of Eastwood's son.
The final scene where Harry throws his badge in the river is homage to a similar scene from High Noon (1952).
Andy Robinson (Scorpio) had to get an unlisted phone number, due to death threats.
It is widely accepted that this movie was loosely based on the events surrounding the Zodiac Killer who was actively killing people in San Francisco at the time.
Andy Robinson who turned his character of Scorpio into one of the screen's great psycho killers, was in real life a committed pacifist, and so terrified of guns that every time he had to fire one in the film, he would squeeze his eyes shut and flinch violently. Director Don Siegel had to shut down production for almost a week and hired a firearms expert to work with Robinson continuously until he was realistically able to fire a gun.
Continuity: In the opening scene, the assassin is tracking the swimming girl through his gun sights. The gun sights are then removed and the camera just shows the girl from the same angle. However, when the girl is hit (perspective unchanged), the bullet hole is below the right shoulder and has to be from a bullet fired from at least 90 degrees to the right of the camera.
Continuity: When facing the cross in the park, Harry's shadow first is directly in front of him, then to one side.
Factual errors: The badge that Callahan throws into the water has no resemblance to an actual SFPD badge.

Quotes from Dirty Harry:

After a battered crook has accused Harry of beating him:

Chief: Have you been following that man?

Harry Callahan: Yeah, I've been following him on my own time. And anybody can tell I didn't do that to him.

Chief: How?

Harry Callahan: ‘Cause he looks too damn good that's how.

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 as 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?

Harry is getting a dressing-down for his most recent arrest:

District Attorney Rothko: You're lucky I'm not indicting you for assault with intent to commit murder.

Harry Callahan: What?

District Attorney Rothko: Where does it say that you have the right to kick down doors, torture suspects, deny medical attention and legal counsel? Where have you been? Does Escobedo ring a bell? Miranda? Why surely you've heard of the Fourth Amendment? What I'm saying is that man had rights.

Harry Callahan: Well I'm all broken up over that man's rights.

Callahan has to explain why he shot a man:

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 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.

Cast overview, first billed only:

Clint Eastwood .... Harry Callahan

Harry Guardino .... Bressler

Reni Santoni .... Chico

John Vernon .... The Mayor

Andrew Robinson .... Killer (Scorpio)

John Larch .... Police Chief

John Mitchum .... De Georgio

Mae Mercer .... Mrs. Russell

Lyn Edgington .... Norma

Ruth Kobart .... Bus Driver

Woodrow Parfrey .... Mr. Jaffe

Josef Sommer .... Rothko

William Paterson .... Bannerman

James Nolan .... Liquor Proprietor

Maurice Argent .... Sid Kleinman

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