Dirty Harry
National Film Registry
Rent/Purchase
When a madman dubbed 'Scorpio' terrorizes San Francisco, hard-nosed cop, Harry Callahan – famous for his take-no-prisoners approach to law enforcement – is tasked with hunting down the psychopath.
What critics thought
A supremely crafted thriller that divided critics almost immediately along moral lines: nearly everyone agreed it worked as visceral action cinema, but the debate over whether it celebrated or merely depicted fascistic policing dominated the conversation at release. Time has softened the political alarm somewhat, and the film now sits comfortably among the classics of its genre, though its central tension — is Harry a hero or a monster? — remains the source of its power.
“very effective at the level of a thriller”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“a stunningly well-made genre piece”
Pauline Kael·The New Yorker
“What makes Dirty Harry worth watching, no matter how dumb the story, is Siegel's superb sense of the city, not as a place of moods but as a theater for action.”
Roger Greenspun·The New York Times
“a high-style film with lowbrow appeal, a movie after which you may dislike yourself for liking it as much as you do”
Kevin Thomas·Los Angeles Times
Genres
Action, Crime, Thriller
Cast & Crew
DirectorDon Siegel
StarringClint Eastwood, Harry Guardino, Reni Santoni, John Vernon, Andrew Robinson
ComposerLalo Schifrin
Dirty Harry
National Film Registry
When a madman dubbed 'Scorpio' terrorizes San Francisco, hard-nosed cop, Harry Callahan – famous for his take-no-prisoners approach to law enforcement – is tasked with hunting down the psychopath.
What critics thought
A supremely crafted thriller that divided critics almost immediately along moral lines: nearly everyone agreed it worked as visceral action cinema, but the debate over whether it celebrated or merely depicted fascistic policing dominated the conversation at release. Time has softened the political alarm somewhat, and the film now sits comfortably among the classics of its genre, though its central tension — is Harry a hero or a monster? — remains the source of its power.
“very effective at the level of a thriller”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“a stunningly well-made genre piece”
Pauline Kael·The New Yorker
“What makes Dirty Harry worth watching, no matter how dumb the story, is Siegel's superb sense of the city, not as a place of moods but as a theater for action.”
Roger Greenspun·The New York Times
“a high-style film with lowbrow appeal, a movie after which you may dislike yourself for liking it as much as you do”
Kevin Thomas·Los Angeles Times
Genres
Action, Crime, Thriller
Cast & Crew
DirectorDon Siegel
StarringClint Eastwood, Harry Guardino, Reni Santoni, John Vernon, Andrew Robinson
ComposerLalo Schifrin
Rent/Purchase