Dirty Harry: A Relic of a Bygone Era

Blaze 2022-03-21 09:01:41

Watching the 1971 cop thriller Dirty Harry at a time when feminism and anti-racism become increasingly mainstream is indeed a nerve-racking experience. Directed by the earlier B-movie director Don Siegel, the 102-minute film, which portrays the cat-and -mouse-chase of a San Francisco police detective and a serial killer, is almost an explicit celebration of police brutality and male dominance. Although wildly politically incorrect, it is hard to ignore the movie's immediate box office success and continued popularity.

"Do you feel lucky, punk? "

As the first instalment of the Dirty Harry series, Dirty Harry successfully introduces the main protagonist, the 'dirty' cop Harry Callahan, to the audience. The character is played by Clint Eastwood, who enjoys the star image of a cynical, virile, and powerful 'man's man'. As is expected, Callahan is almost a caricature of this iconic screen persona of Eastwood. He follows his own code of honour, and is hardly bound by any rules or social traditions. More importantly, he is always prepared to take any measures against the criminals, including torture, abuse and other forms of violence, to protect the citizens in San Francisco. As extreme as these measures seem, they are very much justified, and even encouraged in Dirty Harry, especially as the film uses an extremely perverted,evil and one-dimensional villain and an outrageously ineffective government system, in sharp contrast with Callahan's toughness. The character's roguish charm is even more strengthened as the film uses a nearly five-minute shot of the police officer peeping into the houses of innocent people, purely out of voyeuristic pleasure. Lalo Schifrin's jazz score further adds to the dangerous and exotic atmosphere, giving the film a near-pornographic texture. These disturbing acts of extreme violence and female gaze are, however, normalised in the movie, and displayed as a celebration of masculinity.Lalo Schifrin's jazz score further adds to the dangerous and exotic atmosphere, giving the film a near-pornographic texture. These disturbing acts of extreme violence and female gaze are, however, normalised in the movie, and displayed as a celebration of masculinity.Lalo Schifrin's jazz score further adds to the dangerous and exotic atmosphere, giving the film a near-pornographic texture. These disturbing acts of extreme violence and female gaze are, however, normalised in the movie, and displayed as a celebration of masculinity.

The Dirty Harry Series

Dirty Harry reflects the general sentiments experienced by most conservative Americans in the 1970s. They are deeply frustrated by the liberalist movements in the 1960s, and hopes to return to traditional American values, with an unbending, strong-willed, and hyper-masculine 'American ' hero standing up to fight against the hippy culture, corruption and moral decadence and to uphold established gender roles. These thoughts continue to stay central to the conservative political rhetoric in America even until nowadays, and form an inseparable part of the American culture, despite the growing popularity of #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements in the country.

There are often discussions on the internet arguing that Dirty Harry should be 'cancelled' due to its right-wing tendencies (Delingpole, 2020). However, from my perspective, it is definitely a film worth to revisit, especially for people with liberal views like me, as it could potentially help us jump out of our comfort zones and try to understand how conservative politics works in the 1970s and even nowadays. At the very least, it demonstrates to us why pushing forward filmmaking that intentionally challenges the patriarchal privilege in society is still, and will continue to be important.

Works Cited

Delingpole, J. (2020, June 16). 7 problematic films that are yet to be cancelled. Spectator Life . Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/7-problematic-films -that-are-yet-to-be-cancelled

Street, J. (2016). Dirty Harry's America: Clint Eastwood, Harry Callahan, and the Conservative Backlash. University Press of Florida.

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Extended Reading
  • Maymie 2022-03-26 09:01:04

    With two long takes and the line "DO I FEEL LUCKY" paired with the awesome lines of the point 44 Magnum revolver, the image of Eastwood's hard-line cops is shaped, but the film lacks rhythm But it cannot be concealed. In addition, the director expressed his thoughts of criticizing the current legal system, but the last episode of violent law enforcement to maintain justice still seems to be underpowered...

  • Hyman 2022-04-20 09:01:35

    Few people have made such a long chase scene now. It’s really enjoyable. The genre in 1971 is estimated to have influenced many Hollywood movies, including the way of lighting in the dark; most of Dongmu’s nocturnal activities, the villain is a horror in broad daylight. Contrast; it's really right, it's okay for a lone hero to ignore the law and become a superhero in the end. There are a lot of shortcomings, a lot of behavioral logic is far-fetched, the drama point is quite accurate, but it is hard to believe that this is a true story, it is simply Batman and the Joker

Dirty Harry quotes

  • Bank Robber: I gots to know.

  • The Killer: [to Harry Callahan] No, don't pass out on me now cop! No, no, no, no, no. Don't pass out on me yet, you dirty, rotten oinker! Do we understand each other? You better answer me, if you want to know where the girl is. Okay? Now listen... I've changed my mind. I'm going to let her die! I just wanted you to know that. You hear me? I just wanted you to know that before I killed you!

    [laughs crazily]

    The Killer: Goodbye, Callahan!

    [Chico fires at Scorpio to defend Harry, who's lying on the ground]

    Harry Callahan: Chico! Don't... kill him!