Dirty Harry

Ambiguous yet manipulative, uplifting yet depressing, sincere yet cynical, Siegel's masterpiece gave us one of the greatest and certainly one of the most profound police thrillers, as well as setting Clint Eastwood off on the path of consistently lucrative if increasingly derisory Dirty Harry sequels.

When it came out it was Dirty Harry's fundamental ambivalence that split the critics, not to mention the inevitable political readings of the film. At grass roots, though, you've got a gripping police thriller, benefitting from a number of key elements which set it apart from the rest. Siegel uses the San Francisco locations to superb effect, switching from dramatic skylines to the cross in Mount Davidson park, from the Golden Gate bridge to the James Cameronesque steel mill. Bruce Surtees' photography is raw and grainy, giving an entirely applicable realistic gritty feel to the whole proceedings, while Lalo Schifrin's music oscillates between urban funk and disturbing singing and culminates in a memorable Fender Rhodes fade-out. Siegel also builds up an acrid portrait of San Francisco low life through the various walk-ons and bit-parts who intermittently stagger into the frame. Siegel's ambiguity remains though, whether he's relishing Callaghan's toying with his captive felons or conversely pulling away from Callaghan's misdeeds, as in the bird's eye shot at the cross, or the helicopter shots at the end of the film and at the end of the stadium scene, one of the most memorable scenes in modern cinema. It remains a stunning and rewarding film nonetheless, and one which will leave you deeply affected one way or another.

Review by Mark Radice
Taken from EUFS Programme 1994-95