Movie Review: Dirty Harry (1971)

Dirty Harry is a masterpiece of pre-eighties action. Clint Eastwood is perfectly cast as the titular Inspector Harry Callahan.

What makes this movie so great is that its central moral question isn’t easy to solve. Callahan is terrible in how he abuses the law, but he also gets results, and the villain — Scorpio (Andrew Robinson, Hellraiser) — is so horrible that it’s possible that Callahan’s methods are the only answer to that kind of violence and crime.

It has plenty of iconic moments, as well, of course. Overall, it’s incredibly well executed, with top-notch direction from Don Siegel (the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers).

Rating: 10/10