Dirty Harry (1971)

When a mad man calling himself 'the Scorpio Killer' menaces the city, tough as nails San Francisco Police Inspector Harry Callahan is assigned to track down and ferret out the crazed psychopath.

Director:

Don Siegel

Writers:

Harry Julian Fink (screenplay), Rita M. Fink (screenplay),

Stars:

Clint Eastwood, Andrew Robinson, John Vernon

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clint Eastwood	...	Police Inspector Harry Callahan
Andrew Robinson	...	Charles 'Scorpio Killer' Davis (as Andy Robinson)
John Vernon	...	The Mayor
Reni Santoni	...	Police Inspector Chico Gonzalez
Harry Guardino	...	Police Lt. Al Bressler
John Larch	...	The Chief
John Mitchum	...	Police Inspector Frank DiGiorgio
Mae Mercer	...	Mrs. Russell
Lyn Edgington	...	Norma
Ruth Kobart	...	Bus Driver
Woodrow Parfrey	...	Mr. Jaffe
Josef Sommer	...	Dist. Atty. William T. Rothko
William Paterson	...	Judge Bannerman
James Nolan	...	Liquor Store Owner
Maurice Argent	...	Sid Kleinman (as Maurice S. Argent)

Storyline

In the year 1971, San Francisco faces the terror of a maniac known as Scorpio- who snipes at innocent victims and demands ransom through notes left at the scene of the crime. Inspector Harry Callahan (known as Dirty Harry by his peers through his reputation handling of homicidal cases) is assigned to the case along with his newest partner Inspector Chico Gonzalez to track down Scorpio and stop him. Using humiliation and cat and mouse type of games against Callahan, Scorpio is put to the test with the cop with a dirty attitude.

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Plot Keywords:

dirty harry | partner | sniper | mayor | ransom | 

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Taglines:

do you feel lucky punk?

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official DVD Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 December 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Harry, el sucio

Filming Locations:

Alamo Square, Hayes Valley, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

SEK 1,540,127 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Malpaso Company, The, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min 99 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Frank Sinatra and Irvin Kershner were still attached to the project, James Caan was under consideration for the role of Scorpio.

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Goofs

Some considerable time after the first shooting, the police have arrived and Callaghan has climbed up to the roof from where the shooting took place. Yet when he looks down to the rooftop swimming pool, the blood in the pool is still only in one small area, instead of having been dispersed in the water.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Harry Callahan: Jesus.

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Connections

Referenced in Evil Keg (2007)

User Reviews

One of the defining film of the 1970s

Released on Christmas Day 1971, "Dirty Harry" transformed Clint Eastwood from cult figure to superstar. Another maverick cop thriller, "The French Connection," was released a few months earlier, and it may have won the Oscars and garnered the critical acclaim, but "Dirty Harry" is the true classic of the two, and the most influential. Great action magnificently directed by Don Siegel, the master of the genre, great dialogue, and relentless tension make this the ultimate detective thriller and one of the defining films of the 1970s.