The Dead Pool (1988)

Director:

Buddy Van Horn

Writers (WGA):

Harry Julian Fink (characters) and
Rita M. Fink (characters) ...

Release Date:

13 July 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Dirty Harry Just Learned A New Game

Plot:

Dirty Harry Callahan must stop a sick secret contest to murder local celebrities, which includes himself as a target.

Plot Keywords:

Reporter | Murder | Prison | Mafia | Drug Overdose

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Insp. 'Dirty' Harry Callahan
Patricia Clarkson	...	Samantha Walker
Liam Neeson	...	Peter Swan
Evan C. Kim	...	Insp. Al Quan
David Hunt	...	Harlan Rook / Ed Butler
Michael Currie	...	Capt. Donnelly
Michael Goodwin	...	Lt. Ackerman
Darwin Gillett	...	Patrick Snow
Anthony Charnota	...	Lou Janero
Christopher P. Beale	...	Dist. Atty. Thomas McSherry
John Allen Vick	...	Lt. Ruskowski
Jeff Richmond	...	Freeway Reporter #1
Patrick N. Van Horn	...	Freeway Reporter #2 (as Patrick Van Horn)
Sigrid Wurschmidt	...	Freeway Reporter #3
Jim Carrey	...	Johnny Squares (as James Carrey)

Also Known As:

Dirty Harry in The Dead Pool (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Spain:18 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #29247) | Singapore:PG (cut) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1989) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (1988) | Singapore:NC-16 | Netherlands:12 | France:Unrated | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2008) | Brazil:14 | Australia:M | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

1954 Mason Street, North Beach, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

A modified 1/10 scale 2wd Associated RC10 off road racer with an off-the-shelf Parma International 1963 Chevrolet Corvette body was used in the famous chase scene in which "Dirty Harry" Callahan is being pursued through the streets of San Francisco, California by a highly explosive bomb disguised as an R/C car. The "bomb" was driven by world-champion race driver Jay Halsey. The car was in fact was sold with an electric motor being a competition model, which for cars in that scale was at that time only sold and permitted to enter competitions with electric motors; the internal combustion engine soundtrack were added in post-production.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During the chase with the remote controlled car, after Callahan's car makes it's second jump over a steep hill, you can briefly see a portable film camera on a mount in the back seat of the car.

Quotes:

Butcher Hicks: [Harry pays Hicks his box of smokes for just standing] That's it?
Harry Callahan: That's it. Oh, you see that dirtbag I was talking to down there?
[points to Janero]
Harry Callahan: He says that smoking can cause cancer, and anyone who smokes as much as you do is one dumb son-of-a-bitch!
[Hicks growls menacingly and stares daggers at Janero who shuts himself back in his cell]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Max & Paddy's Road to Nowhere: (#1.1)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

Eastwood's last "Dirty Harry"

In the final Dirty Harry movie, Inspector Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is annoyed by his new-found fame, caused by his court testimony against an important mob figure. His next case is a real winner: an obnoxious British director (Liam Neeson) has a "dead pool" on the set of his new horror flick. Each crew member picks ten celebrities they believe will die, and the one with the most dead celebs on their list at the end of the game is the big winner.

Just one problem with this - the people on the director's list start dying at an alarming rate and mysteriously, including his leading man. And guess whose name is on the list as well - yeah, Harry's.

If this isn't enough, a TV reporter (Patricia Clarkson) wants to do a big story on him.

Directed by Buddy van Horn, "The Dead Pool" is a spoof of a sort, killing a movie critic as part of the story (ouch), and the story actually concerns movie-making. It also has a car chase that's a take-off on "Bullitt." The stereotypical characters found in this type of film are played by some excellent actors, and there's plenty of sexual innuendo to go around.

Someone mentioned that Eastwood seems a little old here for Dirty Harry. He seems old for just about every role he plays, frankly, but he keeps playing them. It's always amazing how men are able to do this with no problem, but give the man his due. He's a great presence, and in 1988, his best work as both a director and an actor was yet to come! Very entertaining and well-acted. If you can get the joke, you'll enjoy it all the more.