Magnum Force (1973)

San Francisco Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is on the trail of vigilante Police Officers who are not above going beyond the law to kill the city's undesirables.

Director:

Ted Post

Writers:

Harry Julian Fink (original material), Rita M. Fink (original material) (as R.M. Fink)

Stars:

Clint Eastwood, Hal Holbrook, Mitchell Ryan

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clint Eastwood	...	Harry Callahan
Hal Holbrook	...	Lt. Briggs
Mitchell Ryan	...	Charlie McCoy
David Soul	...	Davis
Tim Matheson	...	Sweet
Kip Niven	...	Astrachan
Robert Urich	...	Grimes
Felton Perry	...	Early Smith
Maurice Argent	...	Nat Weinstein
Margaret Avery	...	Prostitute
Richard Devon	...	Ricca
Tony Giorgio	...	Palancio
Jack Kosslyn	...	Walter
Bob March	...	Estabrook
Bob McClurg	...	Cab Driver

Storyline

San Francisco Police Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) and his new partner, Earlington "Early" Smith (Felton Perry) have been temporarily reassigned from Homicide to Stakeout Duty. Meanwhile, those of the city's criminals who manage to avoid punishment by the courts are nevertheless being killed by unknown assassins. Callahan begins to investigate the murders despite orders from his superior officer, Lieutenant Neil Briggs (Hal Holbrook). A man has to know his limitations.

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Plot Keywords:

breasts | dead prostitute | killer pimp | panties | menage a trois | 

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Taglines:

Clint Eastwood is back in 'Full Force' as Dirty Harry in "Magnum Force."

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Vigilance

Filming Locations:

1501 Leavenworth Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$39,768,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$39,768,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Malpaso Company, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In Mexico, this movie's title was "Magnum 44".

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Goofs

The condition of the rear door on the Ford sedan when Harry makes a U-turn. The door is damaged when Harry sideswipes a stack of railroad ties, and Lt. Briggs falls out of the car.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Harry Callahan: [at end of main titles] This is a 44. Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and it could blow your head clean off. Do you feel lucky?
[fires at the audience]

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Crazy Credits

The credits are played over a hand (presumably Harry's) holding a 44 Magnum against a red background. As such, this is the only Dirty Harry movie in which the opening credits are not played over San Francisco scenery.

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Alternate Versions

The UK cinema version was cut by the BBFC with edits made to throat punches and shots of the twitching bodies of Ricca and the pimp, and the killing of the prostitute in the taxi was also heavily shortened. The cuts were fully waived in 1986.

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Connections

Featured in A Moral Right: The Politics of Dirty Harry (2008)

User Reviews

A sequel with a new story...

This sequel to the entertaining "Dirty Harry" stands with few peers when it comes to successful follow-ups. Most don't stand on their own feet but Magnum Force does solidly. Changing the plot but not the style is good formula in movies, rather than playing out what was already done in the original, which is why so many sequels fail. "Magnum Force" is my second favorite film by Eastwood after "High Plains Drifter". Harry still likes to do things his way although rather than focusing his energy on the bad guys, he's focused on some crooked cops in his own department! Follows in the original's footsteps with lots of great views of San Francisco (My Birthplace!) I always feel at home when watching this movie. This is another film that is played a lot on TV because its so good on it's own. Felton Perry does a good job as Harry's partner, comparable to Reni Santoni in the original. Didn't like any of the sequels that followed this movie with the exception of Sudden Impact. Magnum Force is a film that rates highly as watchable again & again.