The Dead Pool (1988)

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

Director:

Buddy Van Horn

Writers:

Harry Julian Fink (characters), Rita M. Fink (characters) (as R.M. Fink)

Stars:

Clint Eastwood, Liam Neeson, Patricia Clarkson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clint Eastwood	...	Harry Callahan
Patricia Clarkson	...	Samantha Walker
Liam Neeson	...	Peter Swan
Evan C. Kim	...	Al Quan
David Hunt	...	Harlan Rook
Michael Currie	...	Captain Donnelly
Michael Goodwin	...	Lt. Ackerman
Darwin Gillett	...	Patrick Snow
Anthony Charnota	...	Lou Janero
Christopher P. Beale	...	D.A. Thomas McSherry (as Christopher Beale)
John Vick	...	Lt. Ruskowski (as John Allen Vick)
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)

Storyline

Even though he detests publicity, for once, the tough-as-nails San Francisco Police Department officer, Inspector Dirty Harry (1971), has hit the headlines for a good cause, after putting behind bars an infamous mobster. But now, Callahan's name is on a macabre list of soon-to-be-dead celebrities. Before long, the first one dies, the drug-addled rock star, Johnny Squares, and as more violent deaths follow, Callahan now fears that he is next in line. In the meantime, more and more, all indications point to the British horror-film director, Peter Swan. Who is the mastermind behind the anonymous hit-list and the twisted gambling game known as the Dead Pool? Can Harry get to the bottom of this deadly conundrum before it is too late?

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Plot Keywords:

funeral | neo western | modern western | contemporary western | cowboy cop | 

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Taglines:

Dirty Harry Just Learned A New Game

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene where the Oldsmobile was being chased by a radio-controlled bomb took a week and a half to shoot.

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Goofs

Several of the dead persons are seen being taken by EMTs to an Ambulance. In California it is forbidden by law for an ambulance to transport any dead persons.

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Quotes

Harlan Rook: Did you ever notice how time seems to slow down at night?

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Alternate Versions

While not as drastic as the previous movies, the 5.1 remix still replaces several sound effects (mostly gunshots once again) with newer ones, despite the original mix being stereo instead of mono. There is also a music cue deleted in the remix in the scene when Harry finds the list at the Chinese restaurant that was present in the original stereo mix.

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Connections

Referenced in Face/Off (1997)

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Soundtracks

Welcome to the Jungle
Written by Slash, Axl Rose (as W. Axl Rose), Steven Adler, Izzy Stradlin and Duff McKagan (as Duff McKagen)
Performed by Guns N' Roses
Courtesy of Geffen Records
By arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Dirty Harry lite

While this film was just pure entertainment, at least we got to see Dirty Harry doing what we all wanted to see him do: kick some serious ass. Sure, it seemed a little odd that a 60-year old man would be kicking the buts of guys of half his age, but isn't that what film is for: to escape reality? While this is somewhere in the middle in regards to the series as a whole, one cannot contend with the idea of Harry Callahan being one of the most endearing film characters ever made. A nice send-off to say the least.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 July 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dirty Harry in The Dead Pool

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$31,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,071,330, 17 July 1988

Gross USA:

$37,903,295

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$37,903,295

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Malpaso Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo (4 channels) Dolby Digital (5.1)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1