HOME   News   Reviews   Adv Search   Features   My DVD   About   Apps   Stats     Search:
  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 2.35:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • French: Dolby Digital Mono
  • Italian: Dolby Digital Mono
  Subtitles
    English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch, Arabic, Portuguese, English - Hearing Impaired, Italian - Hearing Impaired
  Extras
    Dirty Harry
    Warner Bros./Warner Bros. . R4 . COLOR . 98 mins . MA15+ . PAL

      Feature
    Contract

    The greatest trick Clint Eastwood ever pulled was the seamless transition from the Man with No Name to the Man Named Dirty Harry. Rather than re-invent himself and carry on with a normal film career like any other joe-schmo actor of the time, he just took his western anti-hero, gave him a name and brought him kicking, screaming and shooting into the 20th century.

    In this his first appearance as the lone cop with a penchant for big guns, Inspector Harry Callahan is lumbered with a new partner while his old one is recovering in hospital. Together, they work to track down psycho nutcase with a sniper rifle, Scorpio. He's already killed one woman and demanded $100,000 to stop from killing again. With the city being held to ransom by Scorpio, "Dirty" Harry Callahan plays by his superiors demands that he does things the killers way, but when it all backfires Harry takes matters into his own hands and does it the only way he knows how.

    As far as stories go, there's really nothing to it. There really isn't meant to be anyway, at least it's not really about the hunt for the killer. This is about the kind of hero America needed at the time, one who just got the job done, with justice the ultimate goal. More importantly, what we witness is the descent of Harry Callahan and the genesis of Dirty Harry.

    Early on, Harry is a relaxed and almost playful supercop, as seen in the fashion he teases the bank robber with his famous "Do I feel lucky? Well do ya, punk?" line. As we work our way through the film and see Scorpio escape justice we see Harry become more and more disillusioned with the system he works with. Finally, confronting Scorpio at the end, he bookends the film and vents his frustration by again speaking the words, "Do I feel lucky? Well do ya...punk?!" But the vital difference this time he is he's no longer playing around merely flaunting his superior firepower. This time, he's inviting Scorpio (and all bad guys that get off too easy because of the flawed system) to try his luck, to give Harry just one good reason to put a bullet through his skull, one good reason to let Harry play judge, jury and executioner.

      Video
      Audio
      Extras
    Contract

    Dirty Harry has a 2.35:1 aspect ratio with a 16x9 enhanced transfer. Taking into account the sometimes average blacks and grain, the image still looks pretty damn good for thirty years old. The source shows its limitations in the extended night scenes through the middle of the film where it has moments struggling to resolve any detail. At the same time, these same scenes will effectively contrast bright neon signs against the darkness to great effect. The colour varies from drab greys through to bright vibrant greens and reds (look out for the bright red blood which looks incredibly fake). There’s a bit of shimmer on car grilles and steps, but for the most part, this is a good looking transfer with plenty of sharp detail.

    The audio, originally a mono mix, is presented in DD5.1 on this dvd. Dirty Harry probably hasn’t sounded this good in quite a while, with good clear dialogue, and a fair bit of extra oomph to the action scenes. The many shootouts benefit from the added dynamics and with some nicely done extensions into the surround channels.

    There’s a few extras to keep the disc in your player, consisting of a Cast and Crew list, Theatrical Trailer, Interview Gallery comprised of 10 segments and running around 25 minutes and The Original Documentary –Dirty Harry’s Way, which is an original 7 minute featurette from the time of the films release. The best extra of the lot is the documentary Dirty Harry: The Original. Running at around 30 minutes and hosted by Robert Urich, it takes a look at the whole Dirty Harry phenomenon with interviews from his co-stars and even a look in from Arnold Schwarzenegger. Although it tends to be a bit of a praise piece, it’s still fairly interesting and a pleasing watch.


  • LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=958
  • Send to a friend.
  • Do YOU want to be a DVDnet reviewer? If so, click here

    Cast your vote here: You must enable cookies to vote.
  •   And I quote...
    "You don't need to feel lucky to enjoy this dvd, punk."
    - Vince Carrozza
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Sony DVP-525
    • TV:
          Sony 68cm
    • Receiver:
          Sony STR-DB930
    • Speakers:
          Wharfedale s500
    • Centre Speaker:
          Polk Audio CS245
    • Surrounds:
          Wharfedale s500
    • Subwoofer:
          DB Dynamics TITAN
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard Optical
    • Video Cables:
          standard s-video
      Recent Reviews:
    by Vince Carrozza

    20 Million Miles to Earth
    "THRILLS! CHILLS! PLASTICINE!"

    Earth Vs The Flying Saucers
    "The people of Earth face their ultimate threat – not from the DEVIOUS COMMUNISTS! Not from the WILEY CHINESE! Not even from the sinister ROTARIANS!"

    City Under the Sea
    "What, indeed, was the point of this film, and why did they write a part for a bloody rooster?"

    Santana - Down Under Live at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion
    "Fans can look beyond the flaws though and just revel in the Gold FM hits without the annoying ads."

    Phantom of the Opera (1925)
    "It’s your typical ‘lovesick masked psycho meets girl, girl unmasks psycho, psycho goes on rampage” story."

      Related Links
      None listed

     

    Search for Title/Actor/Director:
    Google Web dvd.net.au
       Copyright DVDnet. All rights reserved. Site Design by RED 5   
    rss