BEFORE: Dirty Harry movie #4 tonight, then just one more to go and I'll be back on topic, I think.
THE PLOT: A rape victim is exacting revenge on her agressors in a small town outside San Francisco. Dirty Harry, on suspension for angering his superiors (again), is assigned to the case.
AFTER: I'm guessing this is the high watermark of the franchise - this is the film with the often-quoted "Go ahead, make my day!" line, delivered through clenched teeth at the stereotypical "punk" that seems to inhabit San Francisco.
Again, as with "The Enforcer", it's the opening gambit - Dirty Harry vs. the punks - that really shines, and I liked it better than the main plot. The "A" story has no suspense, because the audience is clued in almost from the beginning that the killer is a woman getting revenge for a gang rape, and then we all have to wait for Harry Callahan to catch up.
This is the one where Dirty Harry goes on vacation, gets a dog and goes on a date. No, really - but he does all of those things in his own style. His vacation involves traveling up (down?) the coast to check out a murder victim's background, and then more murders start to happen with the same M.O. And when he starts to fall for a woman, he starts to wonder if she's got a dark secret - gee, what are the odds of THAT? She ends up like a combination of Jodie Foster's characters from "The Accused" and "The Brave One".
I was actually rooting for these two to make it as a couple. He likes guns, so does she! He works for justice, she's driven by revenge. They like fancy restaurants, long walks on the beach (during the daytime, please...) and taking down scumbags. And if these crazy kids can't make it work, then what chance do the rest of us have, really?
Once again, Dirty Harry bucks his superiors, uses too much force, and dispenses his insights on pop culture. He gets at least one thing right - no one should ever put ketchup on a hot dog.
Also starring Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle (last seen in "The Quick and the Dead"), Bradford Dillman (also carrying over from "The Enforcer"), Albert Popwell (ditto).
RATING: 6 out of 10 carousel horses
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