 |
| Clint Eastwood, Andrew Robinson, Harry
Guardino, Reni Santoni, John Vernon |
|
 |
Anamorphic
widescreen |
|
Dolby Digital
5.1 |
 |
DTS |
|
|
Trailer(s) |
|
Featurette(s) |
|
Documentary |
|
Audio commentary
|
|
Deleted scenes
|
|
Concept art
/ storyboards |
|
Multi-angle
feature |
|
|
|
|
Harry
Callahan (Clint Eastwood): I know what you're thinking. Did he fire
six shots or only five? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement,
I've kinda lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the
most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off,
you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya
punk?
An
unorthodox loner cop is assigned the case of a psychotic serial killer
on the loose in San Francisco.
 Causing
quite an uproar upon its first release in 1971, this powerfully grim
action thriller deals directly with the fear and anger caused by the
extreme, irrational violence that has become part and parcel of our
contemporary urban society. Throwing all sense of political correctness
to the wind, Dirty Harry is a courageous film in its willingness
to deal with the sense of outrage felt by victims of violent crimes,
championing a mythical type of loner hero who follows only his own innate
sense of justice, and deals harshly with criminals.
Already hugely controversial at the time of its release, Dirty Harry
has been called a fascist piece of right-wing propaganda, a gratuitously
violent exploitation number, and an action masterpiece by various (and
sometimes the same) critics. Each one of these descriptions could be
viewed as legitimate, depending on one's personal point of view, as
the movie is deliberately ambiguous and leaves plenty of space for interpretation.
But by taking the overdrawn situations and characters of the Western
and transplanting them directly to a contemporary urban environment,
the film takes on issues most others wouldn't dare touch with a ten-foot
pole. And this taut urban thriller has lost very little of its power
or relevance in the thirty years since its premiere. |
|
 |
 |
|
|
Previously
released as a bare-bones DVD for both Region 1 and Region 2, Warner
Home Video has revisited this classic action film with an improved transfer
and several extras. Identical releases are available for Region 1 and
Region 2, both separately and as part of a boxed set together with the
four Dirty Harry sequels. The Special Edition re-release served as a
basis for this review.
The
anamorphic widescreen image is framed at an aspect ratio of approx.
2.35:1. The transfer was drawn from the same source print as the previous
DVD release (you can easily tell by the scratches and white blips on
the print, which are exactly the same as those on the previous release).
But the new version has much better definition and newly applied improved
color correction, leading to better shadow detail and more natural fleshtones.
A much brighter, better defined picture is the result, with none of
the haziness and fading that marked the earlier release. Grain is also
more evident with this enhancement of detail, but this is rarely distracting.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio mix is the same one found on the previous
version, and it remains an impressive soundtrack presentation for a
movie over thirty years old. Lalo Schifrin's funky score sounds terrific,
with excellent separation and good fidelity, and even bass response
and directional effects are impressive straight across the board.
Besides
the excellent remastering job done on the movie itself, a handful of
solid extras make this re-release a worthwhile purchase and essential
material for Dirty Harry fans. A new half-hour documentary charts
the backgrounds of the movie, and its problematic reception at the time.
With plenty of input from Clint Eastwood himself, the documentary is
honest enough in dealing with the second thoughts most key contributors
had when the movie and its perceived reactionary politics quickly took
on a life of its own. Also included is interview footage with admirers
of the film such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, who basically just finds
it cool that Dirty Harry could shoot someone while eating a hot dog.
Th documentary is more of a companion piece to the entire series, focusing
on the Dirty Harry character's development and impact on popular culture
more than the specific production details of the first film. The original
featurette produced at the time for promotional purposes includes
some behind-the-scenes on-set footage, but is otherwise merely interesting
for historical purposes. The snazzy theatrical trailer is nicely
presented in anamorphic widescreen. Some limited production notes
and cast and crew biographies round out these welcome new extras.Newly
designed static menu screens accompanied by a cue from the score grace
this new release.
Dan
Hassler-Forest
Reviewed: February 4, 2002
Click
here for IMDB info on Dirty
Harry .
Click here
to return to the front page.
|
|
| |
