Magnum Force

Dirty Harry returns.

Remember our entry on Dirty Harry? Well, it just so happens that I totally dig the Harry Callahan saga, he’s the cop we deserve, his way or the highway.

If I was asked which movie is the one that defines Clint Eastwood career I would definitely answer the Dirty Harry saga, though some may disagree, as my dad for instance. He would say “son you’re wrong his tour de force is definitely Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo.  Of course Eastwood had done some very popular movies in his early years as well as his late years being not only in front of the camera, but also behind it. Clint Eastwood being on his 70’s can still kick plenty of asses, and his 50 years career is his actual Magnum 44. All. Be that as it may, when you play the character of Harry Callahan five times over an 18 year period it's hard for fans not to associate him with the part, though he’s managed to avoid becoming a single character like many actors that will pass away being remembered for their one hit wonder character.

Cool promo art.

MAGNUM FORCE might actually be a tad better than DIRTY HARRY as well as being the strongest of all the sequels. Not only do we learn a bit more about Inspector Callahan but also it's a more interesting and compelling story as well as having a better all round cast. Well, at least it seems that way as time has gone by, because the supporting cast of David Soul, Tim Matheson and Robert Urich who play the easy-going traffic cops would go on to be well known stars in their own right through the 70's, 80's, 90's and 2000's. In addition they are backed up by the brilliant Hal Holbrook playing the impatient and easily irritated lieutenant Briggs.

We're cool, we wear cool sunglasses, no fags allowed.

Tough street wise cops were not a new thing to Hollywood, but because of the civil rights movements in the 1960's and 70's there were a lot of new rules that the police had to adhere to and their methods came under greater judicial scrutiny. If there was a whiff of wrong doing, the judge would instruct that critical testimony should be dismissed and vital evidence rendered inadmissible thus making the DA's prosecution impossible and an acquittal or a dismissal of a case a certainty. They had rights! As a consequence it seemed that the courts became a sanctuary or a get out of jail card for the criminals! Also, rather than having some dopey public defender the criminals gained access to the new breed of wise-guy smarmy lawyers who would use all forms of court room trickery to gain acquittals for their clients. Whether it was organized crime, pimps, murderers, rapists and muggers, unfortunately the system seemed to work in their favor, and believe me, it still does.

This is a cool wallpaper.

Also, politicians became sensitive to the minority communities complaints of police strong armed tactics leaned on local police forces to ease off. All this coincided with an explosion of violent crime in the early 1970's where the public particularly in the big cities became anxious and frustrated at this. Therefore just like the super heroes from Comic Books and movies such as DIRTY HARRY sort of impersonated the daily frustrations of innocent bystanders who could do nothing against crime, nothing but to rely on their imagination. In the follow up, MAGNUM FORCE explored the possibility of vigilante cops acting as judge, jury and executioner because the system seemed not to be working.

Check my iPhone earphones.

Inspector Callahan is not impressed by these new methods and shrugs off pressure from above. The beginning of the movie sets the tone, from his indifference towards the gunned down thugs as well as the way he tackled the hijacked plane only demonstrated the way he wanted to do his job. When it appears that someone is trying to put the courts out of business as the body bags that are piling up in the cities morgue are San Francisco's dregs of the earth, Callahan has the unenviable task of finding out who is responsible for this? Harry at first thinks that it is some rouge cop acting out of impulse that might be the one responsible for these revenge killings but as things progress it appears that this is not just a random or a spur of the moment act, in fact is a way deeper issue.

Yeah, my cock is  as lethal as my magnum.

Callahan becomes suspicious towards a well-disciplined team of rookie cops who he knows are expert marksmen. It appears that they are highly motivated and are a product of a well organized shadow police force who have support much higher up the known chain of command. Although Callahan has no empathy towards the people who are being killed and to a large extent understands why somebody might carry out such a deed, he is much happier catching them in the act and blowing them away in a shootout. He is uneasy at the blatant execution style of these killings and is way beyond what he thinks is right! As his investigation unfolds, he too becomes a target and when his partner gets rubbed out it seems that he may have crossed more than just the mayor and the chief of police! Now with nobody watching his back, can he get to the bottom of this before he becomes a victim, and more importantly who the hell can he trust? His spare partners? You know the answer: His own, and his beloved magnum 44.

Stop the fucking car!

Is it ketchup? If so it better be Heinz!

There are obvious plot holes but it is more than compensated by great cinema photography with great shots of San Francisco, shoot outs, an easy going back ground score and of course a very smooth Clint Eastwood to boot. The sparing between Briggs and Callahan is entertaining and produces some great dialog, it's well worth a watch and I'd highly recommend this not only to Clint Eastwood fans, but also to every 70’s stuff lover, as yours truly is.

Here’s the movie trailer:

Yes, within the next days I'll review the remaining films that complete the saga. Keep it real!