The Dead Pool

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The Dead Pool

R

1988

1h 31m

Action

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

53%

Tomatometer

34 Reviews

44%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

In the fifth installment of the Dirty Harry series, gritty cop Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is fresh off the conviction of a major mob boss. When horror film director Peter Swan (Liam Neeson) develops a "dead pool" betting on celebrity deaths, he is shocked when a serial killer begins targeting those named, including TV reporter Samantha Walker (Patricia Clarkson) and Callahan himself. Action and violence abound as Callahan tracks the killer in an attempt to stop the murders.

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Critics Consensus

While it offers its fair share of violent thrills and tough wit, The Dead Pool ends the Dirty Harry series on an uninspired note.

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Henry Sheehan

Chicago Reader

It is perfectly adequate, in fact. It is just that adequate should not be good enough for Clint Eastwood.

Rated: 2/4

May 11, 2022

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Odie Henderson

House Next Door

It probably wasn't wise for the filmmakers to end Dirty Harry's reign with Eastwood uttering a post-killing line more suited for Stallone or Schwarzenegger, but from an entertainment standpoint, The Dead Pool doesn't leave one **** outta luck.

Jul 12, 2013

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

The best thing about The Dead Pool is the best thing about almost all of Clint Eastwood's movies: The film is smart, quick, and made with real wit. It's never just a crude action movie, bludgeoning us with violence.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

...easily the worst film in the franchise, with a perfunctory climax and only a couple of passable lines...

Rated: 2/5

Dec 29, 2021

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

It's difficult to determine whether The Dead Pool is a desperate attempt to extend the franchise or a smart parody of cop films that have come before it; either way, there's enough to enjoy in this increasingly silly film.

Rated: 2.5/4

Dec 16, 2021

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

It feels as if the writers have completely run out of ideas for utilizing one of the most popular vigilantes in cinema history.

Rated: 4/10

Aug 31, 2020

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Audience Member

It was alright. A nice one time watch. Could be better story...

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

07/28/25

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thiago s

filme legalzinho, o roteiro é bacana, o elenco focou muito melhor do que os outros filmes, Clint Eastwood ainda é muito bom como Harry Callahan, mas agora o Harry Callahan persegui um matador/roteirista de filmes dentro do filme, nesse filme sendo o ultimo do Harry Callahan, eu achei que ele ia morrer no final, desta vez Harry Callahan não perseguiu ninguem, e agora ele tem um parceiro homem, que é japones, mas agora o parceiro dele não morreu, e ainda colocacam a musica welcome to the jungle do guns n´roses, no final do filme eu gostei, o Harry Callahan usou um arpão gigantesco e matou o roteirista de filmes, mas mesmo com isso eu recomendo esse filme. o ultimo da franquia dirty harry.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/17/24

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Sams K

I love this. Also some easter eggs for GNR fans...

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/24/24

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Aender S

The worst of the Dirty Harry movies.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

04/16/24

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Alec B

What a silly note for this series to end on (there are remote control car bombs, metacommentary, and a Chekhov's harpoon gun) but given how dour the previous entries often were, perhaps they just wanted to have some fun? In any case its a bit of a mess that doesn't really earn a lot of what it tries to do in the finale.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/24

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Eye C

My favorite from the Dirty Harry franchise, good story.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/24

Full Review

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Buddy Van Horn

Director

Clint Eastwood

Insp. "Dirty" Harry Callahan

Patricia Clarkson

Samantha Walker

Evan C. Kim

Insp. Al Quan

Liam Neeson

Peter Swan

David Hunt

Harlan Rook

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Synopsis

In the fifth installment of the Dirty Harry series, gritty cop Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is fresh off the conviction of a major mob boss. When horror film director Peter Swan (Liam Neeson) develops a "dead pool" betting on celebrity deaths, he is shocked when a serial killer begins targeting those named, including TV reporter Samantha Walker (Patricia Clarkson) and Callahan himself. Action and violence abound as Callahan tracks the killer in an attempt to stop the murders.

Director: Buddy Van Horn
Producer: David Valdes
Screenwriter: Steve Sharon, Durk Pearson, Sandy Shaw Lai-King, Steve Sharon
Production Co: Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $37.8M
Runtime: 1h 31m
Sound Mix: Surround

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