Dirty Harry

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2:52

Dirty Harry

R

1971

1h 43m

Action

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

53 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Cop Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) attempts to track down a psychopathic rooftop killer before a kidnapped girl dies. When he is found Harry abuses the murderer's civil rights putting him back on the streets. Once he is released he hijacks a school bus and Harry must go after him again. The only way to stop this vicious killer is in cold blood.

Critics Consensus

As tough and taciturn as its no-nonsense hero, Dirty Harry delivers a deceptively layered message without sacrificing an ounce of its solid action impact.

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Edward Porter

The Times (UK)

08/22/2022

Its star’s growling charisma demands to be enjoyed.

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Derek Malcolm

Guardian

05/31/2022

Siegel shouldn't have had to shout so much to make himself heard, nor should Eastwood, otherwise excellent, be quite so determined to maintain a star's steely dignity. But a lot still manages to get through about violence and the loner's path.

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Alexander Walker

London Evening Standard

05/31/2022

Dirty Harry is a film meant to wring the already well wrung and mangled conscience of the liberal. Which it succeeds in doing with engrossing efficiency.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

05/19/2024

5/5

…Dirty Harry was, and still is a powerful movie as a one-off…amidst the 70’s lens flare and urban machine-gun action, Harry is doing his best in a world gone mad, and that’s a tune that almost anyone can whistle, regardless of their politics...

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

08/19/2023

In real life he would be up on charges, and justifiably so. In the movies he’s just the kind of cowboy these mean streets call for.

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Madeleine Harmsworth

Sunday Mirror (UK)

05/31/2022

Excellent thriller of the tough cop variety.

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William

10/30/2021

Outstanding Clint Eastwood movie. Jump started his movie career in America!

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Jason H

@RT50328122 May 7

The first - and easily best - of the Dirty Harry series.

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Andy B

@AndyB21 Apr 10

A gritty 70's classic that is more even handed in it's message than it's often given credit for.

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Jonathan O

@RT41230270 Feb 3

This is how to make a bad ass action hero.

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Tommy G

@judgeDredd Feb 2

If Judge Dredd Was in modern day

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Brett K

@RedDragon1963 Jan 13

This is the movie that made me a fan of Clint Eastwood. I saw it when it first came out and knew right away that it would become iconic. From the cinematography to the great score by Lalo Schifrin and the collaboration of Clint and Don Siegel everything fires on all cylinders here!

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Don Siegel

Director

Clint Eastwood

Harry Callahan

Harry Guardino

Bressler

Reni Santoni

Chico

John Larch

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Dirty Harry: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Cop Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) attempts to track down a psychopathic rooftop killer before a kidnapped girl dies. When he is found Harry abuses the murderer's civil rights putting him back on the streets. Once he is released he hijacks a school bus and Harry must go after him again. The only way to stop this vicious killer is in cold blood.

Director: Don Siegel
Producer: Don Siegel
Screenwriter: Harry Julian Fink, Harry Julian Fink, Rita M. Fink, Rita M. Fink, Dean Riesner
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Malpaso Company, Warner Brothers
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1971, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2008
Runtime: 1h 43m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)