Magnum Force

R

Now Playing

2h 4m

Action

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

List

67%

30 Reviews

Tomatometer

77%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Rogue San Francisco cop "Dirty Harry" Callahan (Clint Eastwood) doesn't believe in blind obedience to the rules, but when a vigilante group starts executing criminals who have escaped punishment on technicalities, that's going too far. Against the orders of his commanding officer, Lt. Briggs (Hal Holbrook), Callahan begins investigating his hunch that another policeman is behind the killings -- with his primary suspect being his tightly wound ex-partner, Charlie McCoy (Mitchell Ryan).

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Critics Consensus

Magnum Force ups the ante for the Dirty Harry franchise with faster action and thrilling stuntwork.

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Pauline Kael

New Yorker

A tall, cold cod like Eastwood removes the last pretensions to humane feelings from the action melodrama, making it an impersonal, almost abstract exercise in brutalization.

Sep 21, 2023

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…a paean to American exceptionalism, individualism, and one hell of an action flick to boot…

Rated: 5/5

Jan 14, 2024

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

Magnum Force is not a good movie, though it does provide a fine example of the gratuitous homophobia that seemed a mandatory element in every Clint Eastwood movie at the time.

Jan 2, 2024

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

"Nothing wrong with shooting as long as the right people get shot." It's a telling line.

Rated: 3/4

Dec 16, 2021

Full Review

Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Not even Eastwood's presence as the muddy cop, who certainly has his intense moments, prevents this sequel of 'Dirty Harry' from having a light and distinctly conventional result. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 6/10

Oct 9, 2021

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

With a villain who remains a mystery for the majority of the picture, victims who deserve to die, and inconsequential supporting roles, there's little suspense or concern.

Rated: 4/10

Aug 30, 2020

Full Review

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Jan V

Best Dirty Harry movie by far.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/16/24

Full Review

Matthew D

Clint Eastwood delivers justice to rogue cops with powerful bullets. Director Ted Post's action thriller Magnum Force (1973) keeps Clint Eastwood cool and ready to gun down crooks at a moment's notice. This time, Dirty Harry is feeling conflicted about having to shoot rogue cops taking the law into their own hands, but not for long. Harry rages into full force with fiery shots from his powerful magnum revolver that are electric with each gunshot. The sound design team let the gunshot noises burst loudly, whether it's a revolver or machine gun. Ted Post's direction keeps you engaged as Eastwood investigates and guns down crooks getting away with a crime, even if they are cops this time. The shootouts are so exciting and Magnum Force is nearly as awesome as Dirty Harry. Editor Ferris Webster's sharp cuts keep Magnum Force's pace quick and each action sequence gripping. You are always anticipating Clint firing again. Cinematographer Frank Stanley's smooth camera panning left and right during shootouts is so cool. I love the way he'll get a neat perspective of Harry overlooking bodies or criminals with wild angles. Jack T. Collis' art direction is gritty and raw like John Lamphear's set decoration, stuffing sets with goods in stores and diners. Sass Bedig's explosive special effects and gunshot flares look real and exhilarating. The massive stunt team pulled off fight after fight and shootout after shootout. The pool machine gun massacre is insane. Writers John Milius and Michael Cimino's story is pretty engaging as they continue to think about ethics, justice, and guilt for law officers and murderers. Having Harry's fellow police officers be the violent crooks committing mass murder in the name of vigilante justice is a neat twist on Dirty Harry's rampage. It's fascinating how these movies are all about legal rights versus vigilante justice dealt with a handgun. The action is searing and cool, but you do wonder why Harry should get away with mass murder every time. It makes for an entertaining film for sure. All the firearms details show off Harry's gun knowledge and expertise. Clint Eastwood is fantastic as the cool, clever, and violent Inspector Dirty Harry Callahan. His reserved acting feels mature and subtle, giving Clint a glare of the eyes or a silver-tongued jab at foes with ease. He's as tough as he is funny or trigger happy here. Hal Holbrook is very fun as Harry's foil the good Lieutenant Neil Briggs. David Soul's Officer John Davis, Tim Matheson's Officer Phil Sweet, Kip Niven's Officer Red Astrachan, and Robert Urich's Officer Mike Grimes are great as the supporting cop actors. I loved Christine White's sweet Carol McCoy. I liked her charming scenes with Clint. Composer Lalo Schifrin's killer funky jazz music sets a mad atmosphere for Magnum Force. Lalo's film scores for this series just rule. Makeup artist Joe McKinney makes everyone look rugged and a young Clint even more handsome. Hairstyling from Shirley Dolle gives Eastwood massive 70's hair as usual. I like all of Eastwood's fancy suits to portray Dirty Harry as a man who likes his expensive fashion. In all, Magnum Force is a thrilling 124 minutes of gunshots galore.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/30/23

Full Review

Les N

Not as good as the original but still great.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/17/23

Full Review

Eye C

This one I like a little better, but Dirty Harry it seems is not my cup'o tea.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/01/23

Full Review

Brent A

50% rating ... Average film. You might like it if you enjoyed Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry character.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/28/23

Full Review

Jack O

"This is a 44. Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and it could blow your head clean off. Do you feel lucky?" Clint Eastwood is back as Dirty Harry in Magnum Force and this time he's here to catch another mysterious killer who is an vigilante cop who kills people. That's kind of the same thing to the first film. However I have nothing about it because it's the same thing like I said. Magnum Force is a superior one out of all of them. Great sequel to Dirty Harry.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/19/23

Full Review

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Ted Post

Director

Clint Eastwood

Insp. "Dirty" Harry Callahan

Hal Holbrook

Lt. Neil Briggs

David Soul

Officer John Davis

Mitch Ryan

Officer Charlie McCoy

Felton Perry

Insp. Early Smith

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Synopsis

Rogue San Francisco cop "Dirty Harry" Callahan (Clint Eastwood) doesn't believe in blind obedience to the rules, but when a vigilante group starts executing criminals who have escaped punishment on technicalities, that's going too far. Against the orders of his commanding officer, Lt. Briggs (Hal Holbrook), Callahan begins investigating his hunch that another policeman is behind the killings -- with his primary suspect being his tightly wound ex-partner, Charlie McCoy (Mitchell Ryan).

Director: Ted Post
Screenwriter: John Milius, Michael Cimino
Production Co: Warner Bros., The Malpaso Company
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 31, 2008
Runtime: 2h 4m
Sound Mix: Stereo

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