| Photos (see all 84 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 7) |
| Clint Eastwood | ... | Police Inspector Harry Callahan | |
| Harry Guardino | ... | Police Lt. Al Bressler | |
| Reni Santoni | ... | Police Inspector Chico Gonzalez | |
| John Vernon | ... | The Mayor | |
| Andrew Robinson | ... | Scorpio Killer (as Andy Robinson) | |
| John Larch | ... | The Chief | |
| John Mitchum | ... | Police Inspector Frank DiGiorgio | |
| Mae Mercer | ... | Mrs. Russell | |
| Lyn Edgington | ... | Norma | |
| Ruth Kobart | ... | Bus Driver | |
| Woodrow Parfrey | ... | Mr. Jaffe | |
| Josef Sommer | ... | Dist. Atty. William T. Rothko | |
| William Paterson | ... | Judge Bannerman | |
| James Nolan | ... | Liquor Store Owner | |
| Maurice Argent | ... | Sid Kleinman (as Maurice S. Argent) | |
| Jo De Winter | ... | Miss Willis | |
| Craig Kelly | ... | Police Sgt. Reineke (as Craig G. Kelly) | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Ann Bowen | ... | Yelling Wife (uncredited) | |
| George Burrafato | ... | Taxi Driver (uncredited) | |
| Joy Carlin | ... | Communications Secretary (uncredited) | |
| Bill Couch | ... | Suicide Jumper (uncredited) | |
| Jana D'Amico | ... | Third Nude (uncredited) | |
| Tony Dario | ... | Police Sergeant (uncredited) | |
| Diane Darnell | ... | Mayor's Secretary (uncredited) | |
| Diana Davidson | ... | Swimmer (uncredited) | |
| Vince Deadrick Sr. | ... | Pedestrian (uncredited) | |
| Chuck Dorsett | ... | TV Watcher (uncredited) | |
| Al Dunlap | ... | Man in Jaffe's Cafe (uncredited) | |
| Larry Duran | ... | (uncredited) | |
| Denise Dyer | ... | Bus Kid (uncredited) | |
| Diane Dyer | ... | Bus Kid (uncredited) | |
| George Fargo | ... | Homicide Detective (uncredited) | |
| Joe Finnegan | ... | Man in Truck (uncredited) | |
| Leslie Fong | ... | Man with Sam (uncredited) | |
| Lois Foraker | ... | Hot Mary (uncredited) | |
| Max Gail | ... | Tunnel Hoodlum (uncredited) | |
| John Garber | ... | Tunnel Hoodlum (uncredited) | |
| Eddie Garrett | ... | Policeman (uncredited) | |
| James W. Gavin | ... | Helicopter Pilot (uncredited) | |
| David Gillum | ... | Homosexual (uncredited) | |
| Don Haggerty | ... | Minor Role (uncredited) | |
| Scott Hale | ... | Newsman (uncredited) | |
| Jack Hanson | ... | Bus Kid (uncredited) | |
| Kate Harper | ... | Underwear Chick (uncredited) | |
| Bob Harris | ... | Man in Truck (uncredited) | |
| Diana Henrichsen | ... | Hippie Chick (uncredited) | |
| Marc Hertsens | ... | Steve - Doctor (uncredited) | |
| Chuck Hicks | ... | Flower Vendor (uncredited) | |
| Raymond Johnson | ... | Big Black Man (uncredited) | |
| Derek Jue | ... | Bus Kid (uncredited) | |
| Stu Klitsner | ... | Policeman (uncredited) | |
| Richard Lawson | ... | Homosexual (uncredited) | |
| Sean Maley | ... | Bus Kid (uncredited) | |
| Laurie Mock | ... | Third Nude (uncredited) | |
| Charles Murphy | ... | Man on Pay Phone (uncredited) | |
| Mary Ann Neis | ... | Miss Van Sachs (uncredited) | |
| Ann Noland | ... | Hippie Girl (uncredited) | |
| Kathleen O'Malley | ... | Lady in Jaffe's Cafe (uncredited) | |
| Angela Paton | ... | Homicide Detective (uncredited) | |
| Victor Paul | ... | Car Driver (uncredited) | |
| John W. Peebles | ... | Walkie-Talkie Cop (uncredited) | |
| Albert Popwell | ... | Bank Robber (uncredited) | |
| Christopher Pray | ... | Tunnel Hoodlum (uncredited) | |
| Lolita Rios | ... | Nude (uncredited) | |
| Ernest Robinson | ... | Robber (uncredited) | |
| Frederic Ross | ... | Hippie Guy (uncredited) | |
| Richard Samuelson | ... | Bus Kid (uncredited) | |
| Debralee Scott | ... | Ann Mary Deacon (uncredited) | |
| Allen Seaman | ... | Orderly (uncredited) | |
| Don Siegel | ... | Pedestrian Passing Harry's Car (uncredited) | |
| Kristoffer Tabori | ... | Hippie Guy (uncredited) | |
| Pamela Tanimura | ... | Bus Kid (uncredited) | |
| John Tracy | ... | Black Queen's Friend (uncredited) | |
| Charles Washburn | ... | Intern (uncredited) | |
| Dean Webber | ... | Newsman (uncredited) | |
| Janet Wisely | ... | First Nude (uncredited) | |
| Stephen Zacks | ... | Lake Kid (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Don Siegel | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Harry Julian Fink | (story) uncredited & | |
| Rita M. Fink | (story) uncredited | |
| Harry Julian Fink | (screenplay) & | |
| Rita M. Fink | (screenplay) (as R.M. Fink) and | |
| Dean Riesner | (screenplay) | |
| John Milius | (screenplay) uncredited | |
Produced by | |||
| Robert Daley | .... | executive producer | |
| Carl Pingitore | .... | associate producer | |
| Don Siegel | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Lalo Schifrin | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Bruce Surtees | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Carl Pingitore | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Dale Hennesy | (as Dale Hennessey) | ||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Robert De Vestel | (as Robert DeVestel) | ||
Makeup Department | |||
| Gordon Bau | .... | makeup supervisor | |
| Jean Burt Reilly | .... | supervising hair stylist | |
Production Management | |||
| Jim Henderling | .... | unit production manager | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Robert Rubin | .... | assistant director | |
| Barry Stern | .... | assistant director (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| William Randall | .... | sound | |
| Sergio Reyes | .... | additional sound re-recording mixer (uncredited) | |
| Dan Wallin | .... | sound re-recording mixer (uncredited) | |
Stunts | |||
| Alex Brown | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Steven Burnett | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Bill Couch | .... | stunt double (uncredited) | |
| Everett Creach | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Dick Crockett | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Bennie E. Dobbins | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Bob Harris | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Chuck Hicks | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| John Hudkins | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Julie Ann Johnson | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| William T. Lane | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Fred Lerner | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Troy Melton | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Bob Miles | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Boyd 'Red' Morgan | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Regina Parton | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Ernest Robinson | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| George Sawaya | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Walter Scott | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Alex Sharp | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Eddie Smith | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Fred Stromsoe | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Buddy Van Horn | .... | stunt coordinator (uncredited) | |
| Buddy Van Horn | .... | stunt double (uncredited) | |
| Richard Washington | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Bernie Abramson | .... | still photographer (uncredited) | |
| Kyle T. MacDowell | .... | electrician (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Glenn Wright | .... | wardrobe | |
Music Department | |||
| Mike Deasy | .... | musician (uncredited) | |
| Dan Wallin | .... | score mixer (uncredited) | |
Other crew | |||
| George Fargo | .... | assistant to producer | |
| Scott Hale | .... | dialogue supervisor | |
| Clint Eastwood | .... | director: suicide jumper sequence (uncredited) | |
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| La coda dello scorpione | Il gatto a nove code | La tarantola dal ventre nero | L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo | Cosa avete fatto a Solange? |
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| News articles | IMDb Action section | IMDb USA section |
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How radically different cinema history, and our collective consciousness, would have been if Frank Sinatra hadn't injured his hand before shooting started on "Dirty Harry". Sinatra was due to play Harry, but had to withdraw, clearing the way for Clint. Given Sinatra's unique brand of self-loathing, Harry would have been an uglier personality than Clint made him. As it is, Lieutenant Callaghan is an ornery anti-liberal cuss of a guy, but he is straight and likeable. Arguably, it was this characterisation which made Eastwood a megastar.
San Francisco in 1971 was ready for stardom itself. The West Coast love-in scene and the gay 'boom', together with McQueen's "Bullitt", raised awareness of San Francisco as an exciting liberal city with a photogenic skyline. The film's funky score by Lalo Schifrin is perfectly-judged, and spawned numerous imitators.
The central narrative concerns a lone nut who is trying to hold the city to ransom. He starts by murdering citizens to extort money from the mayor, then progresses to kidnapping children. This plays cleverly on the inchoate anxieties of Middle America, where law-abiding people were puzzled and alarmed at the 'crime wave' and the threat it posed to them and their families. Crime in the decades before the Kennedy assassination had been compartmentalised by Hollywood. Gangsters were bad, but they killed other gangsters. Now the danger was unpredictable, irrational - and solitary. The lone madman was as likely to strike against me or you as against an institution. Only a single-minded strong man, operating on the fringes of the rules, could combat this new terror.
Harry is a paradox. In one sense, he is an 'outlaw'. He has little respect for formal authority (in the opening minutes, we see him being rude to the mayor) and he carries a strictly non-regulation monster of a gun. Harry is openly racist and mutinous. And yet he is also deeply moral. He conforms to an unarticulated ethical code that is anglosaxon American. He protects the weak and confronts the wrongdoers, no matter how the odds are stacked against him. Indeed, the cowardly bureaucrats who will never reward him or promote him are able to exploit his profound decency. They send him on all the difficult, dirty jobs because they know that his sense of right and wrong won't allow him to walk away.
Early in the film, the famous bank robbery scene occurs. This has become so familiar that it hardly needs elaborating here, but to summarise, Harry foils an armed robbery using icy courage and grim humour - and his magnum handgun. The special brand of Eastwood humour recurs throughout the story (eg, the suicide jumper and the gay called 'Alice'). White anglosaxon America is encouraged to laugh at the undergroups which supposedly threaten it.
When the bad guy 'Scorpio' is cornered, he immediately starts bleating about his civil rights. This is meant to arouse our fury, because we have seen him callously destroying the lives of others, and here he is exploiting the protection of the state. To make matters worse, the state agrees with him. We see the DA and a judge explaining to Harry why the cogent evidence against Scorpio is inadmissible. Just exactly why the DA would call a meeting with a lowly policeman in order to explain department policy is far from clear, but the scene is thematically necessary. Scorpio is using the System against the decent, godfearing people who own it. The liberal apparatus is skewed if it lets a killer walk away scot-free.
There are some illogicalities about the plot. Such an important event as the cash drop is left to two cops working alone, when in reality there would be a massive covert operation. When Scorpio beats the rap, there is no public outcry or media storm, and he is allowed to get on with his anonymous existence virtually untroubled.
However, this hardly matters since the main thrust of the story is the coming showdown between Harry and the bad guy. As the climax approaches, Harry drops out of the police operation. Scorpio is at his manic worst on the hi-jacked school bus, alienating us nicely and suppressing any liberal twitches we may still be feeling. Then we see Harry, standing as upright and sturdy as the Statue Of Liberty ....