The Enforcer (1976/I)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

James Fargo

Writers:

Harry Julian Fink (characters) and
Rita M. Fink (characters) ...
(more)

Release Date:

22 December 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

The "dirtiest" Harry of them all!

Plot:

Dirty Harry must foil a terrorist organization made up of disgruntled Vietnam veterans. But this time, he's teamed with a rookie female partner that he's not too excited to be working with.

Plot Keywords:

Terrorist | Police | Alcatraz | Hostage | Rocket Launcher

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Insp. 'Dirty' Harry Callahan
Tyne Daly	...	Insp. Kate Moore
Harry Guardino	...	Lt. Al Bressler
Bradford Dillman	...	Capt. McKay
John Mitchum	...	Insp. Frank DiGiorgio
DeVeren Bookwalter	...	Bobby Maxwell
John Crawford	...	The Mayor
Samantha Doane	...	Wanda
Robert F. Hoy	...	Buchinski (as Robert Hoy)
Jocelyn Jones	...	Miki
M.G. Kelly	...	Father John
Nick Pellegrino	...	Martin
Albert Popwell	...	'Big' Ed Mustapha
Rudy Ramos	...	Mendez
Bill Ackridge	...	Andy
Bill Jelliffe	...	Johnny
Joe Bellan	...	Freddie the Fainter
Tim O'Neill	...	Police Sergeant
Jan Stratton	...	Mrs. Grey
Will MacMillan	...	Lt. Dobbs
Jerry Walter	...	Krause
Steve Eoff	...	Bustanoby
Tim Burrus	...	Henry Lee
Michael Cavanaugh	...	Lalo
Dick Durock	...	Karl
Ronald Manning	...	Tex
Adele Proom	...	Irene DiGeorgio
Glenn Leigh Marshall	...	Army Sergeant
Robert Behling	...	Autopsy Surgeon
Terence McGovern	...	Disc Jockey (as Terry McGovern)
Stan Richie	...	Bridge Operator
John Roselius	...	Jimmy, the Mayor's Assistant
Brian Fong	...	Scoutmaster
Art Rimdzius	...	Porno Director
Chuck Hicks	...	Huey
Anne Macey	...	Madam (as Ann Macy)
Gloria Prince	...	Massage Girl
Kenneth Boyd	...	Abdul
Bernard Glin	...	Koblo
Fritz Manes	...	Detective #1
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Roger Ferreira	...	Extra
Barbara Beebe	...	Porno Actress (uncredited)
George Cheung	...	Mendez Henchman (uncredited)
Michael L. Davis	...	Police Sergeant at Bombing (uncredited)
Joe Spano	...	Mitch, Robber (uncredited)

Directed by
James Fargo

Writing credits
Harry Julian Fink		(characters) and
Rita M. Fink		(characters) (as R.M. Fink)
Gail Morgan Hickman		(story) &
S.W. Schurr		(story)
Stirling Silliphant		(screenplay) and
Dean Riesner		(screenplay)

Produced by
Robert Daley	....	producer

Original Music by
Jerry Fielding

Cinematography by
Charles W. Short		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Joel Cox
Ferris Webster

Casting by
Mary Goldberg

Art Direction by
Allen E. Smith

Set Decoration by
Ira Bates

Costume Design by
Glenn Wright

Makeup Department
Joe McKinney	....	makeup supervisor
Lorraine Roberson	....	hair stylist

Production Management
John G. Wilson	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joseph C. Cavalier	....	assistant director (as Joe Cavalier)
Joe Florence	....	second assistant director
Billy Ray Smith	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Edward Aiona	....	property master (as Eddie Aiona)
Gerald MacDonald	....	construction coordinator (as Jerry MacDonald)

Sound Department
Les Fresholtz	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bert Hallberg	....	sound
Keith Stafford	....	sound effects editor

Special Effects by
Joseph A. Unsinn	....	special effects (as Joe Unsinn)

Stunts
Buddy Van Horn	....	stunt coordinator (as Wayne Van Horn)
Tony Cecere	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Cheung	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Durock	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Herron	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hicks	....	stunts (uncredited)
Robert F. Hoy	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Jelliffe	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Orrison	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Kenneth Adams	....	key grip (as Ken Adams)
Richard Barth	....	camera assistant (as Dick Barth)
Doug Cook	....	second grip (as Douglas Cook)
Ralph Gerling	....	camera operator
John McPherson	....	gaffer
Frank Redmond	....	camera assistant
Ellsworth Reed	....	best boy
Marcia Reed	....	still photographer
Timothy E. Wade	....	camera assistant (as Tim Wade)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Glenn Wright	....	costume supervisor

Music Department
Donald Harris	....	music editor
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer
Art Pepper	....	musician: alto saxophone solo (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Tim Hill	....	transportation captain
Art Rimdzius	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Diana Brent	....	secretary to producer (as Dianna Brent)
Judie Garrison	....	secretary to producer
Catalina Lawrence	....	script supervisor
Fritz Manes	....	assistant to producer
Don Mink	....	auditor
Elly Mitchell	....	production secretary
James Moffett	....	first aid

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures
• Malpaso Company, The

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1976) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1982) (USA) (TV)
• Sandrews (2002) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (deluxe edition)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Home Video (1994) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1977) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Films (1977) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Filmverleih (1977) (West Germany) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Deluxe  color by
• Michaelson's  catering
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals
• Panavision  filmed in
• Technicolor  prints by

Also Known As:

Moving Target (USA) (original script title)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M (TV rating) | Spain:18 | Iceland:16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Finland:K-18 (1977) (cut) | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | USA:R (certificate #24716) | France:Unrated | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2008) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Australia:MA (Cable TV rating) | Canada:18A | Australia:R | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 (cut) | UK:18 | South Korea:18 | Norway:16 (1977) (cut) | Norway:15 (DVD rating) | New Zealand:PG (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

23rd & Capp Streets, Mission District, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The original script was titled "Moving Target", and onward to the working original title "Dirty Harry III", before officially being titled "The Enforcer".

Goofs:

Continuity: When Harry and his old partner are driving to the liquor store holdup, in the shot from the rear of the car through the windshield, Harry's partner is hanging on to the light with his left hand. In the very next shot, he is speaking on the radio with the same hand.

Quotes:

Lalo: [crying after Miki's been shot] Miki. Miki! Oh, baby, it's all right, I'll get you out. I'll get you home. Bobby, hey, Bobby, help me. Help me get her up.
Bobby Maxwell: [trying to pull him away] Come on, man, you're just going to screw around and get us caught!
Lalo: No, she's all right, we're gonna make it!
Bobby Maxwell: Forget it, she's dead.
Lalo: She's not dead!
Bobby Maxwell: The hell she isn't!
[pumps three more bullets into her]
Bobby Maxwell: Come on, it's over.
Lalo: [shocked] Bobby!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in La balance (1982)

Enjoyable on its own. Not quite a Harry movie, but a Clint movie

I think many fans have mixed feelings about THE ENFORCER. It represents both a departure from and an adherence to the familiar Harry tradition. However, despite any shortcomings, for the most part you've got to respect the 70s feel that the movie contains.

Fans of the first two installments will still delight in Harry's struggles with the bureaucracy within the Police Department and Bradford Dillman as the new chief is a valuable addition to the series. Once again, Clint has some killer dialogue, but while for the most part he is as stern as in his previous performances, some of his lines are offered just a little too sparingly and nonchalantly.

The villains – this time a group of misfits who kidnap the Mayor of San Francisco for a ransom of five million dollars – just aren't as menacing as the crooks the first two films. There's no mystique surrounding their identity and their performances are particularly flat and nondescript.

The script, however, begins very promisingly with Harry being assigned a female partner. The relationship that develops between the two - as Harry is forced to deal with his subconscious sexist attitudes – leads to some surprising comical moments, and this addition to the dynamic of the usual animosity between Harry and his partners comes across very well.

The soundtrack is overwhelmingly orchestral: giving THE ENFORCER a Hollywood music make-over instead of the usual gritty and upbeat Lalo Schrifin score which was used to full effect in the first two movies. The chase scene in which Harry ends up in the Church builds up some of that great 70s mood and serves to remind the viewer of a hitherto absence of the moody jazz that was so prevalent in the original.

The original Dirty Harry's success was not due to any specific formula, but rather as the result of a film full of subtleties. These subtleties included a perfect music score, a balanced tension between Harry and his partners, Harry's contempt for the red tape of police bureaucracy, and the sinister nature of the villain(s). Together, these dynamics made the original two movies stronger than the sum of their parts: The Enforcer does not quite have this magic.

It is a pity that this movie is not as polished as the previous two movies, for the next Harry outing would see an older, greyer, and wrinklier Clint, and the series would get periodically worse. You'll also miss Clint in his mainstay tweed jackets!