$14,379 -- that's how much the San Francisco police department will have to
pay to repair the damages caused by Inspector Harry Callahan's (Clint
Eastwood) latest encounter with the bad guys. Asked by hostage-holding
robbers at a liquor store for a car with a police radio, he generously
volunteers his own squad car. With pedal to the metal, he delivers the car
right through the store's plate glass window and begins blasting away when
he gets inside. Before the crooks know what hit them, he starts taking them
out. Rather than getting a medal, which he doesn't want, Harry gets busted
to a desk job, which he certainly doesn't want, for his antics at the liquor
store.
THE ENFORCER, the third of the five Dirty Harry movies, is being re-released
on DVD with a new digital transfer in celebration of the thirtieth
anniversary of the start of the series.
Harry has a reverse Midas touch when it comes to partners. Being assigned
to Harry is like having your doctor declare that you only have a few days
left to live. After the death of one partner in THE ENFORCER, Harry gets a
second one, Kate Moore (Tyne Daly, "Cagney & Lacey"), a woman whose decade
long entire police career has been spent in the Human Resources department.
No supporter of Affirmative Action, Harry does a slow boil when he is told
that she will be his new sidekick.
"[If] she wants to play lumberjack, she's going to have to learn to handle
her end of the log," Harry tells his boss when he suggests that Harry go
easy on Kate on her difficult first day. With her suit and high heels, she
has trouble chasing suspects. She, of course, proves to be resilient and
resourceful and becomes Harry's friend. Daly gives an endearing performance
that could easily have been little more buffoonery.
The plot this time has the People's Revolutionary Strike Force stealing
explosive devices and rocket launchers. After they're armed to the teeth,
they kidnap the mayor and demand a ransom.
Dirty Harry movies are like James Bond pictures, except in Dirty Harry they
show some actual nudity and the bullet holes come with blood. This time the
scene of gratuitous full-frontal nudity occurs when Harry accidentally drops
-- and I do "drops" -- in on a porn movie set. Bond, of course, always wins
on gadgets. All Harry has is his big gun.
The best part of the Dirty Harry movies is Harry's signature sarcasm. This
time the best line comes when Harry's superior suspends him for
insubordination and demands his badge. "Here's a seven point suppository,"
Harry says with a glare that could kill as he turns over his star.
THE ENFORCER runs 1:36. It is rated R for violence, nudity and language and
would be acceptable for teenagers.
My son Jeffrey, age 12, liked the movie, especially the new female partner,
and gave it ** 1/2. His only complaint was that it didn't have as many side
stories as the first two films.
The movie is available on DVD and video tape.
Copyright © 2001 Steve Rhodes
