Quentin Tarantino on Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry | Cinema Speculation
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Published 2024-05-07
To be clear, this is an unauthorized fan-made video. The words are Tarantino's, but the voice is AI-generated. If you know Tarantino, please share with him; I'd like to make more, but only with his approval.
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"Dirty Harry" is a 1971 American action film directed by Don Siegel. The movie stars Clint Eastwood as the titular character, Inspector Harry Callahan, known for his unorthodox and ruthless methods in pursuing criminals. The film is set in San Francisco and follows Harry as he tracks down a psychopathic sniper named Scorpio, who terrorizes the city. The main cast includes Clint Eastwood as Harry Callahan, Andy Robinson as the antagonist Scorpio, Harry Guardino as Lieutenant Al Bressler, and Reni Santoni as Inspector Chico Gonzalez. "Dirty Harry" is noted for its influence on the action genre and is famous for its iconic line, "Do you feel lucky, punk?"
"Dirty Harry" faced significant controversy and backlash upon its release in 1971, primarily due to its portrayal of police methods and attitudes towards law enforcement. The film was criticized for its apparent endorsement of vigilantism and the use of excessive force by its protagonist, Inspector Harry Callahan, played by Clint Eastwood. Critics and some audiences viewed the character's actions and the film's message as a reactionary response to the social changes and civil rights movements of the 1960s.
Additionally, the portrayal of the antagonist, Scorpio, and the sympathetic depiction of a police officer taking the law into his own hands raised concerns about the film's impact on public perceptions of justice and police conduct. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other civil rights groups criticized the film for what they saw as a glorification of police brutality and a disregard for legal rights.
The film also sparked debates about media violence, with some critics arguing that it could encourage imitative crimes and desensitize viewers to the seriousness of real-world violence. Despite the controversy, or perhaps because of it, "Dirty Harry" became a significant commercial success and has since been recognized as a classic in the action genre, spawning several sequels and solidifying Clint Eastwood's status as a major Hollywood star.
Written by: Quentin Tarantino* (taken from his book Cinema Speculation. Tarantino had nothing to do with the making of this video. This is a fan-made tribute to him and classic cinema.)
Edited and Produce by: Alan Berry
Narrator: AI Brown (Yes, it's an AI voice)
All Comments (21)
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Do you want more movie documentaries? Comment or let me know by subscribing to my channel. Thanks! 00:00 - Start of Tarantino on Dirty Harry 00:54 - Don Siegel’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers 01:32 - Was the King a pod person? 01:46 - Harry Callahan, the baddest cop in SF 02:33 - The genius of Dirty Harry 02:58 - Was Dirty Harry the first cop serial killer movie? 03:23 - Dirty Harry’s prototype 03:41 - How Dirty Harry come to be 04:05 - Frank Sinatra injuries his wrist 04:41 - Jon Milius's contribution 04:55 - The skill of director Don Siegel 05:51 - Don Siegel’s biggest flaw 06:09 - Dirty Harry’s intended audience 07:03 - The Silent Majority 08:20 - Death Wish, Billy Jack, and Shaft 08:46 - Was Harry Callahan a racist? 09:22 - Dirty Harry was reactionary 10:07 - What about Magnum Force? 11:11 - Dirty Harry clones 12:56 - Casting three black men as bank robbers 14:47 - Black Millitants 15:59 - Do you feel lucky? 16:31 - Dirty Harry has a dubious morality 16:45 - Don Siegel’s lead protagonist 18:27 - Critics response to Dirty Harry 18:52 - Don Siegel's fear of his liberal friends 19:30 - Pauline Kael, the harshest critic 19:53 - Sam Peckinpah's thoughts on Dirty Harry 20:34 - The critics are the reactionary ones 21:07 - The absurd liberal argument 21:39 - Don’t tick off Billy Jack 21:50 - Why does Dirty Harry fail to outrage anymore? 23:09 - Praise for Any Robinson’s character 24:13 - Young Quinten Tarantino goes to the movies 24:28 - More on Pauline Kael’s criticism 25:05 - People can be sick and evil 25:33 - Jerry Lewis on Pauline Kael 26:10 - Credits
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If Tarantino did a 100 part series for a network titled 'The History of Film' - with cuts and commentary like this, I'd watch every episode.
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Andy Robinson never gets credit, he’s played one of the best villains in movie history.
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"Harry doesn't play any favorites ...Harry hates everybody" 😅😅 great line ❤❤❤
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Andy Robinson should have won a best supporting actor Oscar for his role as Zodiac.
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Forgot to mention the incredible soundtrack by Lalo Schifrin
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Dirty Harry is way more relevant now than when it was originally made.
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Funny how describing 70s San Francisco sounds just like what’s happening today.
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Andrew Robinson's performance as Scorpio is one of the most convincing psychopaths ever seen on film.
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To follow up, Harry is no more a racist or a fascist than a vigilante, no matter what Siegel's directing patterns were, and identifying with Harry doesn't make anyone "complicit" with anything. The tension in the character is that he has the potential to make the choices that would make him as bad as those he opposes, yet he doesn't make those choices and draws back from "the ends justifies the means" thinking. What many found "troubling" about the character was that neither the left nor the right could neither completely honestly condemn him nor embrace him as one of their own. The real problem was that he made people think in an era, much like today's, of polarized over simplifications. One simply can't make Harry into something he's not by invoking other characters in other movies or by invoking their own politics.
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Kinda surprised Quentin never cast Andrew Robinson in any of his films. He's an amazing actor, but would have been relatively cheap.
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Torturing Scorpio does not qualifies as "fascist", it qualifies as human. There isn't a parent alive who didn't sympathise with the emotion and motivation portrayed there and fascism isn't it.
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The only pushback I'd give QT is on his comment regarding DH's "shoddy sequels" -- they weren't 'shoddy', in my opinion. They gave Detective Callahan different villains to go up against, rather than merely re-hash the 'Scorpio' character. Callahan ends up being the only (type of) cop who's capable of ending the exploits of the murderer-cops in MAGNUM FORCE who genuinely go "too far" -- what he had been accused of, by others in the 'system' as well as by his movie critics. Teaming him up with the Tyne Daly character in THE ENFORCER was a brilliant way to address the Women's Lib movement -- where her death is genuinely tragic and noble, and the audience KNOWS that Harry feels the full weight of it, he being the kind of cop who tends to lose partners through on-the-job violence. Sure, none of the sequels were as great as the 1st film, but they were all worthy sequels, even if not as inspired. 'Shoddy' they were not.
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I'm glad the humour was mentioned. When Gonzales says he has another theory about why he's called Dirty Harry after looking at Hot Mary through the window, is downright hilarious.
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Andrew Robinson is an amazing actor, which is why Scorpio was so memorable and gets under the skin. He was amazing as Garak in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - that character may be one of the most interesting TV characters I've ever seen.
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I will never, ever tire of this masterpiece of a film. An absolute classic which still stands up today.👌🏼
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Great great discussion. The black guy in Dirty Harry where Harry is pointing his gun at him when he says the, "I know what you're thinking" speech... his name was Poppy Popwell. I would see him at church all the time in LA where I grew up. Last time I saw him was 1999 at the Ralph's super market at the corner of Western and Sunset. Not long before he passed away. He remembered me and we talked about Clint Eastwood
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"Dirty Harry" stands up. Maybe the others don't so much but the original is a classic. Changed cinema.
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Dirty Harry is a bona fide classic. Andy Robinson was superb as Scorpio.
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Funny things that happened 40yrs ago with society is happening today but Dirty Harry was a great movie
