Release Date:
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
The Skinny: Inspector Harry Callahan is the angriest and most frustrated cop to ever serve on the San Francisco force. The .44 Magnum–wielding plainclothesman, played to perfection by Clint Eastwood, is completely badass in this fully loaded collection of all five Dirty Harry films in HD. Do we feel lucky? You bet your ass we do.
The Dirty Rundown
Dirty Harry (1971): We first meet the pissed-off inspector as he hunts down a sniper serial killer named Scorpio. (No, not Mr. Scorpio. Just Scorpio.) Magnum Force (1973): They smooth Callahan out a bit and prove he's no lawless vigilante by facing him off against dirty cops. The Enforcer (1976): Harry teams up with a chick to take down some '70s radicals trying to destroy San Francisco. It has its moments, but it's the weakest of the bunch. Sudden Impact (1983): Pound for pound, the best and angriest of the series (also the most popular, thanks to the "Make my day" line). Harry leaves the big city to pursue a rape victim who's killing her assailants. It's also the only one in which he forgoes his customary hand cannon for the .44 Automag. The Dead Pool (1988): It's common now, but the game of picking the next celebrity to die was ahead of its time. This is the funniest and most accessible film in the series, skewering Hollywood and the media's fascination with death. Bonus coolness: original Guns N' Roses band members play extras and Jim Carrey (then known as James Carrey) plays a junkie rock star.
Advance Warning: Even though there's hard-core violence, nudity, and profanity in all five films, they're dated compared to modern cop flicks. The pacing is slower, and the criminals, especially in the earlier films, are very theatrical with lots of overacting. That's part of the charm; but Eastwood remains solid and awesome throughout them all.
High Def: The original prints of these movies must have been horrible, because even in HD they're grainy and poorly lit at times. However, as the films progress, the quality improves (The Dead Pool being the best by far). Big-ups to Warner Bros. for preserving these films, because it's clear they weren't made to last in their original form. For those of you without a Blu-ray player, you can still enjoy the action by picking up the Dirty Harry Ultimate Collector's Edition on regular DVD.
Best Extra: Each film has a commentary and at least one featurette about the movie on its disc. There are a bunch of Dirty Harry retrospective documentaries—some new, and some carried over from the previous Dirty Harry Collection box set we reviewed in 2001. The only downside is that they are randomly scattered among all the discs. To prevent spoilers, we suggest watching the movies first then going back.
Awesome Super Bonus Extras: Along with a hardback book (don't worry, it's mostly quick facts and photos), some art cards, a poster, and really cool production letters, there's a replica Harry Callahan wallet with inspector's badge and ID card. Seriously, our day is officially made.
The Dirty Rundown
Advance Warning: Even though there's hard-core violence, nudity, and profanity in all five films, they're dated compared to modern cop flicks. The pacing is slower, and the criminals, especially in the earlier films, are very theatrical with lots of overacting. That's part of the charm; but Eastwood remains solid and awesome throughout them all.
High Def: The original prints of these movies must have been horrible, because even in HD they're grainy and poorly lit at times. However, as the films progress, the quality improves (The Dead Pool being the best by far). Big-ups to Warner Bros. for preserving these films, because it's clear they weren't made to last in their original form. For those of you without a Blu-ray player, you can still enjoy the action by picking up the Dirty Harry Ultimate Collector's Edition on regular DVD.
Best Extra: Each film has a commentary and at least one featurette about the movie on its disc. There are a bunch of Dirty Harry retrospective documentaries—some new, and some carried over from the previous Dirty Harry Collection box set we reviewed in 2001. The only downside is that they are randomly scattered among all the discs. To prevent spoilers, we suggest watching the movies first then going back.
Awesome Super Bonus Extras: Along with a hardback book (don't worry, it's mostly quick facts and photos), some art cards, a poster, and really cool production letters, there's a replica Harry Callahan wallet with inspector's badge and ID card. Seriously, our day is officially made.