I admit to being a total Clint Eastwood fanboy. I haven’t watched all his movies, but I’ve seen a bunch, and can’t think of a single one that I didn’t like. Westerns, war movies, gritty thrillers, or a quirky comedy, I’m always up for an Eastwood film. Eastwood has played some iconic Hollywood characters, but perhaps none more so than San Francisco Police Inspector Harry Callahan in the Dirty Harry franchise.
Eastwood is the quintessential Hollywood tough guy. The cold stare through squinting eyes; the grim reaper-like drawl; and lines like “Go ahead, make my day.” That line gained icon status before the Dirty Harry sequel Sudden Impact was even released. I saw the movie right after it opened, and the audience said the line with him because of the TV previews. Fun stuff indeed, but the Dirty Harry movies, including Sudden Impact, are anything but lighthearted.
“Dirty Harry” Callahan
Dirty Harry premiered in 1971. Eastwood plays Harry Callahan, a San Francisco Homicide Inspector. We meet Callahan mid-career when he’s already a jaded veteran of too many grisly murder scenes. His partners generally don’t last long. Seems they’re either killed or wounded serving alongside the unorthodox Callahan, who seemingly never met a crime that couldn’t be solved by the judicious application of a .44 Magnum slug.
Harry’s tough guy routine often puts him at odds with his superiors, whether it be his lieutenant, the police chief, the district attorney, or even the mayor. But he gets results. When the hard jobs come along, Dirty Harry gets it done.
Dirty Harry the Movie
Don’t lump Dirty Harry with mainstream action movies. It’s gritty, violent, and sometimes disturbing. I classify it alongside the original Charles Bronson Deathwish, which I found difficult to watch at times. Don’t expect a happy ending. Murder is ugly, and it affects Callahan deeply.
Dirty Harry was widely criticized for Callahan’s loose cannon tendencies. He brazenly violates suspect’s rights, though his reasons do seem justifiable, whether he’s killing a would-be rapist chasing a woman with a butcher knife or torturing a serial killer for a kidnapped girl’s whereabouts.
Film critic Roger Ebert called the film’s message “fascist,” although he gave it three out of four stars. Other critics loved it, while another called it “disgusting.” Steve McQueen turned down the title role because it was “too right-wing.” Burt Lancaster and George C. Scott passed on playing Callahan because of the character’s violent nature. It was Paul Newman who recommended Eastwood after declining the role himself.
The plot follows Callahan’s pursuit of Scorpio, a deranged serial killer who taunts the mayor and the police. He demands money in return for not killing more innocents. Scorpio is loosely based on the Zodiac killer, who terrorized San Francisco in the mid-1960s. Actor Andy Robinson’s portrayal of Scorpio was so convincing that he received death threats after the movie’s release.
Dirty Harry holds up well over half a century later and was selected in 2012 for the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. The National Film Registry preserves films deemed “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.”
Dirty Harry is Still Eastwood
The film’s seriousness doesn’t mean Eastwood isn’t Eastwood. One thing that makes him so great is his delivery of classic movie lines that are repeated over and over in pop culture. For instance, I say “Right turn, Clyde,” a lot. And almost everyone gets the reference. If you don’t for some reason, you really should watch Eastwood’s classic Every Which Way but Loose.
The famous line from Dirty Harry is actually several sentences long and he says a version of it twice while pointing that big Smith & Wesson Model 29 at a perp:
I know what you’re thinking: “Did he fire six shots or only five?” Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I’ve kinda lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: “Do I feel lucky?” Well, do ya, punk?
Classic stuff, and speaking of .44 Magnums, let’s take a look at Dirty Harry’s signature blaster.
Harry Callahan’s Smith & Wesson Model 29 Revolver
One thing about Callahan, he likes his firearms big and bad. No .38 Special or 9mm pistols here. As far as Harry is concerned, bigger is better. Callahan’s sidearm is the now-iconic Smith & Wesson Model 29 revolver chambered in .44 Remington Magnum.
I say “now-iconic” because Dirty Harry made it that way. The gun wasn’t even being produced in 1971. Eastwood contacted Smith & Wesson’s Bob Sauer to acquire a couple of Model 29s and they had to hustle to meet the request. Smith & Wesson’s Fred Miller assembled two guns from parts they had lying around and sent them to Eastwood.
Only two barrels were available, so the movie’s two guns have different barrel lengths. The script originally called for a 4-inch barrel, but Dirty Harry uses Model 29s with 8 3/8-inch and 6 ½ inch barrels. Both appear in the film.
Dirty Harry was a big hit and Smith & Wesson was inundated with orders for the out-of-production Model 29. The gunmaker quickly brought the revolver back and it remains available to this day, thanks to Harry Callahan. Modern versions have a 4 or 6 ½ inch barrel. If you want to be like Eastwood, you have to get the 6 ½. It’s just a thing.
Smith & Wesson Model 29 Revolver Current Specs
- Calibers: .44 Magnum, .44 Special
- Capacity: 6 rounds
- Frame Size: N-Frame
- Barrel Length: 4 inches or 6 ½ inches
- Overall Length: 9.3 inches or 12 inches
- Weight: 43.8 ounces or 47.7 ounces
- Action: Single/Double
- Grip: Checkered Square Butt Walnut
- Carbon Steel Cylinder, Barrel, and Frame
- Frame Finish: Blue
The Dirty Harry Franchise
Dirty Harry’s success quickly spawned a 1973 sequel, Magnum Force. The franchise includes five feature films:
- Dirty Harry (1971)
- Magnum Force (1973)
- The Enforcer (1976)
- Sudden Impact (1983)
- The Dead Pool (1988)
Harry Callahan is the same guy throughout, though, in my opinion, the sequels never quite captured the hard-edged grittiness of Dirty Harry. Don’t get me wrong, the sequels are good, but like so many follow-ups, they aren’t quite as inspired as the original.
Dirty Harry’s Legacy
Many consider Harry Callahan to be Clint Eastwood’s signature role. It’s hard to argue that point, even though I generally prefer his Westerns. Dirty Harry made Eastwood a bona fide Hollywood superstar. After rewatching the film last night, it’s hard to believe that Eastwood wasn’t even on the original list to play Callahan. The first choice was Frank Sinatra. Go figure. I can’t imagine anyone else in that role.
I can’t say I agree with the film’s critics, but Dirty Harry was a new kind of police drama far removed from the stereotypical clean-cut cops of the 1960s. The film was more reminiscent of the film noir anti-hero genre than a standard cop movie, but it was far more violent. It literally slapped people across the face.
Dirty Harry also significantly impacted the firearms world. Smith & Wesson brought back the Model 29 and the .44 Magnum cartridge was boosted across the board. Lots of people wanted to get their hands on “the most powerful handgun in the world,” even though, technically, the .44 Magnum had already been surpassed by the .454 Casull. But since the first commercially available .454 Casull didn’t come along until ten years later, it works.
Dirty Harry is a movie milestone for film buffs and firearms aficionados alike. If you haven’t seen it, or even if it’s been a while, maybe do yourself a favor by spending an evening with Harry Callahan. Just don’t let the kids watch too.
