“Dirty Harry” is brutal, tough and reckless police film that definitely features its fair share of memorable moments but it is hardly the classic it is often deemed by moviegoers and critics alike.

A vicious rooftop sniper calling himself ‘Scorpio’ (Andrew Robinson “Hellraiser”, “Cobra”) is killing randomly. Rule-breaking officer Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood “Hang ‘Em High”, “High Plains Drifter”), who has been nicknamed ‘Dirty Harry’, is on the case and he’ll stop at nothing to beat this criminal. The stakes are raised when a teenage girl is apparently buried alive. Later Callahan apprehends him but due to using excessive force the bad guy is released and now he’s kidnapped innocent schoolchildren.

Dirty Harry is a very overboard character in a very realistic movie and that makes the violence and humour even out a little. Clint Eastwood has given this character a memorable performance and several of the character’s lines not just in this one have gone onto make cinematic history (e.g. “Do I feel lucky? Well do you punk?”). I quite like the bad guy in it although he definitely isn’t one of the most memorable villains I’ve seen. The other characters were very by the book so that made for some great interaction when Callahan was in the scene.

“Dirty Harry” is really gritty yet reasonably amusing. The movie isn’t a cinematic classic like what I hoped it was but it contains memorable moments and it’s a great standalone picture that has a decent ending. I was impressed with how authentically they capture real-life crime as when the criminal gets released because Callahan used excessive force it reminded me of several news stories that weren’t all that different. If you like Clint Eastwood films or you enjoy hardnosed thrillers then you should give “Dirty Harry” a watch as although it has its fair share of problems it’s satisfying.