Go ahead, 3.5 readers. Make my day.
So, I haven’t even seen the new Bruce Willis remake of “Death Wish” yet but I have become obsessed with 1970s films in which a hand canon wielding tough guy guns down assorted crooks, delinquents, reprobates and bad guys with reckless abandon.
After watching the original “Death Wish” with Charles Bronson, I turned my attention to the Dirty Harry series with Clint Eastwood and marveled at the awesomeness of these movies.
So, throughout, well, this week, maybe this month, I don’t know how long, I’ll be posting a review of each Dirty Harry film and/or a discussion of the main political issue it raises.
Every new generation always thinks they are the first to think about an issue but as we see in these movies, people have long been thinking about everything from police brutality, civil rights and women in the workforce.
On the surface to the uninitiated, to someone who has sort of heard of these movies, maybe saw a clip, but never really studied them, does Dirty Harry come off as a cro magnon, macho chauvinist pig who wields a massive revolver as an extension of his penis as he scoffs at women’s abilities, executes minorities and basically serves as porn for suburban honky males who daydream that one day they’ll get to use their unnecessary gun collection on a criminal?
Well…I mean, yeah, if you haven’t really watched these films then ok, I can see why you might think that.
However, take my hand, 3.5 readers, for over the course of this series of posts, I’ll explain to you how (sit down for this) Inspector “Dirty” Harry Callahan was (I know you’re skeptical) one of the great civil rights advocates/champion for all the downtrodden and abused people of all races of his time.
I know. It’s going to take some convincing but I’ll try my best to make the case.
Bookshelf Battle 
Oh mi god. I love the dirty harry movies. Have you gotten to the one where he was a car chase through SF with a remote controlled car carrying a bomb?
That was the first I saw as a kid. Dead Pool. He was kinda old by then. I’ve seen clips and parts over the years but this weekend I watched the first three all the way through. They’re pretty cool and he gets a bad rap, both in the movie and in real life how people view his character.
Also it makes me sad what time does. Not gay or nothin but he’s such a stud on the first three. Makes me wish I’d worked out more. Oh well. Too late now, pass the pizza.
He’s still a stud as he gets older. He aged amazingly well. I would have done him in Dead Pool.
Ehh…I’m just saying in the three 70s films he’s got the hair and when he puts on the glasses it must have just been raining vaginas on his head everyday.
ROFL
Gran Torino made me sad though. There was a scene where his kids visit for their mother/his wife’s funeral and he’s giving his son shit because he can’t find the chairs and how dumb are you that you can’t do this or that and its like…yeah that’s every elderly relative I have and then they never understand why no one wants to visit them.
I didn’t watch that one. Didn’t appeal. I think that last Clint Eastwood movie I watched with him acting was the one with the heart. He needed a new heart.
His son is smokin though. He’s acting now as well.