Magnum Force

Magnum Force

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Dirty Harry was an original movie which became the inspiration for a lot of other cop movies, but the one it inspired the most was its own sequel which really finalizes the, what I would like to call, “Dirty Harry” template. It takes all the cues from the original and expands on them, uses them as a self-referential on occasion and throws in a couple of elements it borrows from other cop movies. In an era when Hollywood wasn’t busy churning out franchise after franchise a sequel was kind of rare. Dirty Harry got its sequel in the form of Magnum Force, a movie which doesn’t even have a title linking it to the previous movie just like the James Bond franchise was doing for more than ten years already when this movie was released.

In Dirty Harry the titular character played by Clint Eastwood who almost grinds all of his lines, was presented to us as a cop who bends the rules as much as he deems necessary to bring criminals to justice. The cop who shoots first and doesn’t have to ask questions later. In Magnum Force he has been put on stakeout duty since they can’t have the press screaming “police brutality” every time Harry makes an arrest. That changes when a man dressed as a patrol cop starts killing off bad guys who evaded justice. The same thing Charles Bronson would start doing a year later in Death Wish. Eventually Harry is put on the case and he quickly suspects a couple or rookie motorcycle cops of being responsible for the deaths of these criminals as well as his friend and fellow officer Charlie McCoy.

Magnum Force is to the Dirty Harry series what Goldfinger was to James Bond: a movie that sets the template for future installments. Most notably the ever switching partner who occasionally bites the dust halfway through. The partner’s background is also an interesting aspect as they always belong to a minority group. In the previous movie he was a Latino, in this one African-American and in the next one a woman. In his final movie Dirty Harry would be partnered with an Asian-American. Magnum Force also presents Harry as a chick-magnet. Not only does the ex-wife of his friend make a pass at him, his young Asian neighbor basically throws herself at him. This element seems to have been borrowed from the blaxploitation classic Shaft.
Also becoming a staple of the Dirty Harry movies is the razor sharp dialogue and certain catchphrases for Harry. The first movie had the classic “Do I feel lucky” line, which this movie uses again over the opening credits. Magnum Force has it’s own fair share of cool dialogue including the recurring “A man’s got to know his limitations”.

Critics who found the original to glorify police violence, which it actually did in a way, are now presented with a story about a group of cops executing criminals in cold blood and the one cop who can stop them is the one that was the center of the police violence in the first movie. This makes for an intriguing element, something normally reserved for conspiracy thrillers where the enemy is someone seemingly on the same side as the protagonist. The only strange choice was how the identity of the killers was obvious from the start. We know that the killer is someone dressed as a motorcycle cop, but the movie then introduces us to a group of four motorcycle cops who are all excellent marksmen and have other characters mentioning how close these guys are. So it’s quite clear fifteen minutes in that these are the killers Harry is eventually going up against. I think that it would have been a better choice if they weren’t so obvious thus making the identity of the killer(s) a great twist in the third act.

Magnum Force is a unique sequel that not only builds on the foundation created by the original but also criticizes it. It respects the Dirty Harry from the original who has absolutely no problem shooting a robber point blank, but also gives him limitations as to how far he’s willing to go. This is still a man who doesn’t always like how the wheels of justice turn, but he sticks with the system and only plays judge, jury and executioner should the situation ask for it.
Unlike the motorcycle cops, Harry doesn’t go out looking for these situations.

Though not as tightly directed as the original, it is a worthy follow up to a classic and defining 70s movie. The tone is gritty, but occasionally hits a humorous note. There is a fun action sequence in which Harry poses as a pilot who boards a plane with hijackers on board. This is a movie where Harry kills the bad guys, gets the girl and can convince the world of his political views all in a days work. Unlike the other characters in Magnum Force, Harry seemingly has no limitations.


Magnum Force (1973) poster
Magnum Force (1973) poster
Magnum Force
  • Year:
    1973
  • Director:
    • Ted Post
  • Cast:
    • Clint Eastwood
    • Hal Holbrook
    • Mitchell Ryan
    • David Soul
  • Genres:
    Action, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
  • Running time:
    124m

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