‘A man’s got to know his limitations...’
Of all Clint Eastwood’s cinematic creations, ‘Dirty’ Harry Callahan is perhaps his most iconic. The first film in the franchise is a minor masterpiece. Much of this is because it plays to Eastwood’s strengths. It’s a simple story told very well. Magnum Force tries to reposition Callahan as a man who has no time for vigilante justice with limited results…
Instead of hunting a serial killer, a scenario that involves a clear delineation between good and evil, Magnum Force sees Callahan taking on a rogue bunch of rookie cops who are intent on murdering all of San Francisco’s most dangerous criminals without bothering with an arrest or a trial.
Despite working from a script co-written (separately) by New Hollywood royalty John Milius (Apocalypse Now) and Michael Cimino (The Deer Hunter), Magnum Force is weighed down by flat dialogue and uninspired caricatures. Eastwood himself is still compelling, and the addition of Hal Halbrook as a rival to Callahan is a welcome one, but Magnum Force has none of the visceral power of Dirty Harry, and it already feels like a franchise running out of ideas. There are gun fights and car chases, of course, but they lack the visual flair and innovation of the source material.
Magnum Force should perhaps be applauded for presenting us with a group of antagonists who are morally ambiguous, and there are some terrific scenes featuring Eastwood and Halbrook, but it’s not enough. My advice would be to just watch Dirty Harry again instead.
