The Dead Pool

This is the funniest of the Dirty Harry films. It has some of the best one liners in the series, and it's pretty obvious that the film is played for laughs. It was the last Dirty Harry film (I doubt there will be another one. Clint isn't one to repeat himself), and it has no pretensions on trying to be anything else. If you like the serious (yet darkly humourous at times) tone of the early films, you're probably not going to like this one. Many have said that Clint wanted to make Bird (one of his best films and one of the greatest films ever made about jazz), and in return for Warner Brothers financing Bird, he did one more Dirty Harry picture. It's a good tradeoff.

The film is actually quite funny (hilarious in fact), with funny lines and pointed jibes at Hollywood, police work, the media, and just life in general. Clint gives a good performance, and the film has very good performances for this kind of thing. Liam Neeson is excellent as a cheesy horror director, Jim Carrey (billed as James Carrey) is funny as a drug addled "musician", Evan C. Kim is good as Harry's partner, and Patricia Clarkson is good as the reporter who is "interested" in Harry. The film has some great dialogue, and it has one of the most unique (and exciting) chase sequences ever filmed. It also shot Guns and Roses to stardom with the use of one of their signature songs, Welcom to the Jungle (Welcome to the Jungle is the "music video in a film" that Neeson and Carrey are shooting). You can even glimpse most of the members of the original Guns and Roses at a funeral scene, and during one of Neeson's "shoots". While the film was directed by Clint surrogate Buddy Van Horn (Van Horn is a stunt coordinator that has worked on many of Clint's movies), it feels like Eastwood directed it himself (Van Horn's directing credits are only Clint movies). It's a good film, funny, never boring, but more of a parody of a Dirty Harry film than an actual Dirty Harry film. The other films took the character seriously, but this one doesn't. Still, it's pretty damn good.

The Dead Pool is the fourth and final sequel to Dirty Harry. It was pretty well received, considering its place in the series. In this installment, there's a convoluted plot about a game in which bets are taken on the deaths of celebrities, including tough cop Harry Callahan himself, with young Liam Neeson playing a questionable film director who's playing the game. Issues of the celebrity-enslaved press are mixed with romance as Harry dates a reporter. As always, there's plenty of action, suspense, gun play, and, this time, a unique and hilarious car chase with a very small but dangerous car.

Whether those with the older DVD will want to upgrade is a matter of personal preference, but the special features look attractive to me:

-- new commentary by Dead Pool producer David Valdes and Dead Pool cinematographer Jack N. Green
-- new featurette "The Craft of Dirty Harry," including the cinematography, editing, music, and production design of the Dirty Harry films
-- trailer gallery

This and the other four movies are available on standard DVD both separately and in a 7-disc Ultimate Collector's Edition, which has additional goodies.

They're also on Blu-ray in a 5-disc Ultimate Collector's Edition. Only the Dirty Harry Special Edition is available separately on Blu-ray (here); the other four movies, including this one, are available on Blu-ray in the set.

Here are the links for the Amazon pages for the new separate standard DVD releases of the other four movies in the series:

Dirty Harry Special Edition (2 discs, "special" is apparently better than "deluxe")
Magnum Force Deluxe Edition
The Enforcer Deluxe Edition
Sudden Impact Deluxe Edition

The fifth and last Dirty Harry movie never really grabs your attention. It isn't bad but its not a patch on the original, or even some of the earlier sequels. Eastwood is suitably laconic and there are moments when, just as in the original film, you completely side with Harry's heavy-handed tactics. Especially when he removes the camera from a heartless film-crew, filming a bereaved girlfriend, and throws a lot of dollars onto the concrete 10 yards away.

The problem with this film is that Harry has changed from being a believable anti-establishment cop who frequently took a beating for his trouble, to an invincible Superman who can survive machine gun attacks and explosions. Also this was made in the late 1980's and the music soundtrack and era have dated badly!

It still has some nice touches though. Noteably a couple of nice comedy moments where Harry over-reacts to what he perceives as a threat, but actually isn't a threat at all.

Please don't buy this if you're of a younger generation and you haven't seen the first Dirty Harry movie which is a classic. Seeing this first would spoil what is a superb film. However whilst this isn't anywhere near a classic, it still has Clint Eastwood, who is always watchable, and still in great shape for a man of 58 when the film was made. Liam Neeson also makes up a good cast.

Only buy if you're a die-hard Clint Eastwood fan, otherwise I'd recommend renting JIC.

"The Dead Pool" was the last, and probably the "second best" Dirty Harry movie made by Clint Eastwood. The story line, plot, and action are as good as those of the original "Dirty Harry", and the now-older Inspector Callahan is quite believable.
The implied love interest, played by Patricia Clarkson, adds an interesting dimension to the story, and sets up the climax of the film in a tense, but satisfying way.

Finally, Harry's Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum revolver is featured as his primary weapon, and the shoot-outs and gun fire are nostalgically reminiscent of the original "Dirty Harry". I highly recommend this film to anyone who is a Clint Eastwood fan.

The Dead Pool DVD


The Dead Pool starring Clint Eastwood is the fifth Dirty Harry movie.

This time someone is killing celebrities, and Harry's name is on the list. Great action movie. Helped to put Clint Eastwood on the map.

Recommended for fans of Dirty Harry and Clint Eastwood.

Gunner December, 2007