Some Observations On Dirty Harry (1971)

[the 22 junkie]

I have noticed that when alot of gunnies seem to list their favorite movies, somehow Dirty Harry manages to wind up on the lists all the time? I wonder why a cop who actually violated a crapload of constitutional rghts is so well liked? According to our definitions, he would be a JBT. Ok, lets play a little fantasy here. Fast Forward Dirty Harry to 2006. The news of a cop busting in a guys house, unlawfully confiscating his weapons, and torturing a citizen has broken out. Heres prolly what THR would look like:

"I can't believe cops have this kind of authority!!!1 :banghead: :banghead: This is like the Nazis or something!"

"I weep for our country as our freedoms are desolved by these jack booted SFPD officers."

"It's time to stop feeding the hogs!"

I applaud the DA of San Fransisco for lawfully protecting our RKBA. GOd bless that man."

"Well, I know what I'm going to do when they come for me. THey can have my gun. They'll get the bullets first. "

"Jeffersons tree is wilting, its time to water it."

"Paging Dr. Orwell, 1984 is coming."

"We are already in de facto slavery, theres no hope for us now."

"You think this is bad, just wait till Billary wins."

"But of course, hes the only one professional enough to handle a SMith & Wesson Model 29, the most powerful handgun on the world. :banghead:

I'm sure I can't be the only person that noticed this.

 

[psyopspec]

You're right about some of your responses, but keep in mind that there are a lot of people on this board who either don't comment, or post things like "not enough info in the story to make a call either way." You're just listing some of the more vocal knee-jerk responses. The only time I (and a lot of others) pull the JBT card, is in cases like the NOLA thread that contained a video of police going into a woman's home and disarming her.

Finally, remember that THR is only the internet, and Dirty Harry (almost typed "Hairy" ) is only a movie.

 

[444]

Yeah, it's a movie.
We know Clint is an honest guy that is out to do good.
We know the other guy is the bad guy.
There is no grey area.
We like to see good triumph over evil.
We are able to keep things in perspective (it's a movie).

FWIW I don't remember ever responding to a thread about my favorite movie.
If I did, I seriously doubt that Dirty Harry would be mentioned.
Harry's actions in the movie have nothing to do with that however.
If we knew absolutely that cops were honest and were only doing good, we might give them a lot more leeway than we do. However, we know better. Cops are just like every other profession or segment of society. They are human. They have faults. Not all of them are nice guys. So, we have laws to restrain their actions (which protect us from them). Sometimes these laws work for our society and sometimes it makes the job of the honest cop a whole lot tougher (which works against our society). There will always exist a fine line that we have to balance on. As time passes the pendulum swings right and left of that line. We hope that some day the system will be fine tuned enough to get that perfect balance. Until then, we will suffer the consequences.

 

[beerslurpy]

Dirty Harry is a vigilante with a badge. He is NOT a JBT, nor is he an authority figure. In every movie he is a man set apart from the authorities and the police. He seeks justice on the streets and to hell with what the establishment wants.

America likes vigilantes. Yeah, I know it is against the law, but we still like them a lot. Just ask Bernie Goetz. He beat over a dozen felony charges after he shot those turds on the NYC subway. The jury approved of what he did. America is a nation of people who go out into the world and solve problems and take care of things themselves. Vigilanteism is a perfect fit with the character of a true American.

 

[Autolycus]

The fact that "Dirty Harry" is a movie is probably the biggest difference in why many of us enjoy it. The reason why we enjoy Dt. Callahan's activities is that he left good citizens alone and only went after criminals. That is the major difference between Dirty Harry and some of the real LEOs patrolling our streets. Do you remember "Magnum Force"? If some cops pulled the crap that they did like murdering criminals (Dirty Harry didnt kill them just violated their rights) we would also cry out against them.

 

[earthworm]

Earth to the 22 junkie!

'Dirty Harry' is a work of FICTION! It is NOT real life! Neither are the 'Death Wish' or 'Die Hard' series that glorify vigilantes.Films & books of this genre are at best heroic fantasies that appeal to the part of us that longs for someone to right the wrongs of the world & visit justice/vengance on obvious evildoers.
"Reel" life Is Not real life! We all (HOPEFULLY!) know that in reality the Harry Callahans,Charles Bronsons,Bruce Willis,Lone Ranger,Virginian etc. types get crucified.
Vigilante Films Are Fantasies! Got it?

 

[GrammatonCleric]

Vigilantes

To tell the truth, I'd like to see more vigilantes like Bernie Goetz walk free. There is nothing with a little public service. I do greatly enjoy such movies though.

 

[Cosmoline]

"Dirty Harry" was the product of a different time and place. In the late 60's and early 70's, law enforcement officers in many cities faced a monumental crime wave absolutely unmatched by anything since. At the same time, the criminal justice system was having to adapt to a spate of new rulings on civil rights as well as an array of statutes designed to protect those rights. A lot of mistakes were made, and there was a pretty well justified sense that too many criminals were getting off the hook or getting very light sentences. The boom in prisons hadn't taken place yet, and indeed a lot of folks specializing in the new field of criminal justice felt that prisons should be phased out completely. The film touched that nerve, as did a number of other films from the 70's including the "Death Wish" films on the low brow end and "And Justice for All" on the high brow.

Cop shows that continue to try to copy Dirty Harry have become increasingly silly or even insulting, given the changes in criminal justice from three strikes laws to MUCH greater sentences and felony creep.

 

[cuchulainn]

Gondor wasn't a constitutional republic, but I still love TLoR.