R, 124 min.
Director: Ted Post
Writers: John Milius,
Michael Cimino, Harry Julian Fink, R.M. Fink
Starring: Clint Eastwood,
Hal Holbrook, Mitch Ryan, David Soul, Tim Matheson, Kip Niven, Robert Urich,
Felton Perry, Maurice Argent
Today was the first day of
school. That meant an early morning for everyone. Our youngest took the bus for
the first time this morning. Everyone was up for it, including myself. I’d
planned on getting off to bed early last night. I had written an obituary entry
for this blog about the great Elmore Leonard. I already had a review in the bag
for today’s entry, and then I learned of the news that Leonard was not the only
cinematic influence who passed away yesterday.
Television and film director
Ted Post died Tuesday August 20, 2013 at the age of 95. Although not known as
one of the directing greats, Post was a prolific director. Although he did
direct films, he was most prolific in television where he directed for such
shows as “The Peacemaker”, “Danger”, “Rawhide”, “Gunsmoke”, “Combat!”, “Perry
Mason”, “The Rifleman”, “Peyton Place”, “The Twilight Zone”, “The Defenders”,
and “Cagney & Lacey” among many others. I don’t know an incredible amount
about his body of work, but he did direct three films in my large film
collection. So, I just couldn’t help myself. I had to watch one despite the
busy day I had planned.
He directed Clint Eastwood
in “Hang ‘Em High” and “Magnum Force”, the first “Dirty Harry” sequel. I went
with the Dirty Harry.
“Magnum Force” is a natural
extension of the themes explored in the first movie centering on San Francisco
detective Harry Callahan, a cop who works within the system put pushes its
bounds with a brand of justice that boarders upon brutality. The second film in
the five-film series focuses on a vigilante traffic cop, who seems to have
snapped and crosses that line upon which Callahan teeters. It’s a study on just
where that line that some fear Harry crosses himself lies.
The movie isn’t as rich as
the first Dirty Harry, but it’s still something more than just an action-laced
police procedural. Harry’s moral code seems to be very well defined for
himself; the rest of law enforcement in general, along with the public’s sense
of justice, seems to be in flux, however. Where is the line?
How does Callahan’s justice
come across as so simple to the audience, I wonder? That’s something that still
escapes me as a writer? To take a character that everyone in the world around
them questions, yet the audience doesn’t. When Harry blows away a perp it seems
just. But what this other police officer does in the film is so obviously
wrong, even though he is only killing the worst criminal elements at first. I
guess it lies within the intent. Harry always intends to bring the guy in.
Well, no, that’s not true. He doesn’t in the final scenes in both of the first
two films. He doesn’t in the others films either, yet we don’t really question
his choices. I think he exhausts the righteous way first. Only when that
doesn’t work does he move on to extreme measures.
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