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Dirty Harry
Rated: R
Runtime: 1hr 42min
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Harry Guardino, John Vernon, Andrew Robinson

MFG Rating: 5/5

DVD Features

Video: Despite it's age, this one is widescreen enhanced, and overall they did a very good job. Some of the nighttime scenes are pretty bad though, showing tons of noise.

Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 and they did a decent job again considering the age. The musical score is absolutely excellent and the gunshots and crashes are quite loud. We even get a few decent surround effects.

Extras: Production notes, cast and crew notes and the original theatrical trailer.

DVD Quick Take

When you go for a movie this old on DVD, you're buying it not so much for the quality of the video or the sound to show off your home theater, but because you genuinely love the story. However, every now and then the studio will pull a rabbit out of a hat and produce a decent quality DVD out of an old movie. Such is the case here.

Every red-blooded heterosexual American male born before 1980 knows Dirty Harry. Clint Eastwood made a career out of westerns before this movie was made and since has made tons of other movies, but this is the character for which he'll be remembered. San Francisco Police Detective Harry Callahan is about as cool as they come. He has no tolerance for red tape, he just gets the job done and that usually means dropping someone with a big Smith and Wesson 44 magnum that he carries.

Dirty Harry is the original of the series and remains arguably the best. And Warner Brothers did a great job with the DVD. The video is anamorphically enhanced for widescreen sets with excellent quality in the daylight and indoor shots. The nighttime scenes are very grainy, but it wont take away from the enjoyment of the movie. They also did an excellent job with the sound, remastering it in Dolby Digital 5.1. We would've liked some more low frequency effects and use of the rear speakers for surround effects, but the musical score and overall audio quality is excellent considering the age of this movie.

If you're a Dirty Harry fan, you wont be disappointed with this DVD.

- Billy Bob

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Vital Stats
                   
Less
More

Gun Play
                   
It's not so much the amount as the quality...


Blood & Gore
                   
Gunshot wounds and one classic scene with a pigsticker.


Car Chases
                   
Not really, but Harry sure knows how to catch a bus...


T&A
                   
You may be surprised at the amount of nudity if you've only seen the broadcast version...

Chuckles
                   
Harry is pretty deadpan.