The Dead Pool

Having just seen Dead Pool, the last of the Dirty Harry series, I have to say that I enjoyed this film as much as the other four. I don't have a favorite, I loved them all. Recently I became interested in Clint Eastwood's films and have seen a number of them including the westerns. Eastwood is an amazing guy. He has presence on the screen that is extraordinary. It's not that he is such a great actor, but I can't take my eyes off of him when he is in a scene. His face conveys such hysterical expression when he comes out with, "Swell!" or "Marvelous!" He's irreverent, gritty, rude, shoots criminals in the back, beats the sh-t out of them, antagonizes everyone, and so what. He gets the job done! I liked everyone in the cast even Patricia Clarkson and her nasal voice. Liam Neeson was great, sounding for all the world exactly like Ralph Fiennes. And the music in all five of the series was terrific -the best! What a treat!

While this film was just pure entertainment, at least we got to see Dirty Harry doing what we all wanted to see him do: kick some serious ass. Sure, it seemed a little odd that a 60-year old man would be kicking the buts of guys of half his age, but isn't that what film is for: to escape reality? While this is somewhere in the middle in regards to the series as a whole, one cannot contend with the idea of Harry Callahan being one of the most endearing film characters ever made. A nice send-off to say the least.

Clint Eastwood wraps up his run as what is arguably his single most famous character (or maybe that The Man with No Name) in this entertaining thriller. This fifth entry in the Dirty Harry series also has the most interesting plot - on a popular horror film director's set a list of people, whom the players of a certain bizarre game expect to die, known as the "dead pool" starts to become too much of a reality as some of the mentioned people begin to die. Of course, soon enough a copy of the list surfaces with Harry's name on it.

For a what is a straight-forward thriller formula this film packs enough memorable moments to be enjoyed by more than just Dirty Harry fans. Jim Carrey appears, in a very early role, as a crazy rock star. Harry finds out that he might have met his match in terms of partners. Harry of for once actually hunted by a bad guy giving the film slightly more suspense than previous entries. Finally there is a crazy car chase where Harry and his partner are attempting to evade a remote control car. Meaning, yes, the hard as nails Detective Harry Callahan is flooring it to get away from a toy, but you see the toy has a bomb so it is not that Harry is getting soft all of a sudden.

Also there is the interesting notion here of a film becoming a bit "too real" as people on the Dead Pool actually start to die and the list is found on a film set. It was only a few years after this that Clint Eastwood put down his .44 Magnum and badass persona for good to a more realistic set of films that continue to this day. Clint might have become a bit more real, but he was still great when he was being slightly ridiculous. --- 8/10

BsCDb Classification: 13+ --- violence

Although I adore Don Seagle's Dirty Harry, I believe that this one is the silliest movie I have seen with Clint Eastwood in it. Everything in this movie bears the signs of the artificiality of what is called acting, directing, and script writing. I wonder what should be liked or enjoyed in this nonsensical piece of work. Comparing this one with other D. H. movies, one could consider it just like an underrated spaghetti western full of noise and shootings which stands against a classic western within which the sound of a single bullet shot vibrates throughout the whole movie. That's why Callahan's Magnum gives way to a silly weapon at the end of the movie because its overuse has already devalued the Magnum.

Unfortunately, a silly ending for a series that started with the one that turned into a classic.

Part Five of the Dirty Harry series, now Harry Callahan must investigate the ongoings of the new game called 'The Dead Pool'. Kinda funny role by Liam Neeson as a horrible slasher movie director who rips off everything he has ever liked on film, he plays Guns and Roses while a heroin addicted Jim Carrey lip syncs to the song while stomping around next to a bed with a lady sitting there doing a rendition of the exorcist! As always, Harry gets a new partner who is a little shaky at first about working with 'Dirty' Harry. A lot of the scenes in this movie are 'Dirty Harry' inspired, talking to authority like their just somebody out on the street, the usual Dirty Harry one liners before the 44 magnum goes off, definitely good times but I think the series has seen its end. They've (the filmmakers) pretty much exhausted all the material you could rehash for another Dirty Harry film in this one and it barely ekes out in my opinion. Still very good and as always Mr. Clint Eastwood always puts on a great show. The best part has to be when Jannero's men come to keep a protective eye on Callahan (be Callahans' bodyguards) and Harry comes out of nowhere and just beats the crap out of both of them, really funny stuff. 7/10 stars, could've been eight out of ten stars if the reporter wasn't in the movie, she was very annoying.