User reviews

If you stick with this 30-minute "documentary" or DVD "bonus feature," whatever you want to call it, you'll be satisfied. The first half is a bit boring but the second half is very interesting. It was on the feature film, "Dirty Harry," DVD.

Clint Eastwood, who played the title character in all of the "Dirty Harry movies," said they originally thought of having the film take place in Seattle since few movies had been done in that area before. After all, everyone knew San Francisco from tons of classic films. However, they decided on staying in San Francisco and that was fine with Eastwood as he grew up in that area and knew it well.

Clint also points out there really wasn't anything political about the series even though some had painted it that way. He admitted the public was tired of hearing a lot in that period about all the rights of the accused and seemed to have forgotten the victims. Thus, Dirty Harry, who meted out "instant justice," became popular.

Host Robert Urich also points out this was the time of Viet Nam, Watergate, the rise of new psychotic killers and people felt "the good guys were losing" and we had no control over things. "Harry Callahan," of course, took control, so movie-goers lived variously through "Harry."

On a lighter note, some of the actors who worked on these films like Andy Robinson, Hal Holbrook and Patricia Clarkson recall action scenes where they were scared to death but Eastwood remained calm and cool throughout it all.

Would Eastwood come back today as a "retired" Dirty Harry lured back into assignment? "Nah," he said, "some things are best left alone."

Dirty Harry: The Original (2001)

*** (out of 4)

This 29 minute documentary has host Robert Urich (who also appeared in the second film in the series) going through the five films in the series as we get interviews with the man himself, Clint Eastwood as well as the original film's writer John Millius. Also interviewed are co-stars from the series including Andrew Robinson, Patricia Clarkson, Evan C. Kim, Hal Holbrook and even fan Arnold Schwarzenegger.

This documentary is certainly very entertaining but at the same time there's no question that 29 minutes simply isn't enough for a five-film series and especially one as popular as this. With that said, this is still entertaining as we get to hear from Eastwood who talks about the political nature of the films, how the original was almost shot in Seattle and he also talks about there being a sixth film. Millius also tells some nice stories about parts of the screenplay that were left out of the actual film. The co-stars all talk about certain aspects of the movies they were in and also talk about what it was like working with Eastwood. Again, all of these are good stories but one just wishes it was longer.