Line #16 YMMV/DirtyHarry


1	* ''YMMV/MagnumForce''
2	* ''YMMV/TheEnforcer''
3	* ''YMMV/SuddenImpact''
4	* ''YMMV/TheDeadPool''
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7	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Many viewers agree with Harry's tough, aggressive methods, whereas others seem to find fascist undertones in the film.
8	** According to Creator/ClintEastwood, he and Creator/DonSiegel themselves had different takes on the character, with Eastwood viewing Harry as a coarse but essentially heroic figure and Siegel treating him as barely better than Scorpio himself. Recognizing that their differing political views influenced their perspectives on Harry, Eastwood and Siegel never explicitly discussed how the film should portray him, allowing viewers to decide for themselves.
9	** Near the end of the film, Scorpio picks up his gun in an attempt to shoot Harry, despite not being sure if the latter has any bullets left, and ends up being killed by Harry as a result. Was it because Scorpio was cocky enough to think he could kill Harry? Or was it because Scorpio realized it was the end of the line for him and decided to pull a SuicideByCop in order to avoid spending the rest of his life in prison?
10	* CatharsisFactor: Harry putting an end to Scorpio's reign of terror is oh, so satisfying.
11	* CommonKnowledge:
12	** No, Harry did not [[spoiler:quit the police force at the end of the first movie]] though it’s understandable why people think that. Director Creator/DonSiegel has stated that [[spoiler:Harry throwing his badge into the water]] was meant to symbolize his disgust with the law and how it lets people like Scorpio roam free.
13	** The belief that the first movie glorifies [[CowboyCop Cowboy Cops]] is untrue. ''Dirty Harry'' is a case of an UnbuiltTrope and actually [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructs]] the idea that one has to break the rules to get things done. [[spoiler:The film actually ends with Harry [[BittersweetEnding lamenting his violent antics after shooting Scorpio dead.]]]]
14	* CompleteMonster: [[FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon Charles Davis]], better known as the [[SerialKiller Scorpio Killer]], is a [[AxCrazy trigger-happy madman]] who kills for money, but mainly for his own amusement. After sniping a swimming woman, Scorpio demands $100,000 in payment or he will continue his killing spree. After he is foiled in another killing attempt, Scorpio [[WouldHurtAChild murders a young boy]] and then tries to kill a priest, killing a police officer in the process. Scorpio then kidnaps a 14-year-old girl who he rapes and tortures before he [[BuriedAlive buries her alive]], demanding a ransom in exchange for her life. When "Dirty" Harry Callahan arrives with the money, Scorpio strikes him down and reveals that he was going to let the girl die anyways before trying to murder Harry out of sheer cruelty, and shooting his partner Chico Gonzalez when he rescues Harry. The police find the girl, but are unable to save her life. Scorpio's final gambit is to hold a school bus full of children hostage, planning to kill them all. Upon being foiled by Callahan, Scorpio threatens to shoot a young boy fishing.
15	* CrossesTheLineTwice: Scorpio randomly knocking out a liquor store owner to steal his gun is downright disturbing. Scorpio stealing a bottle of liquor afterwards is hilarious.
16	* FirstInstallmentWins: The first film is easily the one that has retained the greatest stature in pop culture, to the point that some people forget that "Go ahead, make my day" [[BeamMeUpScotty didn't originate from it]]. In fact, that line is from the ''[[Film/SuddenImpact fourth]]'' film in the series.
17	* LoveToHate: Scorpio, practically the definition of a MilesGloriosus from the start, is a shit-tier human being who [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rapes]] and [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain targets]] more than anything you can imagine, but go to ''any'' Website/YouTube video with him in it and you'll see people who still think that Creator/AndrewRobinson plays the best movie psycho ever for how horrific yet charming he is.
18	* MoralEventHorizon: Scorpio crosses the line either when he guns down a 10 year old, or when he's revealed to have raped and murdered the young teenage girl he demanded a ransom for.
19	* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound: Harry's gun firing. So much that it was used in ''Film/TheTerminator'' (the original Orion Pictures/Hemdale version), ''Film/DeathWish3'' (Paul Kersey's .475 Wildey Magnum), ''The Last of the Finest'', ''Series/TheYoungIndianaJonesChronicles'', ''Film/CodeOfSilence'', ''VideoGame/LethalEnforcers1'' (the player's default gun), ''VideoGame/DonPachi'' (when the game tallies up the player's bomb stock), ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil1'' (Barry Burton's gun in the FMV intro), ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'' (Mii Koryuji's Dragon Jewel rifle in the opening), and many others.
20	* {{Narm}}: The Dirty Harry franchise has had its unintentionally funny moments:
21	** The torture scene described as "downright horrific" on the main page can just as easily be seen as a tad silly due to Scorpio's [[EvilIsHammy hysterical, overdone blubbering]]. Also, his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONZrE-BjFVI scream when stabbed]] is ''hilarious''. Not helping is the fact that it's, you know... [[HateSink Scorpio]].
22	** The mayor's assurance that Scorpio will not be "molested" in any way (likely an example of HaveAGayOldTime).
23	* NeverLiveItDown: Andy Robinson had to change his address after receiving a lot of death threats following his performance as Scorpio.
24	* OneSceneWonder: The AffablyEvil, ConsummateProfessional, ScaryBlackMan TortureTechnician (whew), played with easygoing charisma by Raymond Johnson, whom Scorpio hires to beat him up and who actually shows some genuine concern for his "customer" only for Scorpio to [[{{Jerkass}} turn up the charm]]; at which point the former cheerfully gives the latter a few extra whacks "on the house."
25	* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: The NES got a video game adaptation loosely based on the film franchise. It had poor graphics, an underwhelming soundtrack, awkward controls, and is also extremely challenging for such a short game. Not helping is the first stage has an inconspicuous door that leads to a room that says "HA HA HA," where the player must reset and lose their progress.
26	* ScrappyMechanic: The game randomly has a "trap room" that shows up when you enter a room; in place of a door, it has "HA HA HA" written on a blank wall. The only way out is to reset the game. The developers admitted that it was a joke they were playing on the players.
27	* StrawmanHasAPoint: The district attorney drops the case against Scorpio after Harry [[spoiler:beat a confession out of him.]] The film treats this situation as JerkassHasAPoint, however, Harry also legally confiscated a submachine gun that was most likely unregistered seeing as Scorpio didn’t have it after. That alongside the attempted murder of Harry and Chico would’ve put Scorpio behind bars for the rest of his life. Dropping the case was completely unnecessary.
28	* TearJerker: The mother of Charlie Russell reacting to her son's brutal murder, mentioning that he was only 10 years old. Plus, the discovery of Anne Mary Deacon's naked corpse.
29	* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: Despite Siegel and Eastwood disavowing any political intent, the film was ''extremely'' controversial when released. Critics (notably Creator/PaulineKael and Creator/RogerEbert) attacked it as a "fascist" endorsement of police brutality, the [=ACLU=] and other liberal organizations picketed its premiere, and the press savaged it both for its alleged politics and graphic violence. However, this backlash rebounded to its benefit, as conservative viewers (including police organizations and UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, who invited Eastwood to the White House after seeing it) ''loved'' the movie for the same reasons liberals hated it.

Context YMMV / DirtyHarry