The second of the 'Dirty Harry' series, this one has Harry/Clint on the trail of vigilante cops who are bumping off a series of local baddies without due process.
In its day, 'Dirty Harry' came under criticism for glorifying vigilantism and being fascistic. Here, Harry states very clearly that he has been misjudged and that, despite his reputation for a somewhat over-direct approach, he is firmly on the side of the system.
Clint Eastwood is one of my favourite actors and this is yet another excellent film. Yes, it's a little dated by today's standards but I think it has stood the test of time well.
4/5 stars - great stuff!
This sequel to Dirty Harry is usually considered inferior. There is a less auspicious director, with Don Siegel replaced by Ted Post who came from tv. But I prefer Magnum Force, mainly for the interesting premise; if the public is going to cheer for the pragmatic, instant justice of Harry's 44. Magnum, how far are they willing to go?
A death squad of San Francisco motorcycle cops is executing the Mafia bosses that liberal law and order is unable to touch, because of course, the law is there to protect the crooks. Harry Callahan is their hero, but for the sequel, he has changed. The bigoted Harry is buddied up with an African-American sidekick. The lone gun has a Japanese girlfriend. And the reactionary iconoclast is now defending the system.
Magnum Force has plenty of what gave Dirty Harry its salacious clout. There's the scuzzy funk-noir of Lalo Schifrin's theme music; the squalid nocturnal, neon lit setting of urban and moral decay; and Eastwood, without ever threatening to actually put in a performance is charismatic enough; like the Man With No Name has slept through basic training and now has a license to kill.
It's a tight, exciting film in spite of the 120m+ running time. The main deficit is that in the attempt to exploit the violent, squalid realities of the naked city, it tips over into voyeuristic sadism. The shapeshifting of Harry into a babe-magnet who doesn''t have to try too hard also says more about Eastwood's box office appeal of the time. But that's the early seventies, and it's actually that period aesthetic which is a major part of Magnum Force's enduring attraction.