Magnum Force

Monday, June 2, 2008

I don't know, I guess this one's K2K status is debatable, but I liked it enough that I'm marking it. It's a somewhat older film from a popular series that I hadn't seen... that kinda counts, right?

Shenan and I, just as a thing to do together, like to watch different series. Usually we try to get into a TV show together, and then work our way through the DVDs. But sometimes we'll try a movie series, too. Way back some time last year, we decided we'd give the Dirty Harry series a try. And weirdly enough, it was Shenan's suggestion, I think because Netflix recommended it, even though I can never get her to watch an action movie under any other circumstances. She even seemed kind of excited, even though she had repeatedly refused to watch Clint Eastwood movies with me in the past. I think it's because Dirty Harry isn't a western. Basically she won't watch any movie where Clint Eastwood wears a cowboy hat, no matter how good you insist it is.

Dirty Harry was an okay movie, but I'm a little befuddled as to it's fame and, yes, klassik status. Obviously Clint is good, and there are definitely some memorable scenes. Still, a lot of it is mediocre and pretty cliche/standard cop movie stuff, and its more outlandish details mesh horribly with its serious, straightfaced tone.

Shenan and I were still on board to check out the sequels, but for whatever reason that never happened. There was some lack of enthusiasm for the first one, so I guess that probably slowed us down, and eventually we forgot about it.

Well, I finally remembered and figured it was high time we continued on. And as it turns out, Magnum Force is way better than Dirty Harry. It's got a better story, better action, is more stylish and overall just more overtly a 70's cop movie, complete with a jazzy score and show off-y camera work. I like Don Siegal a lot, and clearly in the long run he had a better career, but I think Ted Post, the fellow who did this one, did a better job. Magnum Force is, first and foremost, a lot more fun than Dirty Harry was. I think it has fewer pretentions of being a cop drama, and realizes that it's more of an exciting, crowd-pleasing action picture. So we get more action, a little more humor, more sex, less moralizing. Enough so that I think I will bestow it with the respectable title of "Minor Classic."

My favorite thing here is that it sort of turns the themes of Dirty Harry on its ear. Of course, the original is seen by many as an argument for right-wing, fascist-style police tactics. I.E. Harry should pretty much be able to stomp all over everyone's rights and freedoms, just so long as it gets the job done. Magnum Force takes it to the next step, where there is a group of renegade cops who are going around assassinating those they deem deserving of death. Harry discovers them, and they assume that he'd be on board for this sort of thing, but no. Harry draws a line in the sand, and says that while our current system is fucked up, it's way better than the cops appointing themselves judge, jury and executioner. It gives us a better idea of where Harry falls on the politcal spectrum.

Well, I have no idea if the others are going to be this good, but definitely count me as looking forward to The Enforcer.