THE “DIRTIEST” HARRY OF THEM ALL!

As Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) goes after a terrorist organization, he’s also saddled with a new partner, a woman (Tyne Daly) with no field experience.

The third Dirty Harry thriller was inspired by the 1974 Patty Hearst kidnapping, but the story remains somewhat muddled when it comes to motives behind the terror organization. Daly is fine as Harry’s new partner, even if her role could have been more developed.

On the whole, the film offers a decent amount of tension, leading up to a spectacular finale at Alcatraz, with a last scene serving as an ironic comment on bureaucratic inefficiency. 

1976-U.S. 96 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by James Fargo. Screenplay: Stirling Silliphant, Dean Riesner. Cast: Clint Eastwood (Harry Callahan), Tyne Daly (Kate Moore), Harry Guardino (Al Bressler), Bradford Dillman, John Mitchum, Bill Ackridge. 

Trivia: Eastwood considered directing the film himself. Followed by Sudden Impact (1983).