This has been the weakest of the Dirty Harry movies, as well as the clearly most conservative one. And yet, those traits aren't linked.
First, the movie is conservative in a strange way. The environmental terrorist angle, and the implied dissatisfaction with having a female cop working with him are framed in a way that plays into conservative viewpoints. However, each is tempered with a little twist that allows those who feel uncomfortable with these ideas to write them off. The environmental group is revealed to not have any interest in the environment. That was a cover to give their organization some legitimacy. When Harry questions his partner, he tries to make it clear that his problem with her is her lack of experience. The movie further clouds this issue by making her save the mayor, but then get killed in an effort to warn Harry.
But the things that make this movie weak have to do with the pacing, and the difficult focus on the plot. The movie isn't structured quite the same way as the second one, and it stays on the main plot much longer, but the plot isn't moving forward nearly as smoothly as it should. Harry isn't up against corruption in the police force this time, he's up against what would be characterized as "political correctness."
It's not a bad movie exactly. It's just not as good as it should be. After reading up on some of the background, the original draft was written by some fans. Then it went through several other writers in an effort to get the balance that Eastwood wanted.
Even though it should have offended my sensibilities, it didn't. Instead, this approach just came across as dated, and reactionary.
I should also point out that I have no idea why the movie is titled The Enforcer. Even Magnum Force had a slight connection to the plot. Also, Harry never gives his "do you feel lucky" speech. Good.
No comments:
Post a Comment