Underworld figures are being murdered all over San Francisco. One by one, criminals who have eluded prosecution are getting the justice they deserve, justice you'd think Detective Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) might approve of with a tight-lipped smile. But if you think so, you've misjudged Harry - and so have the killers.
Special Agent Matti
Dirty Shaft.
Like Shaft, Harry has a place to live and a sex life. Heroic cops are all well and good, but they get pretty dull without a bit of background. Just look at any cop show on TV today and you'll see as much off duty drama as you do on. Remember that Magnum force was made in the 70s so the concept of free love, or at least of sexual maturity, was still in vogue. Like John Shaft, Harry Callahan is a man with sex appeal oozing from every pore (if you like the strong, silent type) so the first film was a little mono-dimensional in that respect.
Even the cops get to have a day off.
What Magnum force also shows you is that the bad cops are just as bad as the bad criminals, and bad cops are just as bad as the bad crims, if not worse. Just ask Supergrass.
It's an improvement on the first one and a good contribution to the genre, apart from the wanky opening titles. Dialogue should be reserved for characters.
R 18+ (Medium level violence)
118 minutes (1:58 hours)
DVD rental: 5 November 2001
DVD retail: 6 November 2002 - Dirty Harry set









