The fifth and final Dirty Harry movie is something of a footnote in film history, the underwhelming finale of an increasingly ragged cop-show. It’s the only box-office flop of the series, and came after star Clint Eastwood had turned down a number of potential sequels, notably the script that became Code of Silence. That film would have given him a robot partner, but the Dead Pool teams Harry with a Korean, played somehow by Kentucky Fried Movie star Evan Kim. Fortunately, The Dead Pool doesn’t attempt to lean into issues of race; instead, Buddy Van Horn’s film looks at media and censorship, but not in a way that offers much of a coherent thesis.
So get this for a synopsis for a Dirty Harry film. Liam Neeson plays flamboyant film director Peter Swan, who is making a new horror film starring drug-addled rocker Johnny Squares, (yes, Jim Carrey). After attending a funeral in which original line-up Guns and Roses can be spotted amongst the mourners, Harry Callaghan is sent to investigate the overdose that killed Squares, and teams up with an inquisitive newscaster (Patricia Clarkson) to solve the crime…
Looking back, all Dirty Harry sequels are genre pieces with a specific theme; vigilantism (Magnum Force), terrorism (The Enforcer), feminism (Sudden Impact) , and The Dead Pool has a novel, modern angle; there’s a list of celebrities including Harry that the killer is hoping to off, and that kinda gets things back to the Scorpio killer featured in the original film. But Don Siegel would never have countenanced such silly gimmicks as Harry toting a massive harpoon gun, or a ludicrous chase in which Harry battles a remote control car loaded with explosives. This is a shark-jumping moment for the franchise, and perhaps Eastwood never looked back to his iconic role again.
Dirty Harry V is easily the worst film in the franchise, with a perfunctory climax and only a couple of passable lines .‘Opinions are like ——-, everyone has one,’ and “I guess you’re s—t out of luck’ Such profane spit-ball dialogue is hardly on a par with Harry’s best, but the draw here has to be that wild supporting cast, all of whom contribute career worst performances. And that media satire is beyond lame; sure, Harry used to be a bad-ass, but he’s sh*t out of luck here, and so are you if you’re watching this.
These had got quite routine by the time the series ended. not sure anyone cared much about the plots as long as Harry got to blast away at people.
Routine is a good word for it, you wouldn’t imagine you could make such a dull fulm of Dirty Harry, particularly with these outlandish ingredients. But they managed it…
Might check it out again. Can’t imagine Eastwood ever being dull.
Is close to pulling that feat off.
The worst of the five, no doubt for me too.
…is the correct answer. I saw Sudden Impact at the cinema, and it wasn’t great, but this is a big step down…
That’s where we disagree. “Sudden Impact” could be my favorite, equal with the Siegel. Directed by Eastwood himself and the very expressionist cinematography of Surtees give a value that “Dead Pool” (this title is a curse) has not.
Interesting…I didn’t hate Sudden Impact and there are great sequences, but I think I’d hoped for more straight up cop action at the time. Having gifted myself a boxed set of Dirty Harry movies for Christmas, I’ll be returning to this text with your endorsement ringing in my ears…
I have to admit that I did not know the factoid about Code of Silence: it was a Dirty Harry sequel? Yikes. I did see Code of Silence in the theatre and it was so forgettable that I never thought about it again . . . until now. I’ll have to see if I can find a copy streaming online.
Hey! I posted! I’m back, glitch free!!!
Glad to hear it!
I’m not sure that ‘have to’ is the right phrase for either of these films, but I guess I was interested enough to see them both. I think Clint would have been better making Code of Silence and skipping the robot bit…
Even without the robot, I don’t even remember the plot. And you know how Wikipedia pages ramble . . . I can’t even read it to get the plot. It’s easier to watch it, later today.
It’s not quite as bad as Paulie’s robot butler…
Yeah, that was just awful. But what do you expect from the guy who gave us Rhinestone and Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.
I attempted to find something good about Rhinestone earlier this year, but no, it’s impossible…
“When you talk about actors, Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier are actors. They can do anything. Then you have your personalities, Burt Reynolds, Sylvester Stallone, Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood, [and] me. When they deviate too much from what audiences expect, they don’t do very well, do they?” — Chuck Norris, from the Wikipage for Code of Silence
I know Stallone wanted to “stretch” . . . Oscar was another of his boondoggles.
Says Chuck Norris, star of Firewalker….
Oy! That movie. Not memorable. And forgettable. Good call, as he was “stretching” into comedy with that one.
And yet, as always, discussing it makes me want to see it! Hero and the Terror too…
Again, seen it . . . and don’t remember it . . . uh, there was an “unstoppable killer,” ala Jason Vorhees, or something? Hey, not for trying in getting that Stallone gold. . . .
Haven’t seen it, and it’s a nope from me, but the Welcome to the Jungle video made me laugh!
Is the correct answer.
I don’t know, any movie where they kill Jim Carrey can’t be THAT bad, can it?
I did give it two stars.
What would it have taken for you to give it the 1star rating?
Carrey would have lived and become Harry’s sidekick.
Ouch.
Well, there goes my day. I’ll be imagining Ace Ventura and Dirty Harry in a buddy cop movie all day 🙁
You don’t have to imagine it, it’s already here…
In your dreams…
Not killing Jim Carrey. The formula I use is quite scientific…
Ahhh, scientific. Do you have a formula you apply to each movie to determine its star rating?
Yes, and you always get an extra star for killing off a Jim Carrey character. faCt!
Sounds like a winner of a formula.
Is Carrey even still doing movies?
I hope not
In my less charitable moments, I like to pretend that the Truman Show was the only movie he ever made.
I think it’s the only one that was any good….
No slight to Carrey, but I wished they would have let Axl do the role. I think with a little coaching and rehearsal, he could have pulled it off. Or if they had gotten any musician to do it, I think they could have pulled off Johnny Squares more convincingly.
I’d have to point out Paul Nicholas as an example. He was great as Keith Lennox in The Jazz Singer (channeling Billy Idol, natch). Of course, he was also an actor, unlike Axl.
Carrey is completely mad here, and helps make this a very strange cast. Axl could probably have done a better jon; jusr watched the video for Welcome to the Jungle and he looks about 12. I’m genuinely not sure he could have been worse than Carrey…
Is that who Paul Nicholas is channeling in The Jazz Singer? It’s an unforgettable performance…but a quick bit of research and the dates match up, Billy Idol imitation it is!
Yeah, Idol is always how I’ve seen it. As with Danny Collins: Pacino was channeling, to a degree, Neil Diamond. Well, at least his “big hit,” “My Baby Doll,” was an (intentional) “Sweet Caroline” copy to evoke Diamond.
Wow, good spot, think you’re right, but never made the connection…
I actually rated this one above The Enforcer. Though I can see where you’re coming from.
https://alexonfilm.com/2016/10/10/the-dead-pool-1988/
It’s atie for bottom place, I can see that. The Enforcer isn’t quite so silly, and silly isn’t what you want from a Dirty Harry film. Obviously, The Enforcer isn’t good, but it’s not quite so far off message as this shambles….
There seems to be a point in most franchises where they have to start making fun of themselves. This was silly, which I guess I preferred over ugly.
“Asshles.” Leslie Halliwell would never have printed that.
Well, I did bleep it out to protect your finer feelings. You’ll never know what the word actually was…
Oh come on! Tell me. Assistant to Hats and Leggings?
Wut? I googled ‘ Assistant to Hats and Leggings’ as well and nothing came up. Has Jungle Cruise addled your grey matter?
Of course nothing came up. The Assistant to Hats and Leggings is usually abbreviated to Asshles.
For some reason the * symbol didn’t show, so I’ve ******* the whole word. Happy now, Bunty?