The Enforcer (Deluxe Edition) [Import]

When you look back at these old society-city type films,many of them are dated,and are not of much interest. Eastwood put these films first in his collection,in a 35 volume pack,since he finds them the most important and ones he would like to be remembered for,with much good bonus material to back up the movies...I find this package extraordinary and although he's disparaged by empty words such as 'fascist' by pauline kael,which he mentions as idiotic as the word 'communist' as being anachronism and bureaucratic jingoism,and he say she is a 'film critic' but she doesnt get the film...he's actually fighting fascism. Anyways the film is choppy and moves from different plot lines in sudden jerks,and isn't smooth,but that's a faulty screenplay,and it begins one way and ends in a differnt tone. We begin with the city of San Francisco, city,and we really live in cities,and the film is about how the police relates to the city...and in this sense hardly dates at all. Perhaps that's why the script moves jerkily along at times. At first we have a detective,female detective who joins him,and he doubts she can deal with the savagery..violence on the streets. There is much disparagement at bureaucrats,and upper police,and the scenarist points a double edged sword,as the lead officer is a jerk...,and some anal comment,and this is in the days of bath house raids and magazines being taken off shelves,as the police keep the cities clean and abusers off the street. This is San Francisco and a reference to gays...and at the time the city had this kind of nonsense to deal with...as most cities did then,,,and was based on bias rather than science...for we soon learn from the female detective the comment'coitus interruptus' a latin word often referenced in old moral books,and is unconsummated sex
leading the individual suffering from hysteria...a derisive common from women who are often victimized by these deviants,as well as all victims of sexual abuse whether perpetrated by heterosexuals or gays. Then we move to a terrorism scene..and hostage...a metaphor like the city is held hostage. A bleak view of cities...and a prophetic view by Eastwood..and we're told it's his vision...and this and another film,,,has subplots on churches and its maladministrators...and it is a city structure..in San Francisco...all the victims are laid out...fascist..she didnt get the film or more likely she did but doesnt particularly like what he's doing...he comes on in the bonus reel and says violence is not associated with actually watching a film...he mentions some Shakespeare plays...which are also quite violent before any intense view of violence....but as he revisits these films..and they've stood up well..he comes to the conclusion that we must look,and a variety of commentators,deeper into why people are actually violent,or corrupt...when they made these films...the psychology perhaps wasnt thought of...but that's today's views...and also more modernist approaches to trauma,obsessions,violence,abuse...and torture...recently on a visit to the far east in such small but influential financial meccas like hong kong and signapore...i had some talks there and i recall Signapore had a bureaucracy years ago..but was actually quite a well run place very law and order...its interesting to compare those places with other western places...and an interesting talk about cities and people and you tube by an 11 year old girl in hong kong comparing her city culturally to the citizens of beijing...saying the citizens there were different with some interesting tidbits of info...she must have thought contrary to my own views....anyways its interesting to watch these films and reconnoiter in various places and talk of cities here and there and how they are run...

number three in the series is pretty slow going,in my opinion,and i didn't think the story was of much interest.the action is pretty limited.there are no witty one liners that Harry Callahan(Clint Eastwood)is known for.Eastwood is good as Harry though.Tyne Daly,probably best known for the 80's cop show Cagney and Lacey co-stars as Harry's partner.she is one bright spot here in what is other wise an average production at best.the music is actually pretty interesting though.in terms of quality though this movie is not that great.for me, The Enforcer is a 2/5

THE ENFORCER is the third entry to the Dirty Harry series. While a good perforance by Eastwood overall, the movie does not quite match up to the Don Siegel-directed original or MAGNUM FORCE, (which I consider his best movie). While THE ENFORCER is not the weakest Dirty Harry movie, it does have the weakest plot. Here Dirty Harry has to save the city of San Fancisco from a group of rebellious punks who are obsessed with heavy artiliary. They call themselves the People's Revolutionary Strike Force, and they are led by Bobby Maxwell, a deranged Vietnam Vet who wants to terrorize the public in exchange for ransom. After slaughtering 2 gas company employees, they break into an artility warehouse to steal the goods. Harry's partner, DeGeorgio arrives on the scene and is killed in the process. While trying to try down DeGeorgio's killer, Harry is assigned a new parter in the form of Kate Moore, (Tyne Daly), a yacking half-pint who wants to impress him in every way possible. Harry doesn't quite agree with the plan, especially when she is on the force just to coincide with the mayor's plans to be "stylish." But Moore turns out to be more valuable then he ever imagined, helping lead him to Maxwell, and saving his life twice along the way.

Of all the Dirty Harry films, this one has the most humor. The comments that Callahan makes at the personel review of Moore are hilarious. We also have him driving a car through a liquor store, (continuing with the traditon of breaking up a robbery). Another funny sequence is when he chases Henry Lee Coldwell halfway across the city and back! He follows him over fences, across rooftops, and through skylights, disturbing a porn shooting in the process! Jerry Fielding took over the musical score here, and as a result, the traditional Dirty Harry theme is nowhere to be found. This is rather disappointing and takes away from the movie's serious potential. Fielding's jazzy them is effective during the chase sequence however. These film does suffer from long sequences that really aren't neccessary. The one that will really make you laugh is when Callahan enters a brothel posing as "Larry Dickman!" Dirty Harry regular, Albert Popwell, shows up here as a leader of a black militant group.

The Revolutionary Strike Force eventually switches gears by kidnapping the mayor for even more ransom. Harry is eventually is led to Alcatraz Island, where the mayor is being held captive. The climax on Alcatraz is exciting, but I wish it didn't unfold so fast. The ending is very sad, although I will not give that away. While THE ENFORCER is not up to par with the first two movies in the series, it is still a solid chapter in the book of Dirty Harry. "Power to the People."