Take yourself back in time to 1970s cinema tonight as ITV airs a classic action movie from an iconic series starring one of Hollywood’s legendary actors.
Released in 1976, this American neo-noir thriller is one of the many films to contribute to the much-loved Dirty Harry series. Starring Clint Eastwood as Inspector Harry Callahn, The Enforcer is the third addition to the franchise and is thought to be the funniest.
Directed by James Fargo, the film was an initial box office hit, garnering $8,851,288 in its first week, which set a record for the lead actor at that point in his career. Although The Enforcer took risks that the other movies hadn’t, in incorporating more comedic elements, which proved to be divisive with film fans.
One viewer took to Rotten Tomatoes to say: « Another great sequel to an outstanding series. » While someone else added: « Very good film! Not as great as the first two, but it is still a quality film worth seeing. »
What’s also new this time around is the franchise welcoming a tough woman into the arsenal of characters, police inspector Kate Moore, played by Tyne Daly. He’s paired up with the city’s first female inspector to help track down a ruthless Vietnam veteran terrorist group who are robbing banks and kidnapping government officials.
They are holding these people for ransom, which results in an epic showdown as Callahn does all he can to stop their biggest attack yet on San Francisco. All the while he’s trying to discredit the work of his new partner, who he begrudgingly learns to respect for her competence in the role, despite at the time not being used to having women in the force.
This aspect of the film certainly raises a few eyebrows amongst modern audiences, as people claim it’s an « outdated » trope. One viewer wrote: « Ok Dirty Harry flick in which he is partnered with, gasp, a woman, much to his chagrin, to take on hippie extremists. Dated and predictable, but some great sequences, including a rooftop chase and a shootout on Alcatraz. »
Meanwhile, another viewer shared: « Yet another really good addition to the Dirty Harry franchise with Clint Eastwood pulling off a great performance. » As someone else wrote: « Pretty good sequel to the sequel. Clint Eastwood at the height of his powers and kicking some serious butt as Harry Callahan again. »
A viewer was quick to claim the Dirty Harry series was one of the first in the « buddy cop » genre, which is now common amongst hit action movies. They said: « Harry Callihan is back in his third outing, this time as the original mismatched buddy cop film.
« Clint is paired with a female partner, Tyne Daly, and let the chauvinism begin! It’s the original cop buddy story, so it now seems quite clichéd, but Clint and Daly are so good that you can’t help but get into it. »
The series is made up of five films in total, The Enforcer being the third, which follows the debut movie Dirty Harry and the second instalment, Magnum Force. As far as fans on Rotten Tomatoes are concerned, the first film is the highest-rated, but they continue to watch on as they just can’t get enough of Eastwood as their favourite action hero.
You can watch The Enforcer tonight on ITV4 at 9:00pm. Alternatively, it’s available to stream on ITVX at any time you want.
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