Magnum Force (1973)

Posted By : just-a-newb | Date : 29 Jul 2009 21:13:58 | Comments : 3 |

Magnum Force is the 1973 sequel to the 1971 Dirty Harry film, starring Clint Eastwood returning as maverick cop Harry Callahan. The film was released in 1973 and directed by Ted Post, who also directed Eastwood in TV's Rawhide and the feature film Hang 'Em High. The screenplay was written by John Milius (who provided an uncredited rewrite for the original film) and Michael Cimino. This film features early appearances by David Soul, Tim Matheson and Robert Urich as the vigilante traffic cops. It is also the longest Dirty Harry film, clocking in at 124 minutes.

Carmine Ricca (Richard Devon), a known organized-crime kingpin, drives away from a court case where he was declared not guilty for a massacre. Soon after, a motorcycle traffic cop stops Ricca’s car and begins to write out a ticket for the driver, saying he had "crossed the double-line". Suddenly, the cop pulls his service revolver, a .357 Magnum, shoots all four men in the car, then calmly drives off.

Later, "Dirty" Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) and his new partner Earlington Smith (Felton Perry) stop by to check out the crime scene, but Harry is no longer working in homicide due to his handling of the Scorpio case in the first film. Harry butts heads with his new superior, Lieutenant Briggs (Hal Holbrook), who orders him to return to his assigned stakeout. Harry instead takes his new partner to the airport for the "best hamburgers in town".

At the airport, he foils an aircraft hijacking, by impersonating a pilot that the hijackers were demanding. When one of the hijackers is distracted as Harry goes through the motions of preparing the plane for take-off, he takes the other hijacker's gun after punching him unconscious, and shoots the first one dead.