The Enforcer (1976)

Directed by: James Fargo | 93 minutes | action, drama, thriller, crime | Actors: Clint Eastwood, Tyne Daly, Harry Guardino, Bradford Dillman, John Mitchum, DeVeren Bookwalter, John Crawford, Samantha Doane, Robert F. Hoy, Jocelyn Jones, MG Kelly, Nick Pellegrino, Albert Popwell, Rudy Ramos, Bill Ackridge

Several factors contributed to ‘Dirty Harry’ (1971) becoming a cult film and Dirty Harry himself a celebrity. The interpretation that Clint Eastwood gives to the character as well as the controversy of the story in combination with the zeitgeist of the film are the most important aspects. The film also has a realistic and minimalist film technique (Don Siegel), which is supported by a matching soundtrack. Incidentally, Clint Eastwood was only fourth choice. After rejections from Frank Sinatra, Paul Newman and John Wayne, the makers eventually chose him.

Every Dirty Harry film has brought something unique that keeps the films captivating. The film technique used by Don Siegel in ‘Dirty Harry’ (1971) is broadly followed in the later parts. The films therefore remain very recognizable, so that you soon see that it is a typical Dirty Harry film. Of course, not every part will be equally popular. In the first two films we have to deal with a detective who takes the law into his own hands and, by extension, shoots criminals in cold blood. In ‘The Enforcer’ (1976) the victims he inflicts seem to fall more from the point of view of self-defense and rescue operations. This makes the film less harsh and raw. Of course the film has the scenes so familiar to Dirty Harry, where brutal police action is desired. This performance is performed in a way that is unique to him. The delivery of the getaway car to three hostages in a liquor store, during which the facade is rammed, is a good example of this.

The humor in ‘Dirty Harry’ (1971) and ‘Magnum Force’ (1973) was mainly in Harry’s laconic and calm demeanor during the violent scenes. His stare and familiar recurring statements: “I know what you’re thinking. Did he fire six shots or only five? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I’ve kind of lost track myself. But being’s this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do you, punk?” (“Dirty Harry”) and “A man’s got to know his limitations.” (“Magnum Force”). As mentioned, this film seems less violent, but this is mainly because the balance between action and humor is more balanced. In ‘The Enforcer’ (1976) the humor is brought to several levels. Not only the recurring one-liner “Marvellous”, but also the presence of Kate Moore as a female detective is responsible for this. The input of this female partner is extremely well chosen. She ensures that we can get to know Harry’s human side. The character of detective Kate Moore is played by Tyne Daly (TV series ‘Cagney & Lacey’). With her portrayal of Kate Moore, she provides an excellent counterbalance to the strong character of Dirty Harry. Harry also ends up in situations that are humorous in themselves. The scene with the elderly women writing erotic letters is quite laughable.

Since the makers have paid a lot of attention to character development and the balance between action and humor, they forgot to work out the script itself better. The storylines sometimes overlap quite artificially. An example of this is the input of the character of ‘Big’ Ed Mustapha. For the rest, the film is in one word “Marvellous”