Wuchak
RELEASED IN 1988 and directed by Buddy Van Horn, "The Dead Pool" stars Clint Eastwood as a no-nonsense San Francisco detective who tracks down a serial killer linked to a horror film production directed by horror maestro Peter Swan (Liam Neeson). Patricia Clarkson plays a pesky TV reporter turned romantic interest while Evan C. Kim appears as Harry's new Asian partner. David Hunt is also on hand.I'm a fan of all five of the Dirty Harry films, which are as follows: "Dirty Harry" (1971), "Magnum Force" (1973), "The Enforcer" (1976), "Sudden Impact" (1983) and "The Dead Pool" (1988)."Magnum Force" is my favorite, a rare case where the sequel is superior to the original, while the first film is my least preferred, although I still like it. I just think the stories in the four sequels have more story drive and better characters. "Dirty Harry" seems languid and hollow by comparison, but it gets points for being the original film and establishing the series."The Dead Pool" is pretty much on par with "The Enforcer" and "Sudden Impact." The highlights include: The horror movie production angle with Neeson as the eccentric, fireball director; Clarkson's hotness; the kick-axx Asian partner; a couple of cameos by the original Guns n' Roses; and, most of all, the amusing toy car chase through the streets of San Francisco, which is an homage/spoof of the car chase in "Bullitt" (1968). Unfortunately, the climax with the killer is curiously dull, albeit serviceable.THE FILM RUNS 91 minutes and was shot in San Francisco, California. THE SCRIPT was written by Steve Sharon from the story by Sharon, Durk Pearson & Sandy Shaw.GRADE: B
ElMaruecan82
Detective Harry Callahan is the 'Cleopatra' of movies as age cannot wither him.Indeed, it is hard to believe that 17 years have passed between "Dirty Harry" and "The Dead Pool" yet Detective Harry Callahan oozes the same macho bad-ass charisma with a little touch of wisdom. Today, the film is almost thirty and Eastwood is one of the most celebrated directors and iconic living presences of Hollywood. If I doubt he can still pull the same stunts than his cinematic counterpart, I cannot believe there's something the man cannot do, in fifty years, The Man With No Name made a name out of himself, and the fifth 'Dirty Harry' film is a fine opportunity to remember it."The Dead Pool", released in 1988, by Buddy Van Horn, has probably gained more attention this year, with the popular and anti-heroic superhero "Deadpool" and that the creators admitted that the game concept hiding behind the title inspired Deadpool's name, adds a new level of appreciation. Not that it needed it, had the title been "The Deadly Game", "The Last on the List", or "Don't Play with Harry", I guess the film would have been as exciting and entertaining. As long as Dirty Harry is played with the same mix of intensity in work and detachment outside by Eastwood, as long as we see him fighting first and wrestling with bureaucratic issues, and as long as the series of crimes mix the heart-pounding elements of thrillers with elements of mystery, it can't go wrong.And "The Dead Pool" doesn't, it starts with a series of deaths and murders that seem to have no connection whatsoever, starting with a drug-addict rocker played by James Carrey (the first name won't fool anyone), the first suspect is Liam Neeson as a slasher film director, and Neeson's look, more than Carrey's and Eastwood's really date the film (and not in the least handsome way). Other celebrities are killed; inspiring an interesting comment from Harry's newly assigned Chinese teammate (a good thing for the cop's image) that "deaths always come at three". The film doesn't reveal until the final third the identity of the killer, so it might compromise his chance to top the list of Callahan's antagonists, but if the criminal doesn't really hit a strike, his methods do and some contribute to one of the best moment of the film.Indeed, how many times, did we get to have car chases in action movies, ever since "Bullitt" and "The French Connection", the car chase has become a staple even exploited by comedies, but I'm not sure the audience of 1988 was still easy to be wowed by such a tiresome cliché, no matter how spectacular it was. It better had to be original, so 1988 had Roger Rabbit and Bob Hoskins on the animated cab, and Dirty Harry being chased by a tiny model toy car full of explosives. The route is exactly the same than in the iconic "Bullitt" as if the two legendary cop movies set in San Francisco had to compete in the same fields, well, it took five films to establish this funny kinship and even surpass the original. Well, that's one car chase, I won't easily forget, and it's for this attention for novelty, this desire to surprise the viewers that "The Dead Pool" deserves some praise.And that's not all. The film doesn't overdo the bad-ass attitude of Harry, he' still has the same reflexes but he gained in maturity and has developed a capability for listening with age. And I like how this sequel, like all the sequels, develops something new about Harry. While the first film makes him look like a fascist icon, the second responded to the allegation by confronting him to real fascists cops, the third focuses on villains from the political opposite side, the fourth one contradicted the macho reputation by focusing on a female antagonist with 'understandable' motives and now, the final film, focuses on the responsibility of the media for contributing to our fascination with crimes and violence. As viewers, we're also forced to question our own fascination toward Dirty Harry, a nice way to come full circle with the series.On that level, I loved the performance of Patricia Clarkson as the TV host Samantha Walker, who shares that fascination toward Harry, the myth, the figure, the symbol, whatever and would dream of making a story out of him. Of course, to live up with himself, and be worthy of such an admiration, the only answer could be 'no' and near the end, even Samantha learns to have limits in her works, after all, in every business, one's got to know his limitations. The genuine relationship that grows between Harry and Samantha is very touching, there's not necessarily a romance, but something intrinsically rooted in Callahan, a will to protect the weak, or to correct the wrong. And now, that he looks like an older and wiser man, not that sexy, lanky cop with the brownish mane and that smile during the Magnum monologue, there's a new layer of humanity and emotions behind that old crank."The Dead Pool" is something I didn't think was possible, a fifth continuation of a successful cop series. That some franchises like "Die Hard" or "Lethal Weapon" got quickly over-the-top or lost their touch after the third film and not in the "Dirty Harry" means that there's something more durable in Harry Callahan, that even transcends the context of his job. I can't pinpoint the exact quality, but I think it might be the fact that he's a lonely hero, a sort of mythical presence who doesn't rely on other protagonists, likely to change or to change him. No wife, children, buddies or sidekick, like Superman or John Wayne, Dirty Harry is one of the most enduring myths of American cinema.
