Why So Blu?

Dirty Harry (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

This spring is the spring of the Clint Eastwood 4K disc! Debuting April 29^th is not one but three classic Eastwood films.  I’m excited to share with you my reviews of them all, but not as excited as I am first and foremost to write about Dirty Harry. A film loosely based on the infamous Zodiac killer that terrorized the Bay Area in the 60’s, Eastwood’s Harry Callahan was someone who either made you cheer or repulsed you. For me, he was a bad man in the best of ways.  Now, 54 years removed from this first outing, a 4K disc is finally arriving. Here, I’ll dive into my thoughts on the legendary character and film and of course go over how the new transfer and Atmos mix are too!

Film

“Dirty” Harry Callhan is an old-school officer in San Francisco.  He shoots first and asks questions later.  Harry doesn’t care about the criminal so much as he cares about delivering swift justice. That .44 Magnum does not play! Before our film begins, Harry’s already in hot water from a previous case where he’s shot a suspect accused of rape.

In the case of this film, Harry is on the case of Scorpio. Scorpio is a serial sniper who is leaving mysterious notes demanding money or he will kill again. After investigating the victim of the first on-screen killing, Harry goes to enjoy a hot dog, only to foil a bank robbery, delivering an iconic speech about his .44 Magnum and asking the robber if he feels lucky… “Well, do ya punk?” He takes down the robber but not before a bullet grazes him in the process.

After a patch up he heads into headquarters where he gets sacked with a new partner. A rookie, Chico (Reni Santoni), is much more by the book.  He’s also Mexican American, which isn’t necessarily Harry’s bag – At least that’s what we’re told. From the onset, we are told Harry is a racist and a bigot.  He plays into the rumor, but it feels as though it’s more for laughs than for real.

On the beat, Harry and Chico begin to work together and find a good groove.  The pair begin to get more and more on the trail of Scorpio. This isn’t before he claims another victim, this time a 10-year-old black child. Reading the ransom note left with the body, Harry agrees to meet Scorpio who says he is holding a woman captive. When they meet at Mount Division under a cross, the pair confront each other, with Scorpio beating Harry and shooting Chico.

With the shooting of his partner, Harry becomes determined to stop Scorpio by any means necessary.  This leads to a showdown between the killer and the badass cop that remains an icon of action moviemaking.  Dirty Harry shows no signs of stoppage against his tormenting suspect, and as the audience we are along for the wild ride.

Dirty Harry was controversial in 1971.  The film was a source of conversation on police brutality and morality of police and whether they acted as fascists. Director Don Siegel himself spoke on the controversies and said that his film was not political.  He stated that he was liberal while Eastwood was conservative, but politics never entered the conversation while making the film.

The subject of racism also came up then and sometimes does even now when discussing Dirty Harry. I feel this discussion mostly comes from the scene where Harry meets Chico for the first time and there is the exchange with racial epithets thrown here and there.  I think that was a scene constructed from a place of uncomfortable humor more than from a racial issue. The character was embraced universally by most audiences when the film was released and even revisiting the film I don’t get that racist undertone that has been thrown at the film over the years.  Harry Callahan stands for justice for all; this means everyone.

At the end of the film, there was a question mark placed on Callahan as a character.  Thankfully we got 3 other films involving him.  The quality of those films varied, but for fans of the series, there was much to enjoy.  The original will always be the most definitive entry and the one that continues to be studied and discussed and pored over.  This new edition is absolutely the way to watch the film and you’ll see why when you read the technical section, but for now, just rest assured in knowing that Dirty Harry is definitive police procedural action entertainment no matter how old it is.  There’s no denying Harry Callahan’s place in being an inspiration for so many cop characters after him, and this film is proof positive of that inspiration.

Video

Encoding: HEVC / H.265

Resolution: 2160p

Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

HDR: HDR10

Layers: BD-100

Clarity/Detail: Dirty Harry comes to 4K UHD Blu-ray with a fresh 8K scan that is downscaled for the presentation.  Detail is exquisite with nitpicking from transitions or the occasional focus shift. Grain is restrained and complimentary. Textures are solid too! Beyond that, this is the very best Dirty Harry has ever looked. Bold, big and beautiful.

Depth: Besides the focus shifting issues mentioned above, there is not much to remark about here.  Depth detailing is excellent overall with a few negligent misses happening from some filming issues way back in the 70’s.  Otherwise, the presentation is beautiful.

Black Levels: Black levels are excellent here, with no crush in evidence.

Color Reproduction: Colors look near perfect most of the time.  There are a few times in low light where some of the colors look more muted, but that’s to be expected given the time frame the movie was filmed in.

Flesh Tones: Skin tones are natural for the time frame, with makeup giving mostly natural looks overall.

Noise/Artifacts: Clean.

Audio

Audio Format(s): English Dolby Atmos, English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono (Original Theatrical Audio), Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0, French Dolby Digital 2.0

Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish

Dynamics: Dirty Harry debuts in 4K with a new Dolby Atmos track and its original theatrical Mono mix as well.  This is a first on disc for both tracks. While I prefer the new modern mix (I love a new upgrade!), the original theatrical mix is so nice to have as a choice. I’m happy to report that the Atmos mix retains the integrity of the original sound mix, amplifying the original effects and opening the soundstage without modernizing a thing.

Height: Height channels open for light ambience and Lalo Schifrin’s funky jazz score more than anything. There’s also a cool moment where Harry walks across grates in the opening, and you hear his footsteps overhead.

Low Frequency Extension: Bass hits for gunshots, music and some other action moments.

Surround Sound Presentation: Surrounds are used as subtlety as the heights, spreading sound effects in the rear channels without compromising the original mixes integrity.

Dialogue: Dialogue sounds excellent and prioritized in the center channel.

Extras

Extras for Dirty Harry are a combination of New and Legacy extras.  The new extras are short but interesting.  One is about how Dirty Harry has been viewed by and inspiring to a number of generations, while one is about the director of photography Bruce Surtees.  The rest is all ported from the past Dirty Harry home releases.

*Dirty Harry is also coming out simultaneously in a Steelbook that closer matches the original theatrical poster.

• Audio Commentary by film critic Richard Schickel.
• Generations and Dirty Harry (6:15)
• Lensing Justice: The Cinematography of Dirty Harry (7:54)
• American Masters Career Retrospective – Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows (86:57)
• Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso (58:07)
• Clint Eastwood – A Cinematic Legacy: Fighting for Justice (17:33)
• Interview Gallery (10 segments, 2-6 minutes each) – Interviews with Patricia Clarkson, Joel Cox, Clint Eastwood, Hal Holbrook, Evan Kim, John Milius, Ted Post, Andy Robinson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Robert Urich.
• Dirty Harry’s Way (6:58)
• Dirty Harry: The Original (29:43)

Summary

Dirty Harry is undeniably a cinematic icon.  He is big, bold, brave and brazen.  I was hooked by Harry the moment I watched him as a 14-year-old kid.  Now at 38, I am still hooked watching the film.  In 4K and Dolby Atmos Dirty Harry looks and sounds better than ever. For me this is a can’t miss release for fans and newcomers alike.  I will keep hope alive for the other 3 films to come along in due time too.  They may not be the original but they’re a lot of fun still and worth owning in the best physical format around… I do feel lucky… getting the 4 Dirty Harrys in 4K that is…

Get your copy of Dirty Harry HERE

Get the Dirty Harry Steelbook HERE