Ranking Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry Movies from Best to Worst

1. Magnum Force (1973) - The best-written Dirty Harry film finds Harry trying to track down vigilantes intent on cleaning up the streets of San Francisco. The screenplay by future directors John Milius and Michael Cimino minimizes subplots and comes the closest to an actual mystery (though the killers' identities quickly become obvious). Hal Holbrook is in top form as Harry's by-the-numbers boss who clashes with Callahan over his violent methods to fight crime. It's also fun to see David Soul (pre-Starsky and Hutch) and Tim Matheson as young police officers. My quibbles are minor: the protracted climax makes this the longest Dirty Harry movie (and it feels it); Harry's poorly-developed relationship with his pretty neighbor adds nothing to the film; and the fate of Harry's partner gets glossed over too quickly.

2.  Dirty Harry (1971) - Star Clint Eastwood and director Don Siegel provide a strong introduction to the titular hero as well as a loving postcard to the city of San Francisco. The plot is nothing exceptional: A crazed killer who calls himself Scorpio threatens to kills random people unless the city pays his demand for $100,000. However, Siegel makes superb use of real location such as Kezar Stadium, Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Dolores Park, and North Beach. Perhaps because it's the first Dirty Harry entry, we learn more about Harry's past, such as his wife's death. The film also establishes the formula for the four sequels, including such elements as Harry stopping a crime in progress (often while eating) and a memorable Callahan quote snarled at a criminal, such as: "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 kinda lost track myself. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and would blow your head clean off, you've gotta ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?"

3.  The Enforcer (1976) - Harry Callahan is none too happy when a female rookie detective inspector, whose previous experience is mostly administrative, gets assigned as his partner. Fortunately, Kate Moore (Tyne Daly) turns out to be tough, resourceful, and persistent--in other words, an ideal sidekick for Harry. The best part of The Enforcer are the scenes between Harry and Kate, who is played to perfection by Daly. Unfortunately, the potent pair are saddled with a silly plot about an alleged terrorist group exhorting money from the city of San Francisco (a premise somewhat similar to Dirty Harry). An over-the-top villain plagues this entry as well as the two that followed.

4.  The Dead Pool (1988) - The final Dirty Harry picture is a lackluster effort about a psycho trying to implicate a horror film director (a pony-tailed Liam Neeson) in a series of murders. Each victim's name appears on the director's submission in a "dead pool," a tasteless game in which players try to predict the deaths of famous people. There are some interesting observations about fame and fanatics, but they're lost in a shoddy screenplay. Poor Patricia Clarkson plays a character who evolves far too quickly from an independent, career-minded woman to Harry's admiring girlfriend. The film's saving graces are a car chase involving a remote-controlled toy car and a brisk running time of just over 90 minutes.

5.  Sudden Impact (1983) - The weakest Dirty Harry entry wastes a good performance by Sondra Locke as a painter systematically murdering the scum responsible for the gang rape of her and her younger sister. It's a potentially intriguing reexamination of the vigilante theme explored in Magnum Force, only this time the motive is revenge. Unfortunately, Sudden Impact spends too much time on another plot in which Harry has to cope with hit men after "causing" their mobster boss's heart attack. It detracts from the main story and pads the film's running to an excruciating 117 minutes. Sudden Impact also features the two worst villains in the series, who are written and portrayed so broadly that they're almost cartoonish. On the plus side, it's nice to see Harry venture outside San Francisco for a few scenes and Clint gets to grit his teeth and growl the most famous of all Dirty Harry quotes: "Go ahead, make my day."