Metrograph

An outraged Pauline Kael called it a “fascist masterpiece” in The New Yorker, Warner Brothers called it a cash cow, and audiences around the world called it a helluva wild ride, besotted with an entirely new breed of urban antihero, Clint Eastwood’s laconic SFPD Inspector “Dirty” Harry Callahan, a cool, majestically quiffed customer endeavoring to keep the streets of San Fran safe from Zodiac-inspired serial killer sniper “Scorpio,” his efforts stymied at every turn by a system that seems designed to coddle creeps and criminals, leaving Harry with only his trusty Smith & Wesson Model 29 to rely on. Often imitated—not least by the four sequels it spawned—but rarely equaled, Siegel’s seething signature work is nothing short of a masterclass in crisp, steady-handed action filmmaking.

Distributor: Warner Bros.