back

Dirty Harry

Berlinale Classics 2025
© 2025 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved
A sniper shooting from the rooftops is holding San Francisco hostage, demanding 100,000 dollars or he will keep killing. The mayor wants to pay the ransom; police inspector Harry Callahan demurs, preferring to go after the killer. There is a gunfight and the villain doubles the amount of his demand. Harry is chosen to deliver the ransom, turning the situation into a personal duel … Dirty Harry bears a more than passing resemblance to Eastwood’s gunslinger character from his spaghetti westerns, transposed to the canyons of an American metropolis. Armed with a Smith & Wesson loaded with .44 Magnums, a stoic demeanour, and a stony face, he became the role model for the cynical onscreen cops of the 1970s. Don Siegel’s matter-of-fact thriller, inspired by the real-life Zodiac killer, engendered four Dirty Harry sequels between its release and 1988, although the character’s final gesture in this film, taken from High Noon (1952), would seem to suggest otherwise.
The film was restored using an 8K scan of the 35mm camera negative. To ensure accuracy, the picture was conformed to the original 2.39:1 aspect ratio without zooming or panning.

Trailer/Film Excerpt

To view this content, you must enable third-party cookies. >
by Don Siegel (Director), Harry Julian Fink (Screenplay), R. M. Fink (Screenplay), Dean Riesner (Screenplay)
with Clint Eastwood, Harry Guardino, Reni Santoni, Andrew Robinson, John Larch, John Mitchum, Mae Mercer USA 1971 English 103' Colour World premiere of the digitally restored version Rating R 16

With

  • Clint Eastwood
  • Harry Guardino
  • Reni Santoni
  • Andrew Robinson
  • John Larch
  • John Mitchum
  • Mae Mercer

Crew

Director Don Siegel
Screenplay Harry Julian Fink, R. M. Fink, Dean Riesner
Cinematography Bruce Surtees
Editing Carl Pingitore
Music Lalo Schifrin
Sound William Randall
Producer Don Siegel
Executive Producer Clint Eastwood

World Sales

Warner Bros. Discovery

Hamburg, Germany

Additional information

DCP: Warner Bros.

Photos