Search - Dirty Harry Ultimate Collector's Edition (Dirty Harry / Magnum Force / The Enforcer / Sudden Impact / The Dead Pool) on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 1/12/2025...

Dirty Harry - One of Clint Eastwoods trademark movies that defined him with this series. A must watch!

Magnum Force - The writers nailed it in this one with unexpected twists and turns throughout the story. Clint Eastwood, Hal Holbrook and others played their roles oh so well! A must watch!

Details for the new Dirty Harry Ultimate Collector's Edition

Sanpete | in Utah | 03/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Warner Home Video has announced the details of new releases of all five Dirty Harry movies with new special features. They'll all be in their original widescreen formats only.



They will be available on standard DVD in this 7-disc Ultimate Collector's Edition, or separately in Special or Deluxe editions. ("Special" is better than "deluxe" here--only Dirty Harry gets a 2-disc Special Edition, the others will all be on single discs, but all will have new special features.) Links for the separate DVDs are below.



They'll also be on Blu-ray in a 5-disc Ultimate Collector's Edition. Only the Dirty Harry Special Edition will be available separately on Blu-ray. The other four movies will only be available on Blu-ray as part of the complete set. (They won't be available in HD, which Warner officially discontinues at the end of May.)



Assuming the transfers are good (update: everyone says the transfers are good, better than the old ones), this looks like an excellent set. Whether those with older DVD releases will want to upgrade will be a matter of personal preference, but I personally find the new commentaries and features very attractive.



Here's a bit about each film and the special features, contained in both the separate releases and the sets. The Ultimate Editions will also include some additional features, listed further below.



Dirty Harry Special Edition



Dirty Harry is generally regarded as a classic, the beginning of a second larger-than-life persona for Clint Eastwood (after The Man with No Name). It's the source of the famous "Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?" (The actual quote is "... you've got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?" but the original doesn't quote as well out of context.)



Tough cop "Dirty" Harry Callahan has his own simple, commonsense rules for dealing with crime, based on a strong sense of right and wrong and an impatience with needless details and constraints. The latter gets him into continual trouble with the system which, as portrayed in the movie, is more about politics and bureaucracy than doing what needs to be done. This reflected well the frustrations and fears of Americans in the '70s that criminals were taking over the streets and that the law was powerless to stop them because the "criminal-coddling" courts were holding them back. I personally value the Fourth Amendment and other such niceties and shiver to think of some of the political and moral ramifications of this movie (some of which are still very much with us), but whatever one's politics, Dirty Harry is very effective as a police-action thriller, largely because of Eastwood's unique persona. It's hard not to admire and root for him even if you think he's not always right. There are also the standard gunfights and car chases, and high suspense, all well done.



In the films that followed in the series, Harry became a somewhat more balanced, complex or confusing character, depending on your point of view, coming down clearly on the side of the law against rogue vigilante cops, for example, and learning to appreciate a female cop as a partner, but the basic idea of Harry standing strong despite the corrupt, wimpy system remained.



I'm pleased to see that some of the new special features in the set deal with the "issues" raised by the Dirty Harry films. I look forward to seeing what others make of them.



The special features:



-- new commentary by filmmaker and Eastwood associate/biographer Richard Schickel

-- new featurette "The Long Shadow of Dirty Harry," on the influence and legacy of Dirty Harry

-- "Dirty Harry: The Original," with Clint Eastwood and the film's creators looking back at the creation of the Dirty Harry character

-- "Dirty Harry's Way," a promotional short focusing on the toughness of the movie's main character

-- interview gallery, with Patricia Clarkson, Joel Cox, Clint Eastwood, Hal Holbrook, Evan Kim, John Milius, Ted Post, Andy Robinson, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Robert Urich

-- "Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso," a 1993 TV program on his life and career, including scenes from his work and interviews with friends, fellow actors and crew members

-- trailer gallery: Dirty Harry, Magnum Force, The Enforcer, Sudden Impact and The Dead Pool



Magnum Force Deluxe Edition



As the sequel to a classic film, it suffers some from the let-downs typical of sequels, but it's still Clint Eastwood being a tough guy, which is enough to carry the merely average plot and script and make it good entertainment for Eastwood fans. I'd say that applies to all four sequels.



In this installment, Harry, the cop frustrated by the rules that hold him back, shows he has his limits when he goes up against wicked vigilante cops killing criminals without any due process. As in the first movie, there's plenty of action, a car chase, suspense, people getting shot, etc.



Special features:



-- new commentary by director and Magnum Force screenwriter John Milius ("in this gritty, entertaining commentary, legendary Hollywood screenwriter Milius discusses Eastwood, the world of Dirty Harry and the rugged resilience of crime drama in American cinema")

-- new featurette "A Moral Right: The Politics of Dirty Harry," with filmmakers, social scientists and authors on the politics and ethics of the Dirty Harry films

-- "The Hero Cop: Yesterday and Today"

-- trailer gallery



The Enforcer Deluxe Edition



In this installment, Harry, the renegade cop with some old-fashioned attitudes and no desire to be tied up with a partner, gets stuck with a female partner, well played by Tyne Daly. Surprise surprise, he learns to respect and rely on her as they make hamburger of a group of domestic terrorists. As in the first two movies, there's plenty of action, suspense, people getting shot, etc., but with a chase on foot in place of the usual car chase.



Special features:



-- new commentary by Enforcer director James Fargo

-- new featurette "The Business End: Violence in Cinema"

-- "Harry Callahan/Clint Eastwood: Something Special in Films"

-- trailer gallery



Sudden Impact Deluxe Edition



Sudden Impact inspires very mixed reactions, but it's still Clint Eastwood in a classic role, this time with Sondra Locke, his partner in several films and off-screen. Some people hate Locke, but I think she's good with Eastwood. (I liked them even more in the Dirty Harryish Gauntlet and the very un-Dirty-Harry Bronco Billy.)



Harry is on forced leave for being his usual trouble-making self while getting the bad guys, but still finds himself in the middle of a string of murders that he undertakes to stop. As in a couple of the others in the series, this movie includes a story line where extralegal justice is an issue, as Locke's damaged rape victim seeks revenge. With the usual action, shootings, and a high level of violence, with women getting their share.



This one is the source of the famous quote, "Go ahead, make my day." It was directed by Eastwood.



-- new commentary by filmmaker and Eastwood associate/biographer Richard Schickel

-- new featurette "The Evolution of Clint Eastwood," on the film in the context of Eastwood's career as a director

-- trailer gallery



The Dead Pool Deluxe Edition



The Dead Pool was pretty well received, considering its place in the series. It has a convoluted plot about a game in which bets are taken on the deaths of celebrities, including Harry, with young Liam Neeson playing a questionable film director who's playing the game. Issues of the celebrity-enslaved press are mixed with romance as Harry dates a reporter. As always, there's plenty of action, suspense, gun play, and, this time, a unique and hilarious car chase with a very small but dangerous car.



-- new commentary by Dead Pool producer David Valdes and Dead Pool cinematographer Jack N. Green

-- new Featurette "The Craft of Dirty Harry," including the cinematography, editing, music, and production design of the Dirty Harry films

-- trailer gallery



The Ultimate editions will contain all of the above features, plus some:



-- the feature-length documentary Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows (which has been and is available separately)

-- 40+ page hardcover book

-- wallet with metal badge and removable ID card

-- five 5" x 7" lobby poster reproduction cards and an exclusive Ultimate Collector's Edition card

-- "Scorpio: Portrait of a Killer" 19" x 27" map of San Francisco detailing Harry's hunt for the killer in the first film

-- never-before-seen production correspondence



The Out of the Shadows documentary is a substantial bonus (87 minutes) for the Ultimate edition. You can get it separately pretty cheap used, though. There's an Amazon page for it, with reviews, here."

Fires on all thrusters

C. S. Junker | Burien, WA USA | 06/15/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you're a fan of the Dirty Harry films, and you have a Blu-Ray player, this is a no-brainer. A lot of Blu-Ray transfers are disappointing, particularly in older films. However, Warner has pulled out all the stops, and every one of these films, even the oldest, looks and sounds utterly spectacular.



The original DIRTY HARRY features a lot of aerial photography of San Francisco, as some of the earlier action takes place on rooftops. The detail in these distance shots is staggeringly clear. The colors are rich, vivid, and bold, and the remixed soundtrack is shatteringly good for a film of this vintage.



The four sequels look equally good (the fifth, THE DEAD POOL, suffers only because it was not shot in true widescreen ) and all films are supplemented with a wide selection of new extras. The box even includes a personal message from Clint Eastwood, encouraging you to sample the new bonus features.



I watched all five films in less than a week and I'm ready to watch them all again. It's about time older films started receiving this kind of treatment in High-Def; hopefully this is a harbinger of things to come for classics films of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Go ahead, make your day and buy this box."

Just finished it all!! WOW....great job Warner Bros!

Richardson | Sunny California USA | 06/05/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"WB have proven they know how to release classic titles with their exceptional multi-disc offerings from Astaire/Rogers and the Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind and FORD/WAYNE etc etc...and now they have brought that same excellent packaging and extras to a much more current series DIRTY HARRY.



All the movies look much better than ever before ...maybe even better than they did in movie theatres. Previous extras are included ...so no need to keep old editions and each movie has interesting and fast moving featurettes of approximately a half hour that do add considerably to the enjoyment factor. I've only listened to a couple of the commentaries...they all have new ones. Professional Eastwood brown nose...er biographer Richard "windbag" Schickel doesn't add much to Dirty Harry...but John Milius as insane as ever is a hoot on Magnum Force. I'm hoping the commentary on The Enforcer is good as its by the director...we have the aforementioned Schickel back kissing butt on Sudden Impact so I'm not expecting enlightenment there.



Should you buy this box instead of the individual movies? ...its a little better price to buy them this way but the individual movies have such cool graphics and packaging. There is a fake badge in this set AND an exceptional documentary on Clint Eastwood "Out of the Shadows" that all true Clint fans owned already but IS included here...as well as mini theatre one sheets and a very nice letter from Clint about the series...

tough call...oh and a nice book with photos and brief notes...so the whole package takes up about the same space as the individual DVDs for those wondering about shelf space.



THe movies themselves are close to the heart of baby boomers like myself who may have liked John Wayne when we were kids but as we became high schoolers and grew up Clint was/is OUR guy. There is a slight decline in quality from movie to movie during the series as Clint ages and the writing has to find more cute lines for him to toss off ...but I enjoyed them all and still do ...with the possible exception of the Dead Pool...which is now more of a curiosity to me.



Bottom line...if you like Clint/Harry ...you will be delighted with the quality of prints, extras and packaging. In fact its so good I'm getting tempted to upgrade to blu-ray and get the set in that format!"