Dirty Harry Ultimate Collector's Edition [Blu-ray] Reviews

• Details (Updated on video/sound quality) for Blu-ray Dirty Harry Ultimate Collector's Edition due out on June 3rd, 2008

  
  By A1K94LXX833JTT on 2008-03-18
  Warner Home Video has announced the details of the new releases of all five Dirty Harry movies with new special features.
  
  They'll be on Blu-ray in this 5-disc Ultimate Collector's Edition. Only a Dirty Harry Special Edition will be available separately on Blu-ray; the other four movies will only be available on Blu-ray in this set. (They won't be available in HD, which Warner officially discontinues at the end of May.)
  
  They will also be available on standard DVD as a set in an Ultimate Collector's Edition, or separately in Special or Deluxe editions.
  
  Assuming the transfers are good (see Update at end), this looks like an excellent set.
  
  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
  
  Update on video and sound quality (June 5th)
  
  I don't have my copy yet (I may have to take out a mortgage first), but I've been checking out professional reviews to see how the transfers are. I'll post what I've found here in case others are interested. The consensus:
  
  1) while not reference quality, all the movies are much improved from the earlier standard definition releases and look very good, with improved color and sharpness
  
  2) the video and sound quality varies some according to how recently the film was made, improving as they get more recent (as expected)
  
  3) the minor defects of the original films are more evident in high definition
  
  4) the surround sound is not always very surrounding or spectacular, but the quality is good (one reviewer, at dvdbeaver, preferred the stereo mix as less artificially "bumped" with rear speaker effects)
  
  I haven't seen any major complaints about the new set. The extras are reportedly mixed in entertainment value, but include a lot of information. I'm still looking forward to the commentaries and social analyses, in particular, as soon as I work something out with my credit union ....
  
  

• New Transfers

  
  By A8729HVO6N2X2 on 2008-04-02
  Sound & Vision magazine did a recent article on Warner Home Video and their transferring of film to video with the new 4K transfer process - it's the most state of the art in transferring technology allowing for greater detail, color reproduction and clarity. Warner Bros. steps up the bar in some of the best HiDef transfers on the market, these as the article stated should look amazing - can't wait to own this!
  
  

• Go ahead, make my day.

  
  By A1E110L9ZKX6FD on 2008-03-26
  Indeed. My day has been made. This is just awesome that we are getting all the Dirty Harry movies on bluray in one sweet box set. No need for me to cover the bases of what's inside since Sanpete did a fine job. No this is just a quick statement to say how thrilled I am and I am sure anyone else who is a fan that has this on pre-order that we are getting these fantastic classics in an HD format.
  
  They don't make movies like this anymore sadly but at least we have them to enjoy and in glorious bluray!
  
  

• ugly cheap packaging

  
  By A2YLLEO6X5516K on 2008-06-02
  This packaging is 2 inches taller than any other blu-ray case, so it will look terrible on a shelf next to your other blu-rays. It is also very cheap plastic, and 60 % wider than it needs to be, with so much padding. I wish there was an alternative, I will probably print custom blu-ray art works and place them in regular cases. I think warner brothers thinks bigger and dumber is better, just look at speed racer.
  
  

• Fires on all thrusters

  
  By A14OC67MXL92FA on 2008-06-15
  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.
  
  
• Blu-ray Edition Review
  By AQB4DH57MSZSC on 2008-06-16
  I have very mixed feelings about this set. I love the Dirty Harry movies, but if you already own them, there is very little reason to upgrade to Blu-ray. The first two movies have almost no improvement over an upconverted DVD. They are very grainy and dark and even though these are 1970's movies they could have done a much better job restoring them. There is even dirt on many of the frames - NOTICEABLE dirt. It almost felt like watching it in a movie theater after the print had been used a few hundred times. The rest of the movies are better, but the PQ is still maybe a 3.5 out of 5.0. The extras that are included are "okay" but I wish they would have just left them out, given us traditional blu-ray boxes in a slipcase and dropped the price about $30 to $49.99. Even better would be to throw all 5 movies into a case like the Die Hard movies.
  5.0 for the movies
  1.5 for the PQ on the first two movies
  2.5 for the last 3
  3-4.0 for the sound quality.
  
  
• This suppose to be a review for God's sake, why write here if the title is not even out yet?!
  By A2C6Z04RJ9ZEHR on 2008-06-04
  I don't understand people sometimes. The fact that the title is not yet available does not keep quite some people away of writing "reviews" - moreover they do rate this unreleased blu ray item with 5 stars! What the heck! Is this a writing obsession or a 70's nostalgia?
  Anyways, on the same basis I give a one star rating just because I can`t stand Eastwood`s fake pseudo-macho face.
  So the almost 5 star average hopefully goes lower, avoiding unsuspecting browsers to click on the link of these cr@p movies just like I did.
  
  
• Widescreen or Standard?
  By AO3E3KUHAQVT0 on 2008-05-05
  Obviously not a review as this set hasn't been released yet. Just wondering if this will be widescreen or standard (fullscreen)? Amazon's description is ambiguous, stating "1.33" aspect ratio, yet not indicating whether the transfer is widescreen or standard. Not interested no matter how crystal clear the transfer is. Fullscreeen on a widescreen tv is annoying, to say the least. Then again, why would blu-ray format be full screen anyway? The 5 star rating reflects how intrigued I am that this set will become available soon.
  
  
• Amazing in Blu Ray!
  By A1B3EHHAXC6WAQ on 2008-06-07
  Not much needs to be said about these films for the fans who follow them.
  
  The transfer is amazing. These movies look better than they did in the theatre. I know...I worked in a theatre as an usher when Dirty Harry was released.
  
  Audio is superb. Dolby True HD continues to amaze me for its muscular soundtracks.
  
  Eastwood would be (and I'm sure is) very proud of this spectacular presentation. The included trinkets are good but the movies are the real deal.
  
  If you are a fan of the Harry series and have an HD TV and a good Blu Ray player, swallow and then fork over the 90 bucks to get the box set.
  
  And once you have all of this set up, start up the Sudden Impact disc, crank up the volume in Dolby True HD and listen to Lalo Schifrin's amazing intro.
  
  Get it.
  
  
• Blu-Ray Review
  By AG6UYD56VHOG1 on 2008-06-15
  Again Amazon is fkd up with posting reviews.
  This set looks good on Blu-Ray.
  
  
• Do You Feel Lucky, Punk?
  By AJLXCWBKKT9X8 on 2008-07-03
  I have to say that this is one of the best box sets I've ever had the pleasure of purchasing. I had it on DVD a while back, but had to start my movie collection from scratch (due to a divorce). Bluray is the way to go, even with older movies like these. I'm 110% satsified with this purchase!
  
  
• Dirty Harry Ultimate Collector's Edition [Blu-ray] (1973)
  By A3UXLHYYT7NDLD on 2008-07-18
  I bought BD of the North America specification in the Japanese. Japanese subtitle and a Japanese dubbing are collected. It is cheaper than a Japanese version for it! After this commodity is obtained, every day like the pink of every day! It boasts to the friend!
  
  
• Go ahead,make my Blu-Ray day!!! Well,Warner Bros. Home Video sure did!!!
  By A22VNXHU6IZ5MT on 2008-07-27
  Great job Warner Bros. Home Video,this is a Blu Ray/Dirty Harry fans dream come true,great visuals,sound and extras of the highest Blu Ray quality,the set's a little high on the price tag but if you're a Dirty Harry fan than it's worth it,and the price will likely drop in the future as Blu Ray gets more popular!!! Like I said before,a stellar Blu Ray box set!!! Recommended!!! A+
  
  
• Dirty Harry movies on Blu-ray
  By A3EZA3YIF452WI on 2008-07-31
  Excellent video and audio quality. If you love the Dirty Harry movies, and you have a Blu-ray player, this is a must.
  
  
• Great Collector
  By A3SEPM75MAVT6 on 2008-10-30
  Dirty Harry is a legend of the streets of San Francisco. For the fans of Clint Eastwood that should not be shy to watch these Blu-ray instead of TV drama like The Shield ! The movies didn't age and the work on the picture and sound (HD) takes you even deeper in the game. bonuses are also nice for those who want to know more. good quality box.
  
  

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