The Story Archive

Dirty Harry

Don Siegel · 1971 CE · Film · Modern / American · Contemporary

A San Francisco inspector with a .44 Magnum is handed a sniper who is killing one citizen a week and demanding money from the city, and finds every rule of arrest and evidence standing between him and the man. A rooftop stakeout, a ransom run through the parks and a school bus follow. Pauline Kael called it fascist medievalism, and the argument over what it endorses has never settled.

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Attributes

Genre
Crime / NoirThrillerPolitical
Theme
Justice & RevengeIndividual vs SocietyPower & Corruption
Archetype (Jung / Campbell)
Anti-HeroAvengerVillain / Tyrant
Plot structure
The ChaseRevenge Cycle
Symbol / motif
The CityBlood
Conflict
vs Personvs Society
Mode / tone
NoirIronic
Culture / tradition
Modern / American

Closest analogues