Everything That Dies, Some Day Comes Back

After watching 'The Enforcer', the third in the Dirty Harry series, which is little more than a shoddy TV movie, it was a relief to watch this, its predecessor.   Right from the get-go it's clear that the direction, cinematography and score are of a high quality. San Francisco has never looked more alluring than in this film I would suggest; for example, at one point we are treated to a gorgeous view from the top of a high apartment block, of the Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance.    There's no need to worry about the screenplay either, credited to the intriguing pairing of John Milius and Michael Cimino. They have the neat idea of taking Harry's unconventional approach to policing to its logical conclusion.  There is a cop, or someone pretending to be a cop, killing (or rather, executing) criminals who have evaded the normal justice system. At first both we and Harry suspect a long-time friend of his on the force, Charlie, who's definitely displayi...

With a story as big as this, a scandal that brought down a US President, did the studio really need to cast such big stars as Redford and Hoffman to play the inquisitive reporters, Woodford and Bernstein? Well yes, because we necessarily only get part of the story here since it's all from the viewpoint of The Washington Post, and it all could be a bit dull and stodgy, so to have the charisma of Redford and Hoffman on tap is no bad thing.   Thankfully we're in good hands, with Alan J Pakula directing, the third in his 'paranoia trilogy', and a screenplay by William Goldman, so that a scene where all Redford is doing is frantically looking through some telephone directories is gripping as hell.   Even Hoffman, an actor who can irritate with his mannerisms if he's allowed to, is focussed and convincing as the more experienced but yet more volatile of the pair.   Judging by this film the worlds of journalism and of politics in the 1970s were male-dominated in t...