MAGNUM FORCE
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...