Magnum Force (1973)
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A veteran detective must confront a secret death squad of rogue officers within his own department.
The story
After a Mafia boss is acquitted on a legal technicality, a motorcycle cop guns down the occupants of his limousine. Inspector Harry Callahan visits the crime scene with his new partner, Early Smith, despite being on stakeout duty. While investigating a series of violent crimes, Callahan meets a group of rookie officers, including a Vietnam veteran with exceptional marksmanship. As Callahan begins to suspect that a secret death squad within the San Francisco Police Department is responsible for the murders, he faces increasing pressure from his superior, Lieutenant Neil Briggs, who seems eager to keep Callahan away from the investigation.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a Mafia boss is acquitted on a legal technicality, a motorcycle cop guns down the occupants of his limousine. Inspector Harry Callahan and his partner Early Smith investigate the crime scene, drawing the ire of Lieutenant Neil Briggs. While Callahan meets a group of rookie officers, including the skilled Vietnam veteran Phil Sweet, a series of murders by a motorcycle cop occurs. Callahan eventually realizes the killer is a traffic cop and suspects a secret death squad within the SFPD. After a raid on a Mafia associate's office results in Sweet's death, Callahan is suspended. He is then confronted by the rogue officers, who offer him an ultimatum to join them. After Callahan refuses, a bomb kills Early. Callahan discovers that Briggs is the leader of the death squad. In a final confrontation, Callahan manages to knock Briggs unconscious and eventually kills the rogue officers in a high-speed chase involving a derelict aircraft carrier. Callahan finally kills Briggs by detonating a mailbox bomb in the lieutenant's car.
- First release year
- 1973
- Runtime (minutes)
- 123
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ted Post
- Writers
- John Milius · story; John Milius · screenplay; Michael Cimino · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Clint Eastwood · Harry Callahan; Hal Holbrook; Mitchell Ryan; David Soul; Felton Perry; Robert Urich
- Genres
- neo-noir; action-thriller
- Themes
- police corruption; vigilantism; legal system flaws
- Tone and mood
- action-packed; gritty
- Premise and plot tags
- sequel; police procedural; crime thriller
- Franchise connections
- Dirty Harry
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received mixed critical reviews, with some praising its action and others criticizing its moral themes and performance. It was a commercial success, grossing over $44 million domestically.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 69% · review count: 29
- Production trivia
- The title was changed from Vigilance to Magnum Force in deference to the .44 magnum used by Harry.; The film features a scene where a prostitute is killed with drain cleaner, which was allegedly linked to the Hi-Fi murders.; John Milius originally wrote a 'simple script' that did not include the final action sequences.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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