| Name | Magnum Force |
|---|---|
| Caption | Theatrical film poster by Bill Gold |
| Director | Ted Post |
| Producer | Robert Daley |
| Based on | characters created by Harry Julian FinkR.M. Fink |
| Story | John Milius |
| Screenplay | John MiliusMichael Cimino |
| Starring | Clint EastwoodHal HolbrookMitchell RyanDavid SoulFelton PerryRobert UrichTim Matheson |
| Music | Lalo Schifrin |
| Cinematography | Frank Stanley |
| Editing | Ferris Webster |
| Studio | The Malpaso Company |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. |
| Released | |
| Runtime | 124 minutes |
| Country | |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | Dirty Harry |
| Followed by | The Enforcer |
Inspector Harry Callahan and his partner Earlington Smith visit the crime scene. Callahan's methods are controversial within the department. His superior Lieutenant Briggs views Callahan and his tactics—such as his handling of the Scorpio case, and foiling an aircraft hijacking at the airport by impersonating a pilot—as reckless and dangerous. The dislike is mutual, as Briggs arranged to get Callahan transferred from the Homicide Division to Stakeout; when Briggs boasts that he is proud of never having removed his gun from his holster, as opposed to Callahan's frequent use of his, Callahan mockingly replies, "Well, you're a good man Lieutenant, and a good man always knows his limitations."
Others, such as rookie traffic cops Philip Sweet, John Davis, "Red" Astrachan, and Michael Grimes, see the inspector as a role model. The young officers' zeal and marksmanship impress Callahan when he meets them at a police shooting range in Oakland.
A motorcycle cop attacks a mobster's pool party, using a satchel charge and a 9mm Smith & Wesson M76 machine gun to kill multiple people. A pimp who killed one of his prostitutes in a taxi cab is himself shot by a motorcycle cop under an overpass. Callahan realizes that the pimp had let his killer approach him and had offered a bribe. He deduces that a cop is likely responsible, and suspects his old friend Charlie McCoy, who is unstable after leaving his wife.
A motorcycle cop murders drug kingpin Lou Guzman and associates with the Colt Python equipped with a suppressor, but encounters McCoy and kills him to eliminate a potential witness. Callahan presents his suspicions to Briggs, who informs him of McCoy's death and that Davis was the first on the scene of the shooting. Davis' promptness draws Callahan's suspicion. During a shooting competition with the rookie, Callahan borrows Davis' gun and embeds a slug in a wall. He finds that the slug matches those found at the crime scene involving Guzman and McCoy, and begins to suspect that a secret death squad within the department is responsible for the murders.
Briggs insists that mob killer Frank Palancio is behind the deaths and obtains a warrant for his arrest. Callahan requests two of the four rookies, Davis and Sweet, as his backup. Palancio and his gang are called shortly before the raid and tipped off that men dressed as police officers will attack them. Palancio kills Sweet during the resulting shootout with a 12 gauge Winchester Model 1897 shotgun; he and his men are also killed by the rest of the officers on scene, including Callahan.
The three remaining renegade cops ask Callahan to join their organization; he responds, "I'm afraid you've misjudged me." He discovers and defuses a bomb in his apartment mailbox left by the vigilantes in case he refused their offer, but a second bomb kills Smith before Callahan has a chance to warn him. Briggs arrives and asks Callahan to drive; in the car he draws his .357 Magnum Smith & Wesson Model 19 snubnose revolver and forces the inspector to disarm. Briggs reveals himself as a member of the death squad, cites the traditions of frontier justice and summary executions, and says, “You’re a great cop, Harry...But you’d rather stick with the system.” Callahan responds, "I hate the goddamn system, but until someone comes along with some changes that make sense I'll stick with it. How does murder fit in? You know, when police start becoming their own executioners, where's it gonna end, huh, Briggs? Pretty soon, you'll start executing people for jaywalking, and executing people for traffic violations. Then you end up executing your neighbor, 'cause his dog pisses on your lawn."
Callahan distracts Briggs and knocks him out, then kills the pursuing Grimes by hitting him on his bike head-on with his car. He runs onto an old escort aircraft carrier as the remaining two vigilantes arrive. The unarmed Callahan evades his pursuers and kills Astrachan with his bare hands, then rides Astrachan's motorcycle with Davis in pursuit. After a series of daring jumps on the carrier, the two cyclists run out of deck space; Callahan is able to stop but Davis falls in the sea with his motorcycle and is killed. Briggs confronts the inspector back at his car and threatens to prosecute Callahan for killing fellow cops. The inspector surreptitiously activates the timer on the mailbox bomb taken from his apartment; it explodes in the car, destroying Briggs. The final scene of the movie is a close-up of Callahan's face as he says, "A man's got to know his limitations," before he walks away.
Category:1973 films Category:American films Category:Serial killer films Category:English-language films Category:1970s action films Category:1970s thriller films Category:American action thriller films Category:Dirty Harry Category:Films directed by Ted Post Category:Films set in San Francisco, California Category:Films shot in San Francisco, California Category:Sequel films Category:Vigilante films Category:Warner Bros. films
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