The Analysis of The Film "The Dirty Harry"

One of the Neo-Noir film at which this task is based is the Dirty Harry (1971). In this movie attack is being made by a Psychopathic sniper called Scorpio who kept on killing people in order to fulfill his demand of $100,000 to Police department of San Francisco.

Police officer named Harry Callahan is assigned with the case to arrest Scorpio. Harry in this movie has adopted dirty attitude in which he violates laws in order to halt Scorpio. Dirty harry sets a very good example regarding genre of cops and killers. This movie unmistakably and clearly provide us a character who is in a better position to understand what the bills of right are. Also he better know his liabilities and responsibility as a part of his duty as police officer. Moreover nevertheless he took the responsibility of retribution into his hands. There is no doubt is saying that the moral position of this movie is fascist (Ebert, 1971).

Movies are usually a mirror image of the society, same as the one dirty harry which provide how things around us in a legal sense would be pressurizing people to make criminal acts for their survival. The main theme of the film were typically related to this time period. Violence, crime, sex, racism, murder, revenge, safety and hatred are themes portrayed in this movie. One of the thing that kept the attention of the audience intact is how the personality of harry changed after he lost his wife. Harry become dirty and tough man afterwards.

Criminal theme in this film was main as it provided a negative wipe to the audience and make them realize that knowing about the crime even not involved in it as well as breaking law seems completely a wrong action. Harry’s character in this film is a representation of a true and loyal officers that can do anything to provide safety and security to the public lives. The major rights related to perpetrator that were violated in this film includes the illegal means and methods that harry used to arrest the criminal. He used unusual methods that were against the law therefore even after harry has caught the Scorpio and arrested him, court released him from custody by arguing that the civil rights of fiends were abused as well as extra-legal (illegal) means were adopted by the detective to capture criminal through intimidating him from pathological threats.

Moreover killing without permission to any accused criminal seemed to be against the law especially those who are mentally ill or retarded person. In this movie Scorpio was suffering from some mental illness that tends to become out of control therefore even after the treatment he cannot be able to recover from that traumatic condition (Street, 2016). In American criminal law it was against the law and court to kill someone even if he is accused of some criminal conduct. But as a self-defense it become mandatory for harry to take such an action that is not permissible or that is not a part of law. Harry tried to make him realize and to surrender but Scorpio mental condition wouldn’t allow him to understand and he himself shot him with the Harry’s gun (Siegel, 1971).

Although Harry has adopted various proscribed methods and actions but that was all with the good intentions yet still in all there is least meanings of intentions because court need evidences and proof to accuse someone of either civil or criminal misconduct. Furthermore it was also highlighted in the movie that person who were not adults enough if commit any criminal act would not be penalized cruelly because in such an age they were not able to distinguish between the criminal act and the civil violation. Although a child never have the same intent of crime as an adult yet still it is important to guide them about the right and wrong through the procedure of law and court (Street, 2016).

Also there is 8th amendment that is related to the defendants who were involved in crime as a driver or watchman in this film. The law says that such individuals who haven’t took active part in the course of action during criminal act have a right to prohibit unusual and cruel punishments. And there should be discrimination regarding action criminal’s punishment and supporter’s punishment (Siegel, 1971). All these laws are made as to save innocent people who won’t have an intention to create violence. Although intent is also an element of crime.