The Enforcer (1976 film)

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The Enforcer

The Enforcer theatrical poster
Directed by James Fargo
Produced by Robert Daley
Written by Story:
Gail Morgan Hickman
S.W. Schurr
Screenplay:
Stirling Silliphant
Dean Riesner
Starring Clint Eastwood
Harry Guardino
Bradford Dillman
Tyne Daly
DeVeren Bookwalter
Music by Jerry Fielding
Cinematography Charles W. Short
Editing by Joel Cox
Ferris Webster
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date(s) December 22, 1976
Running time 96 min.
Country Flag of the United States United States
Language Engish
Preceded by Magnum Force
Followed by Sudden Impact
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

The Enforcer (1976) is the third film in the Dirty Harry series. Directed by James Fargo, it stars Clint Eastwood as Inspector 'Dirty' Harry Callahan, Tyne Daly as Inspector Kate Moore and DeVeren Bookwalter as Bobby Maxwell.


Picking up 3 years after the events in Magnum Force, the film centers on a group of terrorists calling themselves "The People's Revolutionary Strike Force" (former Vietnam veterans as part of an extremist organization) who are blackmailing the city of San Francisco for two million dollars. They rob a warehouse containing military weapons intended for export, during which Callahan's partner is killed. One of the terrorists is a former employee.

Meanwhile, Harry is part of the interview process for new inspectors, being told that 3 of 8 new positions are going to be female. In the end, he gets partnered with Inspector Kate Moore who has worked in personnel for nine years with no experience in homicide, making arrests or in violent situations. Harry disapproves of his new partner, though he eventually comes to respect her diligence.

The PRSF keep acquiring more weapons through robbery, and are preparing for their political statement. In their final desperate act, the Strike Force kidnaps the Mayor of San Francisco and Harry goes undercover to root out the leader Bobby Maxwell, tracking them down to their hideout at Alcatraz. Soon enough, a battle breaks out between the two parties. Inspector Moore receives a brief distraction when she sees Harry about to get shot by a terrorist, she yells for him to move. This saved Harry's life, but sadly caused the end of hers, due to a gunshot she received whilst yelling. After the normal end-of-movie gun-battle (this time with rocket launchers), the mayor is saved and the extremists are killed but once again another Dirty Harry partner is killed.

  • The working title was "Moving Target", while another was "Dirty Harry III".
  • In 1980, a writer sued Eastwood for plagiarism, accusing him of taking the title of the film from one of his works. Eastwood maintained that he was inspired by the 1951 Humphrey Bogart film, The Enforcer, which was also distributed by Warner Bros. The case was dismissed.[citation needed]
  • Throughout the film, several characters refer to the LAW Rocket. This is the real-life M72 anti-tank weapon. The one depicted in the film is the M72A1, which was used during the Vietnam War.
  • Harry's new partner, Inspector Kate Moore mentions to Harry his previous partners he worked with in the past who have died; Fanducci, who was mentioned in Dirty Harry, and Early Smith in Magnum Force. Another of Harry's partners, Chico Gonzalez, was injured during the events of the first film and left the police force to become a teacher.
  • Recurring characters Lieutenant Bressler (Harry Guardino) and Frank DiGeorgio (John Mitchum) reprise their roles for the last time. Bressler was Harry's boss in the first film of the series, while DiGeorgio appeared in the first three. A new character, Captain Jerome McKay (Bradford Dillman), was introduced as Harry's superior officer; Dillman played a similar role, Captain Briggs, in Sudden Impact.
  • A brief scene inside San Francisco's City Hall was filmed outside Suite 200, then-Mayor George Moscone's office. The first film was filmed inside Suite 200, when Joseph Alioto was mayor.
  • This was originally intended to be the last Dirty Harry film of a trilogy. A poll conducted by Warner Bros in 1983 led to the development of a fourth film, Sudden Impact.
  • The 80's Speed/Thrash Metal band Laaz Rockit takes there name from the finale scene of this movie.

Dirty Harry
Harry Callahan
The Films
Dirty Harry | Magnum Force | The Enforcer | Sudden Impact | The Dead Pool
Villains
The Scorpio Killer | Lt. Neil Briggs | The People's Revolutionary Strike Force | Mick the Rapist | Harlan Rook
Other
Clint Eastwood | Albert Popwell | Go ahead, make my day. | Jennifer Spencer
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