Dirty Harry Series tells San Francisco Police Department inspector Dirty Harry’s tale and his unconventional ways to deal with criminals.
Dirty Harry, played by Clint Eastwood, is one of the most iconic characters of all time. Here is the list of all Dirty Harry Movies in order of release
- Dirty Harry (1971)
- Magnum Force (1973)
- The Enforcer (1976)
- Sudden Impact (1983)
- The Dead Pool (1988)
About Dirty Harry Movie Series
The Dirty Harry Series started fifty years ago in 1971 with its first installment Dirty Harry and the movie become a massive hit at the box office.
Further, within 18 years, four direct sequels were made, making the “Dirty” Harry Callahan one of the most popular characters of all time.
The Dirty Harry films are jam-packed with action and chase sequences. The movies are filled with suspense and a cat and mouse game between Harry and Criminals, and a is a perfect recommendation if you want to watch classic action films.
Dirty Harry Movies In Order: What Is The Order To Watch Dirty Harry?
The Dirty Harry series is the story of a San Francisco Police Department inspector, Dirty Harry, who doesn’t care about the Law and uses his unorthodox methods to punish criminals and maintain Justice.
How many Dirty Harry’s are there?
There are five Dirty Harry movies. The first film was released in 1971 with the name Dirty Harry, and further four sequels were developed that tell the story of different cases solved by Dirty Harry.
Are Dirty Harry Movies Connected?
Dirty Harry movies tell the tale of different events where Harry is involved in investigating and tracking down criminals. All the films revolve around Harry, and hence Dirty Harry movies have character continuity, but all the movies have their plot and can be watched as standalone.
Do You Need To Watch Dirty Harry Movies In Order?
It is not essential to watch Dirty Harry movies in order. All the films have their plots and can be watched as standalone. But watching the Dirty Harry movies in order will help you understand the character and his intentions better and will add to your viewing experience.
What are the 5 Dirty Harry movies in order?
The Dirty Harry series doesn’t have any prequel. Hence the chronological and the release order of the series are the same. The best way to watch all Dirty Harry movies is to view them in release order. Here is the list of all Dirty Harry movies in order of release, aka the correct order to watch the Dirty Harry series.
Dirty Harry (1971)
- Director: Don Siegel
- Writers: Harry Julian Fink, Rita M. Fink
- Stars: Clint Eastwood, Andrew Robinson, Harry Guardino
- Runtime: 1h 42min
Magnum Force (1973)
- Director: Ted Post
- Writers: Harry Julian Fink, Rita M. Fink
- Stars: Clint Eastwood, Hal Holbrook, Mitchell Ryan
- Runtime: 2h 4min
The Enforcer (1976)
- Director: James Fargo
- Writers: Harry Julian Fink, Rita M. Fink
- Stars: Clint Eastwood, Tyne Daly, Harry Guardino
- Runtime: 1h 36min
Sudden Impact (1983)
- Director: Clint Eastwood
- Writers: Harry Julian Fink, Rita M. Fink
- Stars: Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle
- Runtime: 1h 57min
The Dead Pool (1988)
- Director: Buddy Van Horn
- Writers: Harry Julian Fink, Rita M. Fink
- Stars: Clint Eastwood, Liam Neeson, Patricia Clarkson
- Runtime: 1h 31min
Dirty Harry (1971)
A psychopathic killer shoots a woman, and Harry Callahan gets a blackmail letter from the Killer asking for Ransom; otherwise, he will continue killing more people. After preventing a Bank Robbery, Harry is assigned an inexperienced police officer to track down the psychopathic Killer code-named “Scorpio.”
After two failed attempts to catch Scorpio, Police get a letter from Scorpio asking for another Ransom, or else he will kill a teenager named Ann Mary Deacon, whom he has kidnapped. Harry, he ready to do anything to take down the psychopathic Killer.
Magnum Force (1973)
Carmine Ricca, a mobster, is set free from the charge of mass murder but gets killed by an SFPD Officer on a remote road. Further, a series of events start to occur in which a vigilante group executes criminals who the court has acquitted due to legal technicalities.
San Francisco cop “Dirty Harry” Callahan, famous for his unorthodox ways to punish criminals, now has to find out who is behind all This.
The Enforcer (1976)
Bobby Maxwell, with his gang, kills two gas company men and makes plans to use their uniforms to become rich. Meanwhile, Harry Callahan is transferred out from SFPD’s Homicide unit and, during an interview process for promotions, learns about the promotion of three new female inspectors.
People’s Revolutionary Strike Force steals weapons from a warehouse and kills DiGiorgio in the process. Harry Callahan is brought back to SFPD’s Homicide unit to investigate the case but is reluctant to work with a newly-promoted female officer Kate Moore.
Sudden Impact (1983)
Jennifer Spencer and her sister, Beth, get raped by a group of young men, and after Ten years of the Rape, Jennifer kills George Wilburn (one of the rapists) and relocates to the town of San Paulo. Meanwhile, Harry Callahan is attacked by four of Threlkis’s hitmen when he is enjoying his vacation.
Harry Callahan rejoins his job and is assigned to investigate the murder case of George Wilburn. Further, Jennifer kills a second rapist, Kruger. Upon investigating, Harry learns that Wilburn and Kruger are related to the Rape case, and Tyrone and Mick are next in line. Harry Callahan has to catch the killer, roaming freely in the city.
The Dead Pool (1988)
Rock singer Johnny Squares is found dead during the filming of a music video directed by Peter Swan. The reason for death is a drug overdose, but according to harry, who is working on the case with Al Quan, it thinks that it is a planned murder.
During a Chinatown restaurant robbery, Madison, Swan’s executive producer, gets killed and harry is shocked to find his and Squares name in the list inside Madison’s pocket. Further upon investigation, harry learns that game called ” The Dead Pool,” a death prediction game in which Madison and Swan are participants.
Which Dirty Harry Movie Is Best?
Dirty Harry Movies can be considered one of the most controversial series of all time, with movies called racist, misogynist, and fascist. Despite huge controversies, all Dirty Harry movies were a huge hit and are still loved by people.
Dirty Harry movies are still known for iconic dialogues and “Did he fire six shots or only five?” the famous mystery. But, which Dirty Harry movie is best? To answer this question, here I have ranked all Dirty Harry movies from worst to best based on audience ratings on IMDb.
| Dirty Harry Movies | Ratings on IMDb |
|---|---|
| The Dead Pool (1988) | 6.3/10 |
| Sudden Impact (1983) | 6.7/10 |
| The Enforcer (1976) | 6.8/10 |
| Magnum Force (1973) | 7.2/10 |
| Dirty Harry (1971) | 7.7/10 |
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Conclusion
Clint Eastwood is a fine artist, but his career took off when he came for the first time in Dirty Harry Callahan’s character in the Dirty Harry movie series. The character became very popular, so Warner Bros. licensed novelizations of the four first Dirty Harry films.
The series revolves around Dirty Harry Callahan, a San Francisco Police Department inspector who focuses more on doing justice and punishing criminals rather than focusing on Law and Legalities.
You can watch the movies as standalone, yet watching in order is recommended, Hence here in this article, I have listed all Dirty Harry Movies in order of release.