35. "Dirty" Harry Callahan
Dirty Harry
There is very little likability when it comes to Callahan. A perverted, racist, borderline fascistic cop with a loose grasp on the rules and a fashion sense that was laughable even in the 70s. So why is he so cool? Why is it that a complete prick like Callahan is so awesome? Because he's Clint Eastwood. Just as the Man With No Name became the template for a new Western hero, Eastwood turned Harry Callahan into the template for a new type of cop: one who plays by his own rules.
A fan of the .44 Magnum revolver ("most powerful handgun in the world"), Callahan is not above killing and frquently shuns police protocol, believing them to simply be "red tape." Callahan doesn't even care when facing constant threats of suspension from his superiors.
Harry Callahan is a new type of cop. One who paved the way for "Die Hard" and "NYPD Blue" and "The Shield" and every other type of badass cop.
Also, Callahan inspired one of my favorite jokes from "The Simpsons." Please enjoy McGarnagle:
Defining moment: Chasing down a crook and shooting him to leave him incapacitate, Callahan delivers one of his most famous lines:
I know what you're thinking: 'Did he fire six shots or only five?' But to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I've kinda lost track myself. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?
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