Okay, you can shoot me for that really lame joke.
The Basic Plot: Someone's killing all the top criminals in San Francisco, at point-blank range with a big honkin' gun. Even though he's not supposed to be on the case, Detective Harry Callahan is determined to find out what's going on.
My Basic Ramblings: I have to admit something here. It pains me to say it, but here goes: Clint Eastwood was really good-looking in his day. (Of course, that day was about 23 years ago. Now he's just Old 'N Saggy.) That said, let's continue with the rambling.
Apparently there was some scene after the end credits of Dirty Harry where he jumps in the river to retrieve his badge, because no mention of it is made at all during this movie. Or maybe it's some sort of tradition for Callahan, and everyone just sort of accepts it as one of his eccentricities. ("Detective Callahan, you've just solved the biggest case so far in your career! What are you going to do?!" "I'm going to throw my badge in the river!")
Callahan is a busy guy in this movie. If he's not going behind his superior's back to solve the murders, he's defusing a hostage situation at the airport. If he's not defusing a hostage situation at the airport, he's getting the moves put on him by his former partner's ex-wife. If he's not getting the moves put on him by his former partner's ex-wife, he's showing off his shooting prowess to a bunch of rookie traffic cops. If he's not showing off his shooting prowess to a bunch of rookie traffic cops, he's sleeping with some chick who lives below him in his apartment building. Sort of an American James Bond with sideburns.
Callahan has a partner whose purpose in the film is deliver dialogue and act in a way that reinforces Callahan's tough exterior (partner almost pukes in remembrance of a crime scene, Callahan chows down on a burger) and to get killed before the end credits. He does both of these brilliantly.
The most distressing scene for me was when the traffic cop kills the pimp. Granted, the guy deserved it (he did force-feed the prostitute a can of Drano, after all), but not in the car! That car was so cool! It was purple and orange! It had white fur trim everywhere! It was the biggest honkin' car I've ever seen! And the cop had to go and shoot him, get blood all over the seat! I almost cried at that point.
So the movie has its twists and turns, criminals are killed, naked women fall out of windows, Callahan loses the annual shooting contest, one of the wicked cops gets killed in a stand-off, the partner dies, all the wicked cops are shot or karate-chopped or drowned or blown up, and even though Callahan has the opportunity to throw his badge in the water again (the end scene takes place on a pier) he doesn't. He's probably tired of having to schlep out the ol' scuba gear and wheeze around under water trying to find it..
The Slug Bug Factor: Two. I got Chris on both of them.