Film Review: The Dead Pool (1988)

The last part of a film series is rarely the best, and Dirty Harry isn’t an exception. Dead Pool, 1988 film directed by Buddy Van Horn and the fifth instalment in the series, is often named as the actually the worst of all five.

Clint Eastwood returns in the iconic role of Harry Callahan, San Francisco police inspector known for his efficient but extremely violent methods of dealing with criminal scum. In the past, those methods brought him enmity of his bureaucratic superiors, but recently he became some sort of public hero after his testimony had brought previously untouchable mob boss Lou Janero (played by Anthony Carnota) behind bars. This brought great interested of local media, represented by aggressive local television reporter Samantha Walker (played by Patricia Clarkson), who hounds Callahan and his superiors for an exclusive story, while vengeful Janero behind bars hires hordes of assassins in order to take out popular policeman. Callahan is given a new partner, Chinese American detective Al Quan (played by Evan Kim) and their first case is about Johnny Squares (played by Jim Carrey), rock star who was forcibly drugged to death on the set of a horror film directed by arrogant and controversial director Peter Swan (played by Liam Neeson). It turns out that the crew on the set played “Dead Pool”, morbid game in which they placed bets which celebrity would die first. Squares was on the list, as well as some other people who become murder victims. Callahan learns that his name is on the list too.

Eastwood made this film as a favour to Warner Bros., film studio that indulged his artistic ambitions by financing his biopic Bird, released few months later. Directed by Eastwood’s long time associate and stuntman Buddy Van Horn, The Dead Pool was produced and directed efficiently. With the character already established in previous four films, there was little need for some serious drama or exploration of major social issues. The closest this film comes to the latter is mild condemnation of violence-obsessed mass media, which turns even milder when Eastwood’s character enters obligatory romantic subplot involving reporter played by charming Patricia Clarkson in one of her earliest roles. An interesting deviation from previous Dirty Harry films is in mystery plot and identity of the killer not being revealed until late in the film. The Dead Pool, however, tried to attract the audience with the action scenes and that kind of content is delivered, although at the time action goes over the top in almost parodical level. Example can be found in mob assassins somehow managing to miss Callahan despite firing dozens of rounds from submachineguns at close range. Another example is rather impressive scene, inspired by Bullitt, in which Callahan’s car gets chased by remote controlled miniature car on the streets of Francisco. While, there isn’t any explicit nudity, Eastwood and Van Horn try to compensate that with more lighter and humorous tone; some of the jokes are internal, like the scene in which killer takes out film critic (played by Ronnie Claire Edwards), obviously modelled after Pauline Kael who famously attacked Dirty Harry films as “fascist”. The Dead Pool is obviously far from fulfilling its potential, but it is quite satisfying film for fans of Clint Eastwood and 1980s action cinema. The Dead Pool had decent box office results, but the worst of the whole series and Eastwood wisely decided to retire his most popular character. The finale, in which Callahan takes out the villain in rather original and spectacular way, could have been much worse way to end the iconic film series.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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