The Dead Pool: Difference between revisions
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Callahan drives to the prison where Janero is serving his sentence. He promises a huge, chain-smoking quadruple murderer named Butcher Hicks a carton of cigarettes for his help in convincing Janero that if anything bad happens to Callahan, the vicious Butcher will pay Janero a visit. This results in Janero telling his men to stay away from Callahan while he is on duty. Callahan defuses a situation wherein a man named Gus Wheeler, rumored to be responsible for the murders, tries to get on the TV news by dousing himself in gasoline and threatening to light himself on fire if he even sees a fire truck or hose. Ultimately, it turns out that Wheeler is just an attention-seeker desperate to appear on camera. Harry and Quan later interview Swan and manage to get the name of another suspect: Harlan Rook, a [[schizophrenic]] and [[Stalking|deranged fan]] of Swan who thinks his ideas and work have been stolen by Swan. Swan had obtained a [[restraining order]] against Rook about a year before. |
Callahan drives to the prison where Janero is serving his sentence. He promises a huge, chain-smoking quadruple murderer named Butcher Hicks a carton of cigarettes for his help in convincing Janero that if anything bad happens to Callahan, the vicious Butcher will pay Janero a visit. This results in Janero telling his men to stay away from Callahan while he is on duty. Callahan defuses a situation wherein a man named Gus Wheeler, rumored to be responsible for the murders, tries to get on the TV news by dousing himself in gasoline and threatening to light himself on fire if he even sees a fire truck or hose. Ultimately, it turns out that Wheeler is just an attention-seeker desperate to appear on camera. Harry and Quan later interview Swan and manage to get the name of another suspect: Harlan Rook, a [[schizophrenic]] and [[Stalking|deranged fan]] of Swan who thinks his ideas and work have been stolen by Swan. Swan had obtained a [[restraining order]] against Rook about a year before. |
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Rook next kills controversial talk show host Nolan Kennard, another person on the list, using an ingenious device; he runs a remote control car containing a C4 explosive charge under the victim's vehicle as he is backing out of his driveway, and detonates it. Rook's car bomb is undetected by Callahan at the crime scene, although he does find a wheel of the radio control car, but thinks nothing of it until later, when he spots another radio controlled car following him in the streets. Recognizing the threat, Callahan and Quan flee in their unmarked car through San Francisco's hilly streets, pursued by Rook's radio car and by Rook himself in a full-size car. Eventually Callahan and Al Quan come to a dead end in an alleyway and the bomb car advances on them. Harry manages to reverse the car seconds before the bomb explodes, causing only the engine bay of his car to blow up (the firewall absorbing most of the explosive force). Quan is wounded in the blast, surviving with only broken ribs thanks to his bulletproof vest. When Callahan visits Quan in the hospital and asks about the vest, Quan reveals the other advice he was given: "When your partner gives you advice...you TAKE it." Callahan leaves with a |
Rook next kills controversial talk show host Nolan Kennard, another person on the list, using an ingenious device; he runs a remote control car containing a C4 explosive charge under the victim's vehicle as he is backing out of his driveway, and detonates it. Rook's car bomb is undetected by Callahan at the crime scene, although he does find a wheel of the radio control car, but thinks nothing of it until later, when he spots another radio controlled car following him in the streets. Recognizing the threat, Callahan and Quan flee in their unmarked car through San Francisco's hilly streets, pursued by Rook's radio car and by Rook himself in a full-size car. Eventually Callahan and Al Quan come to a dead end in an alleyway and the bomb car advances on them. Harry manages to reverse the car seconds before the bomb explodes, causing only the engine bay of his car to blow up (the firewall absorbing most of the explosive force). Quan is wounded in the blast, surviving with only broken ribs thanks to his bulletproof vest. When Callahan visits Quan in the hospital and asks about the vest, Quan reveals the other advice he was given: "When your partner gives you advice...you TAKE it." Callahan leaves with a smile. |
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Rook, disguised as Swan, calls Walker at the television station and invites her to Swan's film studio for an interview, which is actually a trap. The police, meanwhile raid Rook's apartment and discover torn posters of Swan's films and large quantities of explosives. Callahan hurries to Swan's studio, where Walker is held captive by Rook. Harry reluctantly surrenders his [[Smith & Wesson Model 29|.44 Magnum revolver]] after Rook nearly slits her throat. Callahan lures him to a pier after a chase. Rook eventually runs out of ammunition, and Callahan uses this opportunity to shoot Rook with a [[harpoon]], impaling him. Callahan leaves with Walker while the police arrive at the scene. |
Rook, disguised as Swan, calls Walker at the television station and invites her to Swan's film studio for an interview, which is actually a trap. The police, meanwhile raid Rook's apartment and discover torn posters of Swan's films and large quantities of explosives. Callahan hurries to Swan's studio, where Walker is held captive by Rook. Harry reluctantly surrenders his [[Smith & Wesson Model 29|.44 Magnum revolver]] after Rook nearly slits her throat. Callahan lures him to a pier after a chase. Rook eventually runs out of ammunition, and Callahan uses this opportunity to shoot Rook with a [[harpoon]], impaling him. Callahan leaves with Walker while the police arrive at the scene. |
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Revision as of 18:30, 16 October 2013
| The Dead Pool | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster by Bill Gold | |
| Directed by | Buddy Van Horn |
| Screenplay by | Steve Sharon |
| Story by | Steve Sharon Durk Pearson Sandy Shaw |
| Produced by | David Valdes |
| Starring | Clint Eastwood Patricia Clarkson Liam Neeson Evan C. Kim David Hunt Jim Carrey |
| Cinematography | Jack N. Green |
| Edited by | Ron Spang |
| Music by | Lalo Schifrin |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $31 million[1] |
| Box office | $37,903,295 |
The Dead Pool is a 1988 American crime thriller directed by Buddy Van Horn, written by Steve Sharon and starring Clint Eastwood as Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan. It is the fifth and final film in the Dirty Harry series, set in San Francisco, California.
The story concerns the manipulation of a dead pool game by a serial killer, whose efforts are confronted by the hardened detective Callahan. It co-stars Liam Neeson, Patricia Clarkson and Jim Carrey, each of whom eventually went on to greater film fame.
At 91 minutes, it is the shortest of the five Dirty Harry films. It was also Jim Carrey's first non-comedy related movie.
Plot
Fame finally catches up with Harry Callahan. His testimony against crime kingpin Lou Janero puts the mobster in prison and Callahan on the cover of a San Francisco magazine as the city's ace crime fighter. Callahan is attacked by Janero's men at a turnoff near the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge while driving. He knocks down one with his car and shoots the remaining men dead. Callahan discovers he has been assigned a partner: Asian-American, martial arts-skilled partner Al Quan (Evan Kim). Unimpressed, he advises Quan to get a bulletproof vest (as his partners often get killed working with him). They are then assigned to investigate the death of rock singer Johnny Squares (Jim Carrey), killed in his trailer outside a meatpacking plant during filming of a slasher film directed by Peter Swan (Liam Neeson).
Later, Dean Madison, Swan's executive producer, is shot and killed during a Chinatown restaurant stickup. Harry and Quan see the holdup and rush to stop it; Harry manages to gun down all of the robbers inside the restaurant, except for one who manages to escape out the door but is subdued by Quan's expert martial-arts skills. Harry wryly compliments Quan's skill. When they examine the dead producer's belongings, they discover a note in his pocket with Harry and Johnny Squares's names on it. It turns out that the dead producer and Swan are carrying out a "dead pool" game in which participants try to predict celebrity deaths, either by natural causes or as a result of working in dangerous professions. In a turn of events, another celebrity on Swan's list, movie critic Molly Fisher, is stabbed and killed in her condominium.
Callahan is asked to cooperate with the media, particularly reporter and later love interest Samantha Walker (Patricia Clarkson), to balance their interference with the investigation. Walker proposes to do an in-depth profile on Callahan for her news report, to make up for an incident earlier in the film where Harry threw and ruined Walker's camera in an attempt to stop her crew from harassing Squares' girlfriend. However, Callahan wants to simply perform his job and stay out of the limelight. After dinner, they narrowly escape being killed by Janero's men, leading the reporter to reconsider the plight of police officers versus the public's right to know.
Callahan drives to the prison where Janero is serving his sentence. He promises a huge, chain-smoking quadruple murderer named Butcher Hicks a carton of cigarettes for his help in convincing Janero that if anything bad happens to Callahan, the vicious Butcher will pay Janero a visit. This results in Janero telling his men to stay away from Callahan while he is on duty. Callahan defuses a situation wherein a man named Gus Wheeler, rumored to be responsible for the murders, tries to get on the TV news by dousing himself in gasoline and threatening to light himself on fire if he even sees a fire truck or hose. Ultimately, it turns out that Wheeler is just an attention-seeker desperate to appear on camera. Harry and Quan later interview Swan and manage to get the name of another suspect: Harlan Rook, a schizophrenic and deranged fan of Swan who thinks his ideas and work have been stolen by Swan. Swan had obtained a restraining order against Rook about a year before.
Rook next kills controversial talk show host Nolan Kennard, another person on the list, using an ingenious device; he runs a remote control car containing a C4 explosive charge under the victim's vehicle as he is backing out of his driveway, and detonates it. Rook's car bomb is undetected by Callahan at the crime scene, although he does find a wheel of the radio control car, but thinks nothing of it until later, when he spots another radio controlled car following him in the streets. Recognizing the threat, Callahan and Quan flee in their unmarked car through San Francisco's hilly streets, pursued by Rook's radio car and by Rook himself in a full-size car. Eventually Callahan and Al Quan come to a dead end in an alleyway and the bomb car advances on them. Harry manages to reverse the car seconds before the bomb explodes, causing only the engine bay of his car to blow up (the firewall absorbing most of the explosive force). Quan is wounded in the blast, surviving with only broken ribs thanks to his bulletproof vest. When Callahan visits Quan in the hospital and asks about the vest, Quan reveals the other advice he was given: "When your partner gives you advice...you TAKE it." Callahan leaves with a smile.
Rook, disguised as Swan, calls Walker at the television station and invites her to Swan's film studio for an interview, which is actually a trap. The police, meanwhile raid Rook's apartment and discover torn posters of Swan's films and large quantities of explosives. Callahan hurries to Swan's studio, where Walker is held captive by Rook. Harry reluctantly surrenders his .44 Magnum revolver after Rook nearly slits her throat. Callahan lures him to a pier after a chase. Rook eventually runs out of ammunition, and Callahan uses this opportunity to shoot Rook with a harpoon, impaling him. Callahan leaves with Walker while the police arrive at the scene.
Cast
- Clint Eastwood as Inspector Harry Callahan
- Patricia Clarkson as Samantha Walker
- Liam Neeson as Peter Swan
- Evan C. Kim as Inspector Al Quan
- David Hunt as Harlan Rook
- Michael Currie as Captain Donnelly
- Jim Carrey as Johnny Squares (credited as James Carrey)
- Anthony Charnota as Lou Janero
- Ronnie Claire Edwards as Molly Fisher
- Louis Giambalvo as Gus Wheeler
- Charles Martinet as Police Station Reporter
The Dead Pool is the only Dirty Harry film in which Albert Popwell does not appear. Members of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses make uncredited cameo appearances at the funeral of Johnny Squares. They also appear during filming of a "nightmare scene" at the docks, where guitarist Slash fires a harpoon gun through a window and is berated by Swan.[2]
Production
Eastwood reacted to starring in another Dirty Harry film, "It's fun, once in a while, to have a character you can go back to. It's like revisiting an old friend you haven't seen for a long time. You figure "I'll go back and see how he feels about things now.""[3] The Dead Pool was filmed between February and March 1988 in San Francisco.[4]
Car chase
Callahan is pursued through San Francisco's hilly streets in his unmarked Oldsmobile 98 squad car by a remote-controlled bomb assembled by Rook, disguised as a radio-controlled car. The "bomb" was in fact a highly modified Associated RC10 competition buggy topped with an off-the-shelf 1963 Chevrolet Corvette body from hobby accessory manufacturer Parma International. It was driven by world-champion radio control driver "Jammin'" Jay Halsey and was electrically powered. The sound effects of the "engine" were added in post production. This chase scene has many similarities with the famous chase in the Steve McQueen film Bullitt.[4] Eastwood has said that the chase was his favorite part of the film.
Reception
The Dead Pool received mixed reviews. It holds a 52% approval rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a thumbs up and said "As good as the original. Smart, quick and made with real wit." Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune also gave it a thumbs up and said "Perhaps the best Dirty Harry film since the original."
Box office performance
The Dead Pool was released in United States theaters in July 1988.[5] In its opening weekend, the film took $9,071,330 in 1,988 theaters in the US, at an average of $4,954.[6] In total in the US, the film made $37,903,295, making it almost the least profitable of the five films in the Dirty Harry franchise.[5][7]
Soundtrack
The song "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses appears as the theme song for Swan's movie, as used in a scene during filming where Johnny Squares is lip-synching.
Sequel
Eastwood has publicly announced that he has no interest in acting in another Dirty Harry film. In 2000, he jokingly spoke about potential sequels: "Dirty Harry VI! Harry is retired. He's standing in a stream, fly-fishing. He gets tired of using the pole— and BA-BOOM! Or Harry is retired, and he catches bad guys with his walker?"[8]
References
- ^ Box Office Information for The Dead Pool. The Wrap. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
- ^ "Flashback Five - The Best Dirty Harry Movies". American Movie Classics. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
- ^ Munn, p. 218
- ^ a b Hughes, p.76
- ^ a b Hughes, p.77
- ^ "The Dead Pool". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
- ^ "Dirty Harry Movies". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
- ^ Eliot (2009), p.331
Bibliography
- Eliot, Marc (2009). American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood. Harmony Books. ISBN 978-0-307-33688-0.
- Hughes, Howard (2009). Aim for the Heart. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-84511-902-7.
- Munn, Michael (1992). Clint Eastwood: Hollywood's Loner. London: Robson Books. ISBN 0-86051-790-X.
External links
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| Related | |
