Dirty Harry. A movie that I’ve heard referenced a million times but somehow never managed to watch … until now. Last night I was glued to the television as Harry Calahan, played by Clint Eastwood, swaggered across the screen, brandishing his Smith & Wesson and fighting crime in urban San Francisco. Harry does it all. He talks down suicidal jumpers, foils bank robbers, hunts down a notorious serial killer, and takes the law into his own hands.

Scorpio, the villain in Dirty Harry, is loosely based on Zodiac, the serial killer that murdered victims in the San Francisco area shortly prior to the filming of the movie. Having recently watched the movie Zodiac and read the book Zodiac Unmasked by Robert Graysmith, I was eager to see how the serial killer was portrayed in Dirty Harry. He did not disappoint. Played by Andrew Robinson, Scorpio is a seemingly harmless young man with curly blond hair and disarming blue eyes. One minute he is singing nursery rhymes with young children, and the next he is laughing maniacally and ruthlessly murdering the most vulnerable members of our society. Very creepy.

As I watched Dirty Harry, I could not help but draw parallels between Shaft and Dirty Harry. Although the movies take place in different neighborhoods with distinct cultures, both characters are essentially the same. (Except the fact that Dirty Harry does not have a moustache. But this can be overlooked as his hair comes suspiciously close to being feathered, which is almost as good as having a moustache.)

Therefore, I have compiled the following list, explaining why Dirty Harry and Shaft are actually the same person.

• Dirty Harry and Shaft both have a penchant for plaid sports coats.
• Neither character could be described as a “team player” or “works well with others” or “a good partner when working on a group project.”
• Dirty Harry and Shaft have both perfected the manly swagger.
• Both characters like to save the day by rescuing innocent children.
• Talking is for sissies. Violence is for manly men.
• The rules are for sissies. Breaking the rules is for manly men.
• Lots of dialog is for sissies. Gunfights, manly stares, and memorable one-liners are for manly men.

Tags Dirty Harry . Harry Callahan . Clint Eastwood . Zodiac . Shaft