The Dead Pool (1988)

Good concept, poorly executed.

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Don't listen to the negative reviews

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Detective Harry Callahan is the 'Cleopatra' of movies as age cannot wither him.Indeed, it is hard to believe that 17 years have passed between "Dirty Harry" and "The Dead Pool" yet Detective Harry Callahan oozes the same macho bad-ass charisma with a little touch of wisdom. Today, the film is almost thirty and Eastwood is one of the most celebrated directors and iconic living presences of Hollywood. If I doubt he can still pull the same stunts than his cinematic counterpart, I cannot believe there's something the man cannot do, in fifty years, The Man With No Name made a name out of himself, and the fifth 'Dirty Harry' film is a fine opportunity to remember it."The Dead Pool", released in 1988, by Buddy Van Horn, has probably gained more attention this year, with the popular and anti-heroic superhero "Deadpool" and that the creators admitted that the game concept hiding behind the title inspired Deadpool's name, adds a new level of appreciation. Not that it needed it, had the title been "The Deadly Game", "The Last on the List", or "Don't Play with Harry", I guess the film would have been as exciting and entertaining. As long as Dirty Harry is played with the same mix of intensity in work and detachment outside by Eastwood, as long as we see him fighting first and wrestling with bureaucratic issues, and as long as the series of crimes mix the heart-pounding elements of thrillers with elements of mystery, it can't go wrong.And "The Dead Pool" doesn't, it starts with a series of deaths and murders that seem to have no connection whatsoever, starting with a drug-addict rocker played by James Carrey (the first name won't fool anyone), the first suspect is Liam Neeson as a slasher film director, and Neeson's look, more than Carrey's and Eastwood's really date the film (and not in the least handsome way). Other celebrities are killed; inspiring an interesting comment from Harry's newly assigned Chinese teammate (a good thing for the cop's image) that "deaths always come at three". The film doesn't reveal until the final third the identity of the killer, so it might compromise his chance to top the list of Callahan's antagonists, but if the criminal doesn't really hit a strike, his methods do and some contribute to one of the best moment of the film.Indeed, how many times, did we get to have car chases in action movies, ever since "Bullitt" and "The French Connection", the car chase has become a staple even exploited by comedies, but I'm not sure the audience of 1988 was still easy to be wowed by such a tiresome cliché, no matter how spectacular it was. It better had to be original, so 1988 had Roger Rabbit and Bob Hoskins on the animated cab, and Dirty Harry being chased by a tiny model toy car full of explosives. The route is exactly the same than in the iconic "Bullitt" as if the two legendary cop movies set in San Francisco had to compete in the same fields, well, it took five films to establish this funny kinship and even surpass the original. Well, that's one car chase, I won't easily forget, and it's for this attention for novelty, this desire to surprise the viewers that "The Dead Pool" deserves some praise.And that's not all. The film doesn't overdo the bad-ass attitude of Harry, he' still has the same reflexes but he gained in maturity and has developed a capability for listening with age. And I like how this sequel, like all the sequels, develops something new about Harry. While the first film makes him look like a fascist icon, the second responded to the allegation by confronting him to real fascists cops, the third focuses on villains from the political opposite side, the fourth one contradicted the macho reputation by focusing on a female antagonist with 'understandable' motives and now, the final film, focuses on the responsibility of the media for contributing to our fascination with crimes and violence. As viewers, we're also forced to question our own fascination toward Dirty Harry, a nice way to come full circle with the series.On that level, I loved the performance of Patricia Clarkson as the TV host Samantha Walker, who shares that fascination toward Harry, the myth, the figure, the symbol, whatever and would dream of making a story out of him. Of course, to live up with himself, and be worthy of such an admiration, the only answer could be 'no' and near the end, even Samantha learns to have limits in her works, after all, in every business, one's got to know his limitations. The genuine relationship that grows between Harry and Samantha is very touching, there's not necessarily a romance, but something intrinsically rooted in Callahan, a will to protect the weak, or to correct the wrong. And now, that he looks like an older and wiser man, not that sexy, lanky cop with the brownish mane and that smile during the Magnum monologue, there's a new layer of humanity and emotions behind that old crank."The Dead Pool" is something I didn't think was possible, a fifth continuation of a successful cop series. That some franchises like "Die Hard" or "Lethal Weapon" got quickly over-the-top or lost their touch after the third film and not in the "Dirty Harry" means that there's something more durable in Harry Callahan, that even transcends the context of his job. I can't pinpoint the exact quality, but I think it might be the fact that he's a lonely hero, a sort of mythical presence who doesn't rely on other protagonists, likely to change or to change him. No wife, children, buddies or sidekick, like Superman or John Wayne, Dirty Harry is one of the most enduring myths of American cinema.

The Dead PoolTo successfully predict celebrity deaths, you must first know which stars are addicted to Percocet. Thankfully, the detective in this action movie has a cheat sheet of likely victims.Renowned police inspector Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) and his new partner (Evan C. Kim) investigate a singer's (Jim Carrey) death on the set of a music video.When the producer is also killed, a list of names surfaces that reveals a morbid game in which participants bet on the life expectancy of famous people, including Callahan.On a tip from the director (Liam Neeson), Callahan's turned on to a schizophrenic super-fan (David Hunt).The final Dirty Harry movie, this iffy fifth installment in the franchise doesn't do much in the way of delivering a memorable departure, save for its title, which Marvel later used for a comic- book character.Nowadays, when a singer inadvertently dies on-set they just activate their hologram.Yellow Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

The Dead Pool is a the fifth and final film of the Dirty Harry film series.Clint Eastwood returns as Inspector "Dirty Harry Callahan with a cast that includes future stars Liam Neeson,Patricia Clarkson and Jim Carrey.In it,we get to see Dirty Harry gets involved in a manipulation of a dead pool by a serial killer.It is written by Steve Sharon and directed by Buddy Van Horn.In the movie,there exists a sports pool on about who among the next famous celebrity that is going to die next.A serial killer tries to somehow manipulate the said pool by changing the odds and doing something about the result.The next victim happens to be Dirty Harry himself together with a high-profile TV journalist.But as the viewer expects,Dirty Harry is able to get through the threats and manages to capture the said serial killer before further celebrity killings happens ahead.At this point of the series,fans know what to expect from a Dirty Harry film.The screenplay gets into business right away and places some car chase that is run by a remote control for good measure.But too bad that it loses some edginess and less excitement.The only refreshing element in it is how the killings are made for they are more brutal and a lot violent.But in spite of it,Eastwood still manages to provide entertainment in the role that made him an icon.It was good that this was Dirty Harry's last film for a sequel would have been disastrous.

"Dirty Harry" Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is publicly credited with putting mob boss Lou Janero in prison. He is put on a list, the Dead Pool. He is ambushed and Callahan kills a bunch of bad guys. He's assigned a new partner Al Quan (Evan Kim) to watch his back. Rock star Johnny Squares (Jim Carrey) is a drug-addicted drunken mess and he is murdered while on a video shoot directed by Peter Swan (Liam Neeson). After shooting a bunch of stickup guys at a Chinese restaurant, Harry finds a list of names including his and Johnny Squares'. Reporter Samantha Walker (Patricia Clarkson) breaks the news of the Dead Pool which Swan participates in. He goes out with Samantha and is ambushed once again. A man claiming to be Swan kills movie critic Molly Fisher who is on Swan's list. The killer uses remote control cars to blow up people including an attempt on Harry.Dirty Harry turns into something campy. It starts with Jim Carrey as a rock star. Harry is shooting every bad guy in this thing. Then the killer uses a remote control car in one of the sillier car chases in the streets of San Francisco. Finally the killer turns out to be a random crazy Swan fan and Harry shoots him with a harpoon. If this was any other character, I would laugh. This is Dirty Harry and that allows some shoot 'em up fun.