Dirty Harry Special Edition

The iconic “Are you feeling lucky, punk?” scene appears no less than five times in the collective supplements on this two-disc reissue of Dirty Harry. That’s appropriate, because, as film historian Richard Schickel notes in his commentary, every actor who aspires to be a movie star needs at least one scene like that. The disc is being released individually and as part of Warner’s new Dirty Harry Ultimate Collector’s Edition box set, which also includes Magnum Force, The Enforcer, Sudden Impact and The Dead Pool. The digitally remastered 1971 original movie offers a hodge podge of featurettes—some vintage, others from the ’90s and today—and their era is discernible by the wrinkles on star Clint Eastwood’s face in interviews. The best of the lot is the newest one, “The Long Shadow of Dirty Harry,” a 25-minute, Warner-produced piece that highlights the movie’s impact on popular culture and the lone-cop films that owe their heritage to Harry, the Die Hard, Lethal Weapon and Rambo series among them.

Shelf Talk: In homage to the original poster art, all the re-releases in this series share nearly identical red and white box art with the signature .44 Magnum coming at you, along with plastic slipcovers featuring dramatic bullet holes. Give high marks to Warner for varying the gunshot pattern and cut-out from one title to the next. The Ultimate Collector’s Edition includes additional content, along with a 40-page book, reproduction badge/ID, miniature lobby cards and more—making it the perfect gift to promote for Father’s Day gift, which arrives a couple weeks after street on June 15.