STUDIO: Warner Brothers
RELEASE DATE: June 3, 2008
STARRING: Clint Eastwood
WRITTEN BY: Various
DIRECTED BY: Various
FEATURES: New Retrospective Documentary The Long Shadow of Dirty Harry
All-New Commentaries and Featurettes on Each Movie
Bonus Disc: the Acclaimed American Masters Profile Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows
40+ Page Hardcover Dirty Harry Series Retrospective Book with Rare Behind-the-Scenes Photos
Replica Harry Callahan Wallet with Inspector's Badge and ID Card
Scorpio: Portrait of a Killer 19" x 27" Poster: San Francisco Map Detailing Harry's Hunt for the Killer
Six Collectible Dirty Harry Art Cards
Never-Before-Seen Production Letters

"Now you know why they call me 'Dirty Harry' - every dirty job that comes along."

The best DVD box set of the year was released last week and the only reason we didn't run a review earlier is that we've been too busy enjoying it. Clearly timed to hit shoppers looking for Father's Day gifts, Dirty Harry: Ultimate Collector's Edition is not just a one-holiday gift. Even a casual movie fan should have this gem in their collection and you can buy it any day of the year. With hours of special features, a gorgeous box set of gifts, and the best video transfer I've seen this year, the seven-disc collection is the best release on the market since the Blade Runner release at the end of last year. That title was the best of 2007. This title will be one of the best, and possibly THE best, of 2008.

Let's start outside the movies themselves. Housed in a gorgeous black box with Clint's eye and trademark smoking Magnum staring at you are the five movies plus an extra disc of special features for the first film and an extra disc with a documentary about Eastwood called Out of the Shadows. Also included in a little box next to the DVDs themselves is one of the coolest random pieces of swag that I've ever seen - Harry Callahan's badge. The "bonus box" also included a "personal message from Clint Eastwood", an envelope with an awesome series of postcards and memos from the production of the films, and a fold-out map of the activity in the first film. Next to that collection is a 42-page hardcover book about the franchise. It may sound silly - postcards and maps - but this is a set designed for the fans and they'll love it (like I did). So many DVDs blend into the others that just setting yourself apart with some unusual bonus items goes a long way.

Of course, it's all about the movies and the one that started it all - Dirty Harry - has never looked or worked better. The film that really redefined the entire genre - The Shield, NYPD Blue, 24, Lethal Weapon, the list of shows and movies inspired by Dirty Harry could go on and on - has held up shockingly well. We all remember the trademark line like "Do you feel lucky" but the cultural ripple created by Dirty Harry has overwhelmed one thing - this is a DAMN good movie, one of Clint's best. Eastwood segued smoothly from the Leone westerns to a similarly silent-but-strong character in Harry Callahan, a San Francisco cop in the middle of a serial killer's rampage. Harry was the anti-hero who was going to stop the bad guy, no matter what. Pauline Kael called it fascism, but Dirty Harry tapped into something vigilante in all of us. The guy who kidnaps children and kills at random needs to be taken down and it take a hero like Harry Callahan to do what's necessary. It's one of the best police thrillers ever made and the transfer in this set looks absolutely stunning. Not just thematically, but visually, Dirty Harry could have come out last year.

The films start to feel more dated after the original but there is some quality in the other four films (yes, even The Dead Pool). They've all been given the same perfect video and audio transfers. Compared to the first film, Magnum Force doesn't work and it's easy to see why critics and audiences kind of turned off to it on release, but it's actually not a bad action movie. Written by John Milius and Michael Cimino, Magnum Force turned the tables on Harry, questioning just how far a cop should be willing to go for justice. This time he's after a group of killers who are taking out the bad guys for him. How far is Harry willing to go to protect a system that he doesn't really believe in? It's a good idea, but the film seems a little too obsessed with violence, missing a lot of the subtlety of the first outing. With a good supporting turn by Hal Holbrook and more quality work by Eastwood, Magnum Force may not hold up to the original, but it's also better than you remember.

The Dirty Harry franchise turned into more of an action-driven one than anything realistic with The Enforcer. It was a trend that would continue through Sudden Impact and The Dead Pool. Most of the final three films are written off as being "for fans only" but there's quality stuff in all of them, mostly courtesy of the always-great Eastwood. Sudden Impact, in particular, which was directed by Eastwood himself, has some very interesting action scenes and reflects an older and dirtier Callahan. It also gave cinema one of the most memorable catch phrases - "Make my day." The Dead Pool was widely criticized as the worst Callahan film (and rightfully so) but if you're on such a Dirty Harry buzz that you're watching all five films again, you'll find something to like.

Warner Brothers is the top of the DVD food chain and the Ultimate Collector's Edition release of the Dirty Harry franchise is further proof of that fact. The video and audio is perfect and each film comes with new featurettes and interviews with the major players along with some previously available material. It's a definitive set. No one could possibly ask for more. Personally, Dirty Harry not only made my day, in the DVD world, it's made my year so far.