---
title: "Dirty Harry: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/dirty-harry/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/dirty-harry"
critics_score: 59
critics_reviews: 9
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Dirty Harry (1971): what the critics said

Critics' score 59 from 9 reviews: 3 positive, 4 mixed, 2 negative.

The reviews are mixed, with praise clustering around Don Siegel’s handling of action and suspense, and sharp disagreement over the film’s politics. Admirers value the crisp direction and Clint Eastwood’s hard-boiled presence, treating both as central to its influence and lasting appeal. Even some detractors acknowledge the skill with which the tension is managed. The favourable readings also find substance beneath the violence, seeing a bleak thriller that questions justice and American ideals.

The spread is wide, and the reservations concern more than taste in action films. RogerEbert.com objects to the vigilante politics and portrayal of justice, while The New Yorker sees expert suspense serving an immoral defence of police power. Variety also rejects the glorification of brutality, adding complaints about plot holes and an inert Eastwood performance. His acting is therefore a particular point of division: what admirers find commanding, one of the strongest dissenters finds lifeless.

## Radio Times — Alan Jones

Rating 5/5. 

Jones calls it a masterpiece of action filmmaking and Eastwood’s best outing as Dirty Harry. He praises Don Siegel’s tough, crisp direction and Eastwood’s hard-boiled screen persona.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-rokj84/dirty-harry/)

## Empire — Mark Dinning

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

The critic regards the film as landmark cinema and an enduringly cool, influential achievement. He singles out Eastwood’s virtuoso performance and Siegel’s assured orchestration of the action.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/empire-essay-dirty-harry-review/)

## Time Out — PT

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 

The page is a review of the 1971 film, but the available text does not reveal the critic’s overall verdict. Its description highlights the screenplay’s Kurosawa influence and its provocative antagonists.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/dirty-harry)

## The New York Times — Vincent Canby

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 23 December 1971. 

The page is inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict cannot be verified. Its headline identifies a review of the film, but no praise or complaint is available to summarize.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1971/12/23/archives/screen-dirty-harry-and-his-devotion-to-duty.html)

## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert

Rating 2/4. 22 December 1971. 

Ebert’s verdict is negative. He objects to the film’s vigilante politics and its portrayal of justice.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/dirty-harry-1971.Ebert)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1970. 

The critic finds the film shallow and its glorification of brutality phony, despite competent action filmmaking. They single out its plot holes and Eastwood’s inert performance as major weaknesses.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1970/film/reviews/dirty-harry-1200422518/)

## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 8 January 1972. 

Kael argues that the film is deeply immoral propaganda for vigilante police power. She acknowledges its expert suspense craft, but criticizes its simplistic politics and relish for violence.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1972/01/15/saint-cop)

## Den of Geek — Simon Brew

Rating 3 out of 5. 4 September 2008. 

Brew calls the film a cracking, still-relevant classic and considers this a strong but not compelling upgrade. He particularly praises the included Eastwood documentary and the performances of Clint Eastwood and Andrew Robinson.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/dirty-harry-blu-ray-review/)

## Eye for Film — Donald Munro

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 1 May 2025. 

Munro presents the film as a defining, nihilistic thriller that questions the meaning of justice and American ideals. He singles out Bruce Surtees’s stark, shadowy cinematography and the film’s recurring religious imagery.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/dirty-harry-1971-film-review-by-donald-munro)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/dirty-harry.md