Magnum Force

By VARIETY STAFF

Malpaso/Warner. Director Ted Post; Producer Robert Daley; Screenplay John Milius, Michael Cimino; Camera Frank Stanley; Editor Ferris Webster; Music Lalo Schifrin; Art Director Jack Collis
 
Clint Eastwood
Hal Holbrook
Mitchell Ryan
Felton Perry
David Soul
Robert Urich
 

Magnum Force is an intriguing followup to Directorty Harry [1971] in that nonconformist Frisco detective Clint Eastwood is faced with tracking down a band of vigilante cops headed by Hal Holbrook, his nominal superior and career nemesis. The story contains the usual surfeit of human massacre for the yahoo trade, as well as a few actual thoughts.

In Harry there was a script loaded in favor of the end justifying the means by those pledged to law enforcement. The interesting twist in Magnum Force is that Eastwood stumbles on a group of bandit cop avengers. The plot [based on a story by John Milius] thus forces Eastwood to render a judgement in favor of the present system.

Eastwood and new partner Felton Perry are helping investigate a number of bloody murders of local crime leaders, but the evidence finally begins to point at four rookie cops #David Soul, Tim Matheson, Robert Urich and Kip Niven # who eventually tip their hand to Eastwood.

(Color) Widescreen. Available on VHS, DVD. Extract of a review from 1973. Running time: 122 MIN.