Did "Dirty Harry" feel lucky?
In a famous scene of Dirty Harry, Inspector Harry Callahan stops a bank heist very nonchalantly using deadly force. Near the end of the scene, Harry dry-fires his revolver at one of the robbers.
Harry : I know what you're thinking. 'Did he fire six shots or only five'? Well to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I kind of lost track myself. But being that this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well do ya, punk?
The robber stays still and Harry picks the shotgun off the floor. As he is leaving, the robber calls to him.
Robber : Hey !
Harry turns around.
Robber : I gots to know.
Harry points the revolver at the robber's head, causing great distress as he pushes the trigger, nothing. Harry snickers before leaving for good.
From this scene we know one of two things is true:
- Harry lied about losing track of the bullet count and just made his speech as an intimidation tactic. OR
- Harry didn't lie and was willing to possibly kill the robber to answer his curiosity.
Do we know which of those things is true? Did Harry just feel lucky at the point of shooting? I gots to know.
Best Answer
One of my favorite movies!
Firstly, the film is loosely based on real-life events. Scorpio is based on the Zodiac Killer and Dirty Harry on the inspector who was assigned on the case (David Toschi). Mark Ruffalo portrayed this inspector in the film Zodiac.
This could be an opinion but I make the following case and my supporting evidence.
As a police officer with a badge and a gun, Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan has an oath to protect the public and behave in an ethical way. The consequences of shooting an unarmed suspect at point-blank range would be tremendous. He would face criminal charges and become just as bad as the people that he arrests if not worse.
He absolutely knew how many bullets were in his gun and accurately predicted that the criminal would not reach for the shotgun.
It has nothing to do with luck as
he also accurately knew how many bullets he had at the end of the movie when dealing with Scorpio. The very last bullet was what saved his life and ended that of the criminal.
Pictures about "Did "Dirty Harry" feel lucky?"
Which Dirty Harry movie does he say do you feel lucky?
Dirty Harry (2/10) Movie CLIP - Do You Feel Lucky, Punk? (1971) HD - YouTube.Do guys feel lucky punk?
In Dirty Hairy, Clint Eastwood doesn't say: 'Do you feel lucky, punk?' when he makes his final approach to an injured criminal as is commonly believed. Instead, the line goes: 'You've got to ask yourself one question.What movie said Do you feel lucky punk?
Harry Callahan was selected as the 17th greatest movie hero on 100 Years ... 100 Heroes & Villains. The movie's famous quote "You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?" was ranked 51st on 100 Years ...Dirty Harry Do You ( I ) Feel Lucky Punk? ( high quality )
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: DS stories, DS stories, DS stories, Madison Inouye