The Dead Pool
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| The Dead Pool | |
|---|---|
| Image:The Dead Pool.jpg | |
| Directed by | Buddy Van Horn |
| Produced by | David Valdes |
| Written by | Steve Sharon (story & screenplay) Durk Pearson Sandy Shaw |
| Starring | Clint Eastwood Patricia Clarkson Liam Neeson Evan C. Kim Jim Carrey |
| Music by | Lalo Schifrin |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | July 13, 1988 |
| Running time | 91 min. |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | Sudden Impact |
| IMDb profile | |
The Dead Pool (1988) is the fifth and latest film in the Dirty Harry series.
Dirty Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is assigned to investigate the death of rock singer Johnny Squares (Jim Carrey). He discovers that film director Peter Swan (Liam Neeson) is part of a game in which he has to guess which celebrity will die next. Harry and Peter discover that they are on the list, thanks to the schemings of mob boss Lou Janero (Anthony Charnota), whom Harry had put in prison. In the end, it turns out that the killer is a deranged fan of Swan who thinks all of his ideas have been stolen by Swan
While critical and financial reaction was mixed (scoring a 57% on Rotten Tomatoes), the film is noteworthy as being one of Jim Carrey's first film roles; he is credited as "James Carrey." The movie also stars Evan C. Kim as Harry's partner Al Quan, Patricia Clarkson as the reporter Samantha Walker, and Michael Currie as Captain Donnelly. The 1980s rock band Guns N' Roses makes a cameo appearance at the funeral of Johnny Squares. The Dead Pool is notable as the only Dirty Harry movie in which Albert Popwell does not appear.
In what may be one of the most unusual chase scenes in cinematic history, Callahan is pursued through San Francisco's hilly streets in his unmarked Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight squad car by a remote controlled bomb disguised as a radio controlled car. The "bomb" was in fact a highly modified Associated Electrics RC10 competition buggy topped with an off-the-shelf 1963 Chevrolet Corvette body from hobby accessory manufacturer Parma International. It was driven by world-champion radio control driver Jay Halsey and was electrically powered. The sound effects of the "engine" were added in post production. This chase scene has many similarities to, and in fact may be considered a parody of, the famous chase scene in the movie Bullitt.
Critical reaction to the film was mixed. Some dismissed it as all having been done before (except the aforementioned toy car chase, which was highlighted in almost every review, positive or negative) while Roger Ebert almost gave the film his highest rating (3 1/2 stars out of 4), saying it was as good as the first film.
[edit] Trivia
- The concept of toy cars being used to deliver bombs was also used in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Beware the Gray Ghost".
- The song "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses appears in the movie as the theme song for Swan's last movie. Some members of the band including Axl Rose, Slash and Izzy Stradlin have credited cameos in the film
- Comic book writer Frank Miller, a big fan of the Dirty Harry series, has stated he was disappointed with the film and that he later wrote the Sin City story, That Yellow Bastard, as the last Dirty Harry story.
[edit] External links
| The Dirty Harry films |
|---|
| Official films Dirty Harry | Magnum Force | The Enforcer | Sudden Impact | The Dead Pool |
| Unofficial films The Rookie | Sin City |
