Sala de espera al infierno

In the final Dirty Harry movie, Inspector Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is annoyed by his new-found fame, caused by his court testimony against an important mob figure. His next case is a real winner: an obnoxious British director (Liam Neeson) has a "dead pool" on the set of his new horror flick. Each crew member picks ten celebrities they believe will die, and the one with the most dead celebs on their list at the end of the game is the big winner.

Just one problem with this - the people on the director's list start dying at an alarming rate and mysteriously, including his leading man. And guess whose name is on the list as well - yeah, Harry's.

If this isn't enough, a TV reporter (Patricia Clarkson) wants to do a big story on him.

Directed by Buddy van Horn, "The Dead Pool" is a spoof of a sort, killing a movie critic as part of the story (ouch), and the story actually concerns movie-making. It also has a car chase that's a take-off on "Bullitt." The stereotypical characters found in this type of film are played by some excellent actors, and there's plenty of sexual innuendo to go around.

Someone mentioned that Eastwood seems a little old here for Dirty Harry. He seems old for just about every role he plays, frankly, but he keeps playing them. It's always amazing how men are able to do this with no problem, but give the man his due. He's a great presence, and in 1988, his best work as both a director and an actor was yet to come! Very entertaining and well-acted. If you can get the joke, you'll enjoy it all the more.

Warning: Contains spoilers

The "Dirty Harry" series ends with a whimper thanks to a weak ending. Why conceal the identity of the killer when he turns out to be a subsidiary character who is built into the story in the last half hour?

Patricia Clarkson makes for a bland leading lady (despite a knockout figure) and has little chemistry with Eastwood. So, placing her in jeopardy creates no suspense. Also, having Harry surrender his legendary sidearm doesn't fit well with previous installments, since he has a clear head shot with the killer. Finally, having Harry find the harpoon gun shown in a previous scene is just a little too incredible.

Buddy Van Horn, as a director, is no Eastwood, but he does a pretty good job. Most of the stunts are quite good and the cinematography is excellent. Lalo Schifrin's score is bouncy, but forgettable.

Too bad, as a little script reworking would have made for a very good "Dirty Harry" effort. As it is, however, "The Dead Pool" is the weakest of the "Dirty Harry" series.

Jim Carrey and Liam Neeson are interesting enough to see in these fairly minor parts. But the highlight of the film, for me, was the chase scene involving a toy RC car as the pursuing "bad" car. Every cliche of a Hollywood car chase scene is fulfilled to a T, right down to nobody being seriously injured despite massive destruction of property. This alone is worth the price of admission/rental.

Dirty Harry still has it. This film has all the mayhem, the violence, the wisecracks, the whole formula. Patricia Clarkson's delicate beauty is a good counterpoint to Eastwood's ruggedness. It was interesting to see actors like Neeson and Carrey paying their dues. When I first saw this film, I didn't realize that the "car chase" scene, running from the toy Corvette, was a spoof of Bullitt, but on viewing this time, I found the homage hilarious. No, this film isn't the equal of "Dirty Harry" but it's not bad at all for a fourth sequel.

In one of the best sequels in the Dirty Harry films, Clint Eastwood returns in the Dead Pool. It is never a dull film, and the action starts right from the beginning. The movie begins when a drug-addicted rock star dies (played zanily by Jim Carrey). When Callahan investigates he discovers a sinister, twisted game called the Dead Pool, and his name is on the list of those expected to die. This is a great movie, and a fun one to watch. And of course, Harry has some memorable quotes; like his one on opinions. Also check out Liam Neeson in this movie as a director.