Movie history might have run differently had Frank Sinatra not injured his hand, causing him to relinquish the role of renegade cop "Dirty" Harry Callahan to Clint Eastwood. This is the first and best outing for Eastwood's San Francisco police inspector, in which he tramples on the American Constitution to bring gibbering psycho Andrew Robinson to justice. Directed by Don Siegel with his usual toughness and crisp efficiency, this is a masterpiece of action movie-making. Eastwood displays all the characteristic hard-boiled traits that are now part of his screen persona and cinema folklore. Making good use of Golden Gate locations, and armed with a smart and darkly cynical script, this original generates an excitement that none of the four sequels could match.

When a madman dubbed 'Scorpio' terrorizes San Francisco, hard-nosed cop, Harry Callahan – famous for his take-no-prisoners approach to law enforcement – is tasked with hunting down the psychopath.