So I'm watching Magnum Force, the Dirty Harry flick/sequel. The one with Hal Holbrook and dirty cops going vigilante on bad guys.
You know the one, I don't need to tell you and this isn't a full review.
And I'm not here about the gun content. I'm here about the explosives content.
Now the bad guys are special forces Viet Nam vets that are not SFPD. Things come to a head and they need to ice Harry and his partner by putting a bomb in the mailbox. Harry notices it, and instead of using the key to open his apartment mail slot, he unscrews the faceplate. Once off, you can tell 2 wires are attached to lock mechanism, and presumably turning the key will square the circuit and... boom. Instead, Harry pushes a button and the bomb is disarmed and the story goes on.
Ok, ok. This is 1970s Hollywood... But I have some questions.
First, there is a stopwatch attached to the bomb. I guess it's there to make it look like a bomb. Maybe its a multi purpose unit and you can set the trigger or set the timer. Still...
The 'plastic explosive' looks like black painted wood with wires, the stopwatch, a button, and 4 AA batteries attached. It's as light as pine, too. Probably because it actually was...
How does Harry know how to disarm a bomb? Presumably it's a homemade job. I can see the SPECOPS guys managing that. But Harry is, what? Korean war vet, at most? (He DOES know that Tyne Daly shouldn't stand directly behind a LAWS rocket when it's fired in another Dirty Harry movie) How does he know that pushing that button with the light is the way to turn it off and render it safe? Harry's a cop. In the late 60s. A good cop, but he's no bomb expert, presumably...
Also, the upstairs neighbor comes to bug him while he's disarming it and Harry downstairs girlfriend is right next to him during the whole disarming procedure. If Harry makes a mistake, he won't care, but the 2 innocent bystanders may want to hide someplace and maybe Harry should mention that...
I know. Hollywood. And really, what do I know about IEDs anyway? Forget I said anything.
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3 comments:
Harry has made an effort to become knowledgeable about his work. Hence his use of a .44 Magnum, a .44 Automag (in one of the later movies), and a .458 Winchester Magnum in the first movie. He's a gun nut with an emphasis on weapons more powerful than is usual among cops.
It's not beyond the realm of possibility that Harry was attached at some point to the bomb squad, or simply schmoozed with bomb squad cops. It's also possible that he became as knowledgeable about basic bomb making, since the movies took place in the early 70's when Obama's buddy Bill Ayers and the other radical leftists were busy making bombs.
Hell, it's a Hollywood movie, you're supposed to suspend disbelief. It was pretty good for its time.
"Man's just GOT to know his limitations!"
It's Clint FUCKING Eastwood. What more do you need to know?
Now get off his lawn!
P.S. Ignore that whole Paint Your Wagon thing... oh yeah, and Play Misty For Me... and crap, The Bridges of Madison County too.
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