Clint Eastwood's role as San Francisco police inspector Harry Callahan in the ''Dirty Harry'' movie series drew to a close in the film The Dead Pool, which was released in 1988. There were only five films in the series, but most of the films made quite an impact in pop-culture with phrases such as ''Make My Day'' from Sudden Impact (1983). Unfortunately the series ended with not a bang, but with a whimper.

In The Dead Pool Harry Callahan must unravel a series of murders involving celebrities. The only connection between the victims is that their names appear on a list called ''The Dead Pool'', which is a grisly gambling game where people are guessing which celebrities would die next.

One of the first suspects in the killings is horror film director Peter Swan (Liam Neeson), who was involved in the macabre Dead Pool game while a wannabe rock star he was working with (Jim Carey portraying Johnny Squares) turns up dead. As the movie progresses more evidence points to Swan, including when Molly Fisher (Ronnie Claire Edwards), a critic of Swan's film work, is brutally stabbed to death.

Working with his partner Al Quan (Evan Kim), Callahan thinks he's got a lead on the case. However, he and Quan are soon chased by a bizarre remote-controlled car carrying explosives. And if he is killed, Callahan will be another ''celebrity'' on the Dead Pool list who meets his untimely death. A subplot in the film is Harry's rocky relationship with news reporter Samantha Walker (Patricia Clarkson) who is always in his face and seems to be interfering with the investigation.

The Dead Pool has some good moments. I thought the basic plot was interesting and had the potential to develop into a good thriller. And as usual, Eastwood's performance as Callahan was convincing. I also liked Liam Neeson's performance as a hot-headed movie director. But when the plot and various characters were all tied together the film fell flat.

The biggest disappointment with The Dead Pool was its lack of tension. I never felt any concern for the characters that were being killed because they were scarcely introduced before they turned up dead. Also, the film followed a predictable path of Callahan being at odds with the police brass, having a clash with a attractive blonde, and a crazy killer on the lose that no one can seem to catch (but him).

The scenes involving the remote-controlled car that carried a bomb also seemed a bit too comical for a film in this series. Although it was an interesting plot device, it seemed too laughable for a semi-serious crime movie. At least the scenes with the cars racing through the hilly streets of San Francisco were exciting.

Overall I thought The Dead Pool was the weakest film in the Dirty Harry movie series. It lacked the seriousness, suspense, and sense of misguided justice present in the earlier films. On top of that it barely runs for 90 minutes. Although long-time fans of the Dirty Harry film series may still want to see this film, I think it's below average for the series and not worth watching unless you are a die-hard Clint Eastwood fan.

© trailhound. 2008.

Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older