Magnum Force

Scripted by Milius and Cimino, this second Dirty Harry episode is both less violent and less morally ambivalent than its superb predecessor. Harry's back on the force after throwing away his badge in recognition of his illegal methods at the end of Siegel's movie, and here he's using his tough, no-nonsense approach to track down some rookie cops who, in emulation of his earlier vigilante deeds, are blasting the usual assortment of 'criminal scum'. While never as disturbing as the first film, it fails to convince because of the turnaround in Harry's character, and because it posits in facile fashion degrees of taking the law into one's own hands: Harry's acceptable, the gun crazy kids aren't. That said, it has some fine action sequences, and is far less objectionable than the later Sudden Impact.