Review of The Enforcer (1976) by Adam B — 18 May 2011

I would happily watch Clint Eastwood in pretty much anything, he is such a cinematic presence that even if what he has to work with is pretty thin, he will inevitably make something decent out of it. With that firmly in mind, it is fair to say that The Enforcer is not Clint's finest hour, nor is it Harry Callaghan's, but what it is turns out to be decent enough viewing for 90 minutes with a few laughs, a few tears and enough in it's locker to make you see it through to the credits.

The film involves a very silly set up, but you go along with it, and tries at every opportunity to crowbar satire or cultural commentary, and this has mixed results. As does the use of very realistic and quite brutal violence, which I have to admit does sit out of place with the rather more comedic set up of the film and the almost buddy cop situation going on. That said though, there is a case to be put forward that reality is reality and it would be squeamish not to look at the real threats that were being portrayed in the film, but the level of downright silliness throughout somewhat negates that argument at source, and leaves you scratching your head as to what kind of film this really wants to be.

However, that being said, I enjoyed my 90 minutes watching it, Clint was his usual self, and it all played out like a very well made TV movie. Not one for the ages, but certainly not something to be swept aside. The 1970s produced some great films, and this gives you a flavour, if ultimately not an example, of why.