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56-524: The Dead Pool is a 1988 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Buddy Van Horn , written by Steve Sharon, and starring Clint Eastwood as Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan . It is the fifth and final film in the Dirty Harry film series and is set in San Francisco , California . The story concerns the manipulation of a dead pool game by a serial killer , whose efforts are confronted by

112-444: A deranged fan suffering from "process schizophrenia " who thinks the director stole his ideas and work; Swan has a restraining order against him. Rook kills television personality Nolan Kennard, another person on the dead pool list, using a radio-controlled car filled with C4 explosive under the victim's vehicle. Callahan finds a toy car wheel at the crime scene, and later sees another toy car following him and Quan. Recognizing

168-400: A "nightmare scene" at the docks, where guitarist Slash fires a harpoon gun through a window and is berated by Swan. Eastwood reacted to starring in another Dirty Harry film, "It's fun, once in a while, to have a character you can go back to. It's like revisiting an old friend you haven't seen for a long time. You figure 'I'll go back and see how he feels about things now.'" The Dead Pool

224-556: A binder composed of di(2-ethylhexyl) sebacate thickened with high molecular mass polyisobutylene. Technical data according to the Department of the Army for the Composition C-4 follows. C-4 is manufactured by combining the above ingredients with binders dissolved in a solvent . Once the ingredients have been mixed, the solvent is extracted through drying and filtering. The final material

280-597: A difficult situation and making choices out of desperation or nihilistic moral systems . Visual elements included low-key lighting , striking use of light and shadow , and unusual camera placement. Sound effects helped create the noir mood of paranoia and nostalgia. Few major films in the classic film noir genre have been made since the early 1960s. These films usually incorporated both thematic and visual elements reminiscent of film noir . Both classic and neo-noir films are often produced as independent features . After 1970, film critics took note of "neo-noir" films as

336-505: A juggling act with sledgehammers." Desson Howe of The Washington Post wrote, "Unless you're a Clint fan (and — own up — who isn't?) there's little other reason to sit through this one. Eastwood, who's had far bigger concerns recently, such as directing a movie about jazz great Charlie Parker, seems content to mark time. And pick up another cheque." The Dead Pool was released in United States theatres July 1988. In its opening weekend,

392-415: A large amount of binder in its composition. A series of shots were fired at vials containing C-4 in a test referred to as "the rifle bullet test". Only 20% of the vials burned, and none exploded. While C-4 passed the Army's bullet impact and fragment impact tests at ambient temperature, it failed the shock stimulus, sympathetic detonation and shaped charge jet tests. Additional tests were done including

448-477: A light background. Relative numbers and positions of RDX particles have been measured from a series of 50 fingerprints left after a single contact impression. Military and commercial C-4 are blended with different oils. It is possible to distinguish these sources by analyzing this oil by high-temperature gas chromatography–mass spectrometry . The oil and plasticizer must be separated from the C-4 sample, typically by using

504-512: A non-polar organic solvent such as pentane followed by solid phase extraction of the plasticizer on silica. This method of analysis is limited by manufacturing variation and methods of distribution. U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War era would sometimes use small amounts of C-4 as a fuel for heating rations, as it will burn unless detonated with a primary explosive . However, burning C-4 produces poisonous fumes, and soldiers are warned of

560-416: A pier after a chase during which Rook shoots at him with his own gun. Rook runs out of bullets, and Callahan shoots Rook with a Svend Foyn harpoon cannon , impaling him. Callahan retrieves his gun and leaves with Walker just as the police and news media arrive. Members of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses make uncredited cameo appearances at the funeral of Johnny Squares. They also appear during filming of

616-514: A result, the RC10 outran the Oldsmobile, so the scene had to be re-filmed with the Oldsmobile reaching the bottom first. At one point in a scene where the cars interact, the RC10 jumps over the Oldsmobile, lands, and then proceeds to the end of the street to wait for the Oldsmobile. One scene, in which Halsey was only required to drive the RC10 at full speed to where the bomb was to be detonated, required over

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672-606: A separate genre. Noir and post-noir terminology (such as " hard-boiled ", "neo-classic" and the like) are often rejected by both critics and practitioners. Robert Arnett stated, "Neo-noir has become so amorphous as a genre/movement, any film featuring a detective or crime qualifies." Screenwriter and director Larry Gross identifies Jean-Luc Godard 's Alphaville , alongside John Boorman 's Point Blank (1967) and Robert Altman 's The Long Goodbye (1973), based on Raymond Chandler 's 1953 novel, as neo-noir films. Gross believes that they deviate from classic noir in having more of

728-471: A shadowy cinematographic style. Neo-noir has a similar style but with updated themes, content, style, and visual elements. The neologism neo-noir, using the Greek prefix for the word new , is defined by Mark Conard as "any film coming after the classic noir period that contains noir themes and noir sensibility". Another definition describes it as later noir that often synthesizes diverse genres while foregrounding

784-461: A sociological than a psychological focus. Neo noir features characters who commit violent crimes, but without the motivations and narrative patterns found in film noir . Neo noir assumed global character and impact when filmmakers began drawing elements from films in the global market. For instance, Quentin Tarantino 's works have been influenced by Ringo Lam 's 1987 classic City on Fire . This

840-752: A stream, fly-fishing. He gets tired of using the pole— and BA-BOOM! Or Harry is retired, and he catches bad guys with his walker?" Neo-noir Neo-noir is a film genre that adapts the visual style and themes of 1940s and 1950s American film noir for contemporary audiences, often with more graphic depictions of violence and sexuality. During the late 1970s and the early 1980s, the term "neo-noir" surged in popularity, fueled by movies such as Sydney Pollack 's Absence of Malice , Brian De Palma 's Blow Out , and Martin Scorsese 's After Hours . The French term film noir translates literally to English as "black film", indicating sinister stories often presented in

896-570: A week to film. A motorized tricycle with a camera mounted at ground level was used for close-up filming of the RC10 in action. Engine sound effects for the electric-motor RC10 were added in post-production. The chase scenes have many similarities with the famous car-chase in the Steve McQueen film Bullitt , which Eastwood has said was his favorite part of the McQueen film. The necessity of closing down various continuously busy city streets meant that

952-582: Is a rectangular block of Composition C-4 about 2 by 1.5 inches (51 mm × 38 mm) and 11 inches (280 mm) long, weighing 1.25 lb (570 g). The M112 is wrapped in a sometimes olive color Mylar -film container with a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape on one surface. The M112 demolition blocks of C-4 are commonly manufactured into the M183 "demolition charge assembly", which consists of 16 M112 block demolition charges and four priming assemblies packaged inside military Carrying Case M85. The M183

1008-402: Is a solid with a dirty white to light brown color, a putty-like texture similar to modeling clay, and a distinct smell of motor oil. Depending on its intended usage and on the manufacturer, there are differences in the composition of C-4. For example, a 1990 U.S. Army technical manual stipulated that Class IV composition C-4 consists of 89.9±1% RDX, 10±1% polyisobutylene, and 0.2±0.02% dye that

1064-409: Is considered to be one of the defining authors of hard-boiled fiction. Both novels were adapted as crime films, the former more than once. Cain is quoted as saying, "I belong to no school, hard-boiled or otherwise, and I believe these so-called schools exist mainly in the imagination of critics, and have little correspondence in reality anywhere else." Neo-noir film directors refer to 'classic noir' in

1120-451: Is essentially nonhygroscopic . The shock sensitivity of C-4 is related to the size of the nitramine particles. The finer they are the better they help to absorb and suppress shock. Using 3-nitrotriazol-5-one (NTO), or 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB) (available in two particle sizes (5 μm, 40 μm)), as a substitute for RDX, is also able to improve stability to thermal, shock, and impact/friction stimulus; however, TATB

1176-417: Is itself made up of 90% lead chromate and 10% lamp black . RDX classes A, B, E, and H are all suitable for use in C-4. Classes are measured by granulation. The manufacturing process for Composition C-4 specifies that wet RDX and plastic binder are added in a stainless steel mixing kettle. This is called the aqueous slurry-coating process. The kettle is tumbled to obtain a homogeneous mixture. This mixture

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1232-468: Is not cost-effective, and NTO is more difficult to use in the manufacturing process. C-4 has toxic effects on humans when ingested. Within a few hours multiple generalized seizures, vomiting, and changes in mental activity occur. A strong link to central nervous dysfunction is observed. If ingested, patients may be administered a dose of active charcoal to adsorb some of the toxins, and haloperidol intramuscularly and diazepam intravenously to help

1288-470: Is that it can easily be molded into any desired shape to change the direction of the resulting explosion. C-4 has high cutting ability. For example, the complete severing of a 36-centimetre (14 in) deep I-beam takes between 680 and 910 g (1.50 and 2.01 lb) of C-4 when properly applied in thin sheets. Military grade C-4 is commonly packaged as the M112 demolition block. The demolition charge M112

1344-424: Is used to breach obstacles or demolish large structures where larger satchel charges are required. Each priming assembly includes a five-or-twenty-foot (1.5 or 6.1 m) length of detonating cord assembled with detonating cord clips and capped at each end with a booster. When the charge is detonated, the explosive is converted into compressed gas. The gas exerts pressure in the form of a shock wave, which demolishes

1400-537: Is very stable and insensitive to most physical shocks. C-4 cannot be detonated by a gunshot or by dropping it onto a hard surface. It does not explode when set on fire or exposed to microwaves . Detonation can be initiated only by a shockwave , such as when a detonator inserted into it is fired. When detonated, C-4 rapidly decomposes to release nitrogen, water and carbon oxides as well as other gases. The detonation proceeds at an explosive velocity of 8,092 m/s (26,550 ft/s). A major advantage of C-4

1456-797: Is wet and must be dried after transfer to drying trays. Drying with forced air for 16 hours at 50 °C to 60 °C is recommended to eliminate excess moisture. C-4 produced for use by the U.S. military, commercial C-4 (also produced in the United States), and PE-4 from the United Kingdom each have their own unique properties and are not identical. The analytical techniques of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy have been demonstrated to discriminate finite differences in different C-4 sources. Chemical, morphological structural differences, and variation in atomic concentrations are detectable and definable. C-4

1512-602: The Philadelphia Police Department dropped a C-4 bomb on the home of the MOVE organization , killing eleven people — including five children — and wiping out 61 homes in two city blocks. Composition C-4 is recommended in al-Qaeda 's traditional curriculum of explosives training. In October 2000, the group used C-4 to attack the USS Cole , killing 17 sailors. In 1996, Saudi Hezbollah terrorists used C-4 to blow up

1568-592: The Port of San Francisco . Squares' death was not a typical overdose, but actually murder. Dean Madison, Swan's producer, is killed during a robbery in Chinatown . Callahan kills three of the robbers, and Quan captures the fourth. They discover a list in Madison's pocket with Callahan and Squares' names on it. It is revealed that Madison and Swan are participants in a " dead pool " game, in which participants predict celebrity deaths in

1624-496: The San Francisco Bay Area : whether by accident, violence or natural causes. Movie critic Molly Fisher, also on Swan's list, is soon murdered by an intruder claiming to be Swan, causing panic among the surviving celebrities and making Swan a suspect. After Callahan destroys a television station's camera, he must cooperate with reporter Samantha Walker to avoid a lawsuit; if he agrees to a profile of his controversial career,

1680-461: The "pendulum friction test", which measured a five-second explosion temperature of 263 °C to 290 °C. The minimum initiating charge required is 0.2 grams of lead azide or 0.1 grams of tetryl . The results of 100 °C heat test are: 0.13% loss in the first 48 hours, no loss in the second 48 hours, and no explosions in 100 hours. The vacuum stability test at 100 °C yields 0.2 cubic centimeters of gas in 40 hours. Composition C-4

1736-664: The Dirty Harry series on an uninspired note." On Metacritic , the film has a score of 46 out of 100 based on 15 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four and wrote that it was "as good as the original Dirty Harry ," praising it as "smart, quick, and made with real wit". Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune also awarded three-and-a-half stars out of four and called it "the second best of

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1792-461: The binder; a taggant (2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dinitrobutane, DMDNB ) is added at a minimum of 0.10% weight of the plastic explosive, typically at 1.0% mass. The newer PE7 consists of 88.0% RDX, 1.0% DMDNB taggant and 11.0% of a binder composed of low molecular mass hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene , along with an antioxidant and an agent preventing hardening of the binder upon prolonged storage. The PE8 consists of 86.5% RDX, 1.0% DMDNB taggant and 12.5% of

1848-438: The compound. However, positive results are highly variable and the mass of RDX can range between 1.7 and 130  ng , each analysis must be individually handled using magnifying equipment. The cross polarized light images obtained from microscopic analysis of the fingerprint are analyzed with gray-scale thresholding to improve contrast for the particles. The contrast is then inverted in order to show dark RDX particles against

1904-564: The dangers of personal injury when using the plastic explosive. Among field troops in Vietnam it became common knowledge that ingestion of a small amount of C-4 would produce a " high " similar to that of ethanol. Others would ingest C-4, commonly obtained from a Claymore mine , to induce temporary illness in the hope of being sent on sick leave. Terrorist groups have used C-4 worldwide in acts of terrorism and insurgency, as well as domestic terrorism and state terrorism . On May 13, 1985,

1960-493: The explosive chemical reaction. Small particles of C-4 may be easily identified by mixing with thymol crystals and a few drops of sulfuric acid . The mixture will become rose colored upon addition of a small quantity of ethyl alcohol. RDX has a high birefringence , and the other components commonly found in C-4 are generally isotropic ; this makes it possible for forensic science teams to detect trace residue on fingertips of individuals who may have recently been in contact with

2016-504: The film took $ 9,071,330 in 1988 cinemas in the US, at an average of $ 4,563. In total in the US, the film made $ 37,903,295, making it the least profitable of the five films in the Dirty Harry series. Eastwood has publicly announced that he has no interest in acting in another Dirty Harry film. In 2000, he jokingly spoke about potential sequels: " Dirty Harry VI ! Harry is retired. He's standing in

2072-405: The hardened detective Callahan. It co-stars Liam Neeson (in his first action film) and Patricia Clarkson , with Jim Carrey in his first dramatic role. The film also features an appearance by future Mario voice actor Charles Martinet . It is the only film in the series not to feature Albert Popwell , an actor who had played a different character in each of the previous four films, as well as

2128-625: The imprisoned Janero if anything happens to him. Janero ends the attacks and assigns two men to Callahan as his personal bodyguards, though Callahan initially thinks they are after him. An attention-seeker named Gus Wheeler, falsely claiming responsibility for the murders, douses himself in gasoline and threatens to light himself on fire in front of a large crowd. Walker foils his ploy by refusing to film him; Wheeler accidentally sets himself on fire, but Callahan saves him. Impressed by Walker's refusal to exploit Wheeler, Callahan becomes close with her. Meanwhile, Swan tells Callahan and Quan about Harlan Rook,

2184-568: The new material, C-4, did not begin pilot production until 1956. C-4 was submitted for patent as "Solid Propellant and a Process for its Preparation" March 31, 1958, by the Phillips Petroleum Company . The Composition C-4 used by the United States Armed Forces contains 91% RDX ("Research Department Explosive", an explosive nitroamine ), bound by a mixture of 5.3% dioctyl sebacate (DOS) or dioctyl adipate (DOA) as

2240-487: The only one to be recorded in Dolby Stereo . At 91 minutes, it is the shortest of the five Dirty Harry films. Like those films, The Dead Pool is notable for coining catchphrases uttered by Clint Eastwood's gun-wielding character, one of which is: "Opinions are like assholes; everybody has one". Inspector Harry Callahan 's testimony against crime lord Lou Janero puts the mobster in prison. Now famous, Callahan becomes

2296-533: The original on, Harry has always been a fantasy character but his stories have been involving. Here, he remains absurdly separated from reality in an exceedingly lame yarn that lurches from one shootout to the next." Michael Wilmington of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Along with the 1976 {entry} The Enforcer , The Dead Pool is among the weakest of the entire 'Dirty Harry' series. With its stylized story-line and almost style-less direction, it sometimes resembles

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2352-418: The original to a lower ground clearance for better high-speed stability. Needing the best R/C car driver to control the RC10 action, Van Horn hired the 1985 IFMAR 1:10 Electric Off-Road World Champion Jay Halsey. At first, Van Horn was unsure if the RC10 could keep up with the Oldsmobile, so for the scene where both vehicles start from the top of the hill, the director allowed both cars to start off together. As

2408-579: The patient control seizures until it has passed. However, ingesting small amounts of C-4 is not known to cause any long-term impairment. If C-4 is marked with a taggant , such as DMNB , it can be detected with an explosive vapor detector before it has been detonated. A variety of methods for explosive residue analysis may be used to identify C-4. These include optical microscope examination and scanning electron microscopy for unreacted explosive, chemical spot tests, thin-layer chromatography , X-ray crystallography , and infrared spectroscopy for products of

2464-478: The plasticizer (to increase the plasticity of the explosive), thickened with 2.1% polyisobutylene (PIB, a synthetic rubber ) as the binder , and 1.6% of a mineral oil often called "process oil". Instead of "process oil", low-viscosity motor oil is used in the manufacture of C-4 for civilian use. The British PE4 consists of 88.0% RDX, 1.0% pentaerythrite dioleate and 11.0% DG-29 lithium grease (corresp. to 2.2% lithium stearate and 8.8% mineral oil BP ) as

2520-598: The scaffolding of film noir . " Film noir " was coined by critic Nino Frank in 1946 and popularized by French critics Raymond Borde and Etienne Chaumeton in 1955. The term revived in general use beginning in the 1980s, with a revival of the style. The classic film noir era is usually dated from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. The films were often adaptations of American crime novels, which were also described as " hardboiled ". Some authors resisted these terms. For example, James M. Cain , author of The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934) and Double Indemnity (1944),

2576-567: The sequences tend to jump from district to district, much as the similar scenes did in the McQueen film, making for a number of continuity errors that are easily overlooked during the fast-paced scenes, just as the motorcycle chase-scenes in the second Dirty Harry film ( Magnum Force ) jumped around but are seldom mentioned. The Dead Pool holds a 53% approval rating on the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes based on 34 reviews. Its critics' consensus reads: "While it offers its fair share of violent thrills and tough wit, The Dead Pool ends

2632-403: The series, beaten only by the 1971 original", explaining that "where the previous sequels have been mostly dour gun blasts, The Dead Pool is a thriller with wit and humour and tension." Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote that the film "possesses a couple of good jokes, but nothing can disguise the fact that it's a mini-movie in the company of a mythic figure". Variety wrote, "From

2688-502: The suit will be dropped. Callahan sees this as a ploy to exploit the danger he is in for its ratings value. Yet after they survive another attack by Janero's men, the incident and her own unwillingness to be the subject of news coverage cause Walker to reconsider the dangers police officers face in juxtaposition with the public's right to know. Meanwhile, at San Quentin State Prison , Callahan uses triple murderer Butcher Hicks to threaten

2744-410: The target by cutting, breaching, or cratering. Other forms include the mine-clearing line charge and M18A1 Claymore Mine . Composition C-4 exists in the U.S. Army Hazardous Components Safety Data Sheet on sheet number 00077. Impact tests done by the U.S. military indicate composition C-4 is less sensitive than composition C-3 and is fairly insensitive. The insensitivity is attributed to using

2800-463: The target of Janero's men as well as the news media, both of which he dislikes. After Callahan kills four hitmen during an ambush, the SFPD assigns Al Quan as his partner; Callahan advises him to get a bulletproof vest , as his partners often get killed. The pair investigate the fatal heroin overdose of rock singer Johnny Squares, found in his trailer during filming of a music video directed by Peter Swan at

2856-467: The television station and invites her to Swan's film studio for an interview. Rook kills the cameraman and kidnaps Samantha. The police discover at Rook's apartment torn posters of Swan's films, large quantities of explosives, and Walker's name replacing Callahan's on the dead pool list. At the studio, Callahan confronts Rook holding Walker hostage. The detective surrenders his .44 Magnum revolver after Rook threatens to slit her throat. Callahan lures Rook to

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2912-464: The threat, they flee through the city pursued by the toy car, controlled by Rook while driving his own car at the same time. Trapped in an alleyway, Rook sends the car in armed. Callahan is able to back the car up enough so the engine takes most of the blast. Both survive, but Quan has broken ribs; Harry later finds out Quan was wearing a bulletproof vest, on the recommendation of his father to take Harry's advice. Rook, claiming to be Swan, calls Walker at

2968-431: The use of Dutch angles , interplay of light and shadows, unbalanced framing ; blurring of the lines between good and bad and right and wrong , and thematic motifs including revenge , paranoia , and alienation . Typically American crime dramas or psychological thrillers , films noir had common themes and plot devices, and many distinctive visual elements. Characters were often conflicted antiheroes , trapped in

3024-460: Was developed by the British during World War II and redeveloped as Composition C when introduced to the U.S. military. It was replaced by Composition C-2 around 1943 and later redeveloped around 1944 as Composition C-3. The toxicity of C-3 was reduced, the concentration of RDX was increased, giving it improved safety during usage and storage. Research on a replacement for C-3 was begun prior to 1950, but

3080-683: Was filmed in February and March 1988 in San Francisco. Callahan is pursued through San Francisco's hilly streets in his unmarked Oldsmobile 98 squad car by a miniature R/C car (assembled and controlled by Rook) containing an R/C bomb for Rook to detonate. The R/C car used for the film was a highly modified Team Associated RC10 electric race buggy powered by a Reedy motor that had to be geared up high to an 8.4v NiCd battery , topped with an off-the-shelf 1963 Chevrolet Corvette R/C car body by Parma International. The RC10 had its suspension lowered from

3136-634: Was particularly the case for the noir-inflected Reservoir Dogs , which was instrumental in establishing Tarantino in October 1992. C4 explosive A similar British plastic explosive, also based on RDX but with a plasticizer different from that used in Composition C-4, is known as PE-4 (Plastic Explosive No. 4). C-4 is a member of the Composition C family of chemical explosives. Variants have different proportions and plasticisers and include compositions C-2, C-3, and C-4. The original RDX-based material

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