History Film / MagnumForce

* ImpersonatingAnOfficer: The assumption by the investigating detectives is that the killings are the work of a hitman disguised as a policeman, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Valentine%27s_Day_Massacre which has happened before]], and not that the killing are the work of ''actual cops''. Only Harry suspects the truth (and even he gets the culprit and motivation wrong, initially suspecting a colleague who is cracking up).

* UriahGambit: DaChief decides that the killings are mob related and orders a massive wave of arrests. Harry is sent to arrest Frank Palancio, a known mob hitman, who receives a mysterious phone call saying they're going to be hit by men dressed as cops. After what happened to Carmine Ricca, Palancio isn't inclined to take chances and opens fire when Sweet knocks on the door.

* UriahGambit: DaChief decides that the killings are mob related and orders a massive wave of arrests. Harry is sent to arrest a gang of mobsters, who receive a mysterious phone call saying they're going to be hit by men dressed as cops. After what happened to Carmine Ricca, the mobsters aren't inclined to take chances and open fire when Sweet knocks on the door.

* UriahGambit: DaChief decides that the killings are mob related and orders a massive wave of arrests. Harry is sent to arrest a gang of mobsters, who receive a mysterious phone call saying that they're going to be hit by men dressed as cops.

** It's made clear in the scene where Harry, Briggs, and Avery are in the morgue looking at the various bodies of the vigilante cops' victims, as Avery notes that some of the shooting victims committed such crimes as truck hijacking, gambling, narcotics, and prostitution.

* LaserGuidedKarma: Briggs declares that he's going to let the System that Callahan is defending take care of him for murdering three cops. Instead Briggs gets blown up by the bomb that was planted to kill Callahan.

* EnemyMine: Captain Avery forces Harry and Lt. Briggs to work together during the vigilante murders, even though they openly dislike each other.

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Harry, delivering his KirkSummation speech to [[spoiler:Briggs]], says that he and his [[VigilanteMan vigilante cops]] will eventually start shooting neighbours for letting their dogs piss on their lawn.

* ButtMonkey: Charlie [=McCoy=], he's frustrated at being helpless of serving under a revolving door of the city's justice system, his indifferent wife divorces him at being unable to cope with his issues and tries to cheat on him with his friend Harry, is initially suspected as a RedHerring for the vigilante killings by his friend Harry and [[spoiler:gets killed by one of the vigilante cops for being at the wrong place at the wrong time]].

* ButtMonkey: Charlie [=McCoy=], he's frustrated at being helpless of serving under a revolving door of the city's justice system, his indifferent wife leaves and tries to cheat on him with his friend Harry, is initially suspected as a RedHerring for the vigilante killings by his friend Harry and [[spoiler:gets killed by one of the vigilante cops for being at the wrong place at the wrong time]].

* ShellShockedVeteran: Charlie [=McCoy=], as he was an ex-marine like his friend Harry, possibly during the Korean War ([[ActorSharedBackground much like his actor and Harry's actor]] Creator/ClintEastwood).

* ShellShockedVeteran: Charlie [=McCoy=].

* AxCrazy: The vigilante cops, they are batshit insane when it comes to killing despite their KnightTemplar intentions.

%%Someone should fix this-I don't know which is right.* SeriesContinuityError: Harry Callahan is still in the police force, which is an interesting problem considering the ending of the previous film ''Film/DirtyHarry'' [[spoiler:had him throwing his badge away]]. The film gives no explanation for this, and neither does the rest of the series.
** Harry [[spoiler:throwing his badge away was never supposed to imply he was quitting the force. It was meant to imply he's had it with flaws in the justice system letting people like Scorpio roam free.]]

* AxCrazy: The vigilante cops, they are batshit insane when it comes to killing despite their KnightsTemplar intentions.

--> '''Davis''': ''(flatly)'' Kill a dozen more.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Briggs has never pulled his gun once in his entire police career. [[spoiler:He has his minions do that for him.]]

* VigilanteMilitia: The gruff but honest detective Callahan investigates a series of murders wherein the victims are repeat felons. Callahan deduces correctly that a band of zealous rookie officers have decided to fight crime by acting as judge / jury / executioner as well as arresting officer. Made worse by [[spoiler:the chief of the detective division]] knowingly covering for them.

* ChekhovsGun: Literally! Lt. Briggs mentions that he has never once taken his weapon out of its holster. When he does, [[spoiler:it's to give TheReveal that he's the BigBad]].

* CopKiller: One of the vigilante trio murders a fellow cop who stumbles upon him leaving after murdering a top gangster along with two other people. [[spoiler:Harry ends up killing all of them in self-defense, making him technically a cop killer as well.]]

* AssholeVictim: A sadistic pimp is murdered by one of the vigilante cops.

* BondOneLiner: After Davis overshoots Harry on his bike and crashes into the bay, Harry notes that "Briggs was right. You guys don't have enough experience."

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: A pimp murders one of his girls for not giving him all of her money by pouring drain cleaner down her throat. For his comeuppance, see AssholeVictim above.

* DaChief: Lt Briggs is a subversion in that he's the [[spoiler:BigBad]].

* EuphemismBuster: Ironically it's Briggs who provides this -- when Callahan says he's busying entertaining a young lady, Briggs bluntly tells him to put his pants back on.

* FanserviceExtra: The bikini-clad and topless ladies at a mobster's pool party. Becomes DropDeadGorgeous when the ladies are killed along with everyone else by a machine-gun wielding motorcycle cop. (One of them is played by Suzanne Somers who would soon become a star on ''Series/ThreesCompany''.)

* KindaBusyHere: While Callahan is breaking into his own letterbox rather than just using the key, a tenant comes up and starts complaining...until Callahan removes the bomb he finds inside. [[spoiler:Then he tries to call Smith and warn him, but the latter ignores the ringing phone in favour of opening his mailbox and gets killed.]]

** Callahan is suspicious that his mailbox has been tampered with and doesn't open it. Then he realises that Sunny said she was going to get his mail, rushes downstairs and yanks her away from the mailbox just in time.
* OneSteveLimit: Broken, with Lt. Briggs and Captain Briggs from ''Film/SuddenImpact'' being entirely different characters played by very different actors.

* RealityEnsues: Harry kills the last two members of the Magnum Force by punching one repeatedly in the throat and forcing the other off the side of an aircraft carrier, causing him to fall into the ocean from a significant height and die on impact. Both methods of death are generally non-lethal in movies but have a good chance of being fatal in real life.

* SaltAndPepper: With new partner Smith.

* SeriesContinuityError: Harry Callahan is still in the police force, which is an interesting problem considering the ending of the previous film ''Film/DirtyHarry'' [[spoiler:had him throwing his badge away]]. The film gives no explanation for this, and neither does the rest of the series.

* ShootingGallery: Harry is practicing in one of these. When he hears multiple gunshots he's not at all concerned, turns out other officers are also training, the death squad, and the two meet up and chat. Later they compete in a police competition, and Harry had figured out they must be involved so he tries out one of their guns, one of the shots goes wide and he later recovers the bullet for evidence.

It is the second film in the ''Film/DirtyHarry'' series. "Dirty" Harry Callahan (Eastwood) has been assigned to the stakeout squad, but when mobster Carmine Ricca is murdered, Harry insists on inserting himself in the case. Ricca, who was killed just after he was acquitted in a criminal trial on a technicality, isn't the only bad guy to get whacked. Another mobster is killed at a pool party. Then, a pimp. Harry soon realizes what he's up against: some [[DirtyCop renegade cops]] who have [[KnightTemplar formed a death squad]].

* VigilanteMan: The motorcycle cops.