The opening shot- a pragmatically chosen zoom shot (yes it’s 1971 and zooms are abound but this is a sniper shot of the killer)
In that opening shot the wonderful jazz score is given full showcase as well- it’s from the guy who did cool hand luke and the mission impossible tv show score
Accused, famously, by Pauline Kael of being a facist right wing film. This is really a negative review and criticism that is outside of the film world though- it has no bearing on the quality of the film from an artistic evaluation standpoint
I’ve seen the film a half dozen times and am not completely sure what the make of all the Christian imagery—it’s certainly a visual motif but I need to dig in further
Certainly Clint borrows from John Wayne in so many ways (there’s a little James Bond in here as well)- Clint even says “that’ll be the day” once
Another stunning shot is the helicopter shot as they pull back from the football stadium as Clint tortures the Andrew Robinson killer character
A third standout sequence sis the night shot of Clint at the crime scene in front of the golden gate bridge. Gorgeous
One thing I don’t love is the repeating of the famous line at the end
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