Warner Bros.
The “Dirty Harry” franchise showcases five films where Clint Eastwood takes on the persona of Inspector Harry Callahan, a renegade character who isn’t afraid to push boundaries. Despite his unconventional methods, Callahan’s approach is effective. He’s known for his iconic line, “Go ahead, make my day,” which he typically utters before drawing his weapon to catch lawbreakers. Fred Dekker, known for writing the screenplay for 2018’s “The Predator,” submitted a spec script for the “Dirty Harry” series that was ultimately rejected by Eastwood. So, what led to this decision?
According to Dekker, the discarded spec script for the “Dirty Harry” series was later reworked into the 1991 crime thriller “Ricochet,” with Denzel Washington taking on the role initially meant for Eastwood. Dekker confessed to The Flashback Files that he unintentionally echoed the storyline of “Cape Fear” in his “Dirty Harry” episode, which he claims he hadn’t watched at the time. Eastwood reportedly found the plot “too grim”.
“I’m an avid Eastwood fan; he’s among my top favorite movie stars. The ‘Dirty Harry’ character was a streak of genius, but the subsequent movies didn’t live up to the first two. Therefore, I decided to write a spec script. My producer, Joel Silver, asserts that he sent it to Clint, but that seems unlikely. Joel owns his own production company and could have produced it himself – which he did. He mentioned that Clint found it “too grim” for his taste.
Considering “Ricochet” premiered in late 1991, Dekker was presumably referring to the 1962 edition of “Cape Fear” starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, not the Martin Scorsese remake that debuted on November 15, 1991. Both the original and remake share a basic premise of a lawyer being stalked by a violent psychopath seeking revenge. Dekker had this fundamental concept in mind for his “Dirty Harry” script, but when the project didn’t materialize, “Ricochet” adopted this central theme.
Denzel Washington’s Ricochet: An Imitation of Cape Fear
Warner Bros.
Before Stephen de Souza, the scribe behind “Die Hard,” revised the “Ricochet” script while keeping Dekker’s foundational premise, the “Night of the Creeps” director was briefly associated with it. However, his attempts to recruit Kurt Russell for the film were unsuccessful, leading to the directorial responsibilities being handed over to Russell Mulcahy, known for “Highlander.” Dekker had this to say about his unsuccessful pitch to Russell:
“I had a brief moment where I was slated to direct ‘Ricochet.’ I met with Kurt Russell to discuss him playing the cop role. Before entering that meeting, I should have convinced myself: ‘I need to persuade Kurt Russell to do this movie!’ But I didn’t manage to sway him.”
Once Mulcahy stepped in, Washington was cast as Nick Styles, an LAPD rookie and law student who stumbles upon a mob hit led by Earl Talbot Blake (John Lithgow). After Styles thwarts Blake’s plans, Blake is arrested and sent to jail, while Styles is celebrated as a hero following a widely publicized trial. What ensues is Blake’s vengeful return several years later, armed with a sinister plot to make Styles suffer. Blake targets everyone Styles holds dear, using underhanded tactics to gain an advantage in this unchecked game of cat-and-mouse.
While “Ricochet” has its fair share of commendable moments, primarily driven by compelling lead performances, its overly serious scenes often feel misplaced. The fact that Scorsese’s “Cape Fear” was released in the same season didn’t help, as the remake offered a grittier, murkier reinterpretation of the original, with a host of intricate character motivations woven in. “Ricochet” misses the sophistication needed to carry off the unpredictable twist inherent in Lithgow’s portrayal of Blake, as the world around him doesn’t mirror his wickedness and is overly marked by clear-cut morality. However, the film’s absurd, laughable humor surprisingly rescues it from being a drag, making it worth watching for this aspect alone.
Credit: www.slashfilm.com
