My Thoughts on the Movie Magnum Force

The Magnum Force film is a sequel to the Dirty Harry movie. In this essay we will discuss the officer's total disregard of the Rule of Law. We will also point out which amendments were violated in the film. The main amendments we will be talking about will be the fourth, fifth, sixth, eight, and the fourteenth. Of course, our unpopular hero Dirty Harry has to break an amendment or two, enabling him to stop the bad cops from continuing on the killing spree.

In the scene by the highway, under the bridge, the motorcycle cop pulls over a car with four men in it. Before the driver can say anything he was shot by the officer, as well as the other three men in the vehicle. The officer at this moment violated the Fifth Amendment; by not reading or informing the men of their Miranda Rights. He also denied them the right to a trial; here is when he violated the sixth amendment. The dead men were also not given their due process, violation of amendment number fourteen.

The hillside party scene was a shocker. The motorcycle cop drove up the road and quietly walked up the hillside. When he was in range of the pool party, he began shooting. As he murdered everyone at the party, he broke numerous laws and amendments. Amendment four was the first to be broken in this scene; he had no reason to be there and no warrant. As an officer, he knew he was supposed to advise them all of their rights, here is when number five was broken. There was no chance for a trial, bail to be set, and it was cruel and an unusual way to be punished.

There was an older man, a younger man, and a young woman in an apartment; they were all shot by the motorcycle cop. He just walked in and began murdering the three; there was no chance for them to say a word. Again, we see there was no reason for this cop to be in that apartment, he had no warrant, and not one word of the Miranda Rights was read to the dead people. In this scene the fourth, fifth, opportunity to invoke the sixth and eighth, and definitely (due process) the fourteenth amendments were all violated.

In this film we see the vigilante officers time and time again breaking the law, amendment after amendment. Wanting things to be perfect, but not following the rules to get it, the good guys turn into the criminals. Unfortunately, the law protects the criminals as well as the law abiding citizens. Here we learn that the system is not perfect, but it's all we have until someone comes up with something better. We also see how a vigilante can cause more harm than good.