Original artwork, not a still
Well, when an adult male is chasing a female with intent to commit rape, I shoot the bastard. That's my policy.
— Dirty Harry · 1971
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Callahan states a policy of shooting a man he judges to be pursuing a woman with intent to rape, using an insult for that man. The line expresses a fictional character’s violent response to sexual violence; it is not legal guidance or proof of a particular incident.
Context reviewed
