Scorpio Killer
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| Dirty Harry character | |
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| Andrew Robinson as the Scorpio Killer | |
| "Scorpio" | |
| Real Name: | Charles Davis |
| Date of Birth: | November 14, 1938 Springfield, Massachusetts |
| Date of Death | 1971 Marin County, California |
| Gender: | Male |
| Family | Father, Mother, Sister (all deceased) |
| Occupation/Title: | Caretaker/Serial killer |
| Whereabouts: | Deceased |
| Portrayed by: | Andrew Robinson |
"The 'Scorpio' Killer" was a fictional character in the 1971 film Dirty Harry, portrayed by Andrew Robinson.
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[edit] In the film
In the film, not much is revealed about the character other than that he works as the caretaker at Kezar Stadium and is a serial killer responsible for four murders or maybe more; his victims including two young teenage girls (one of whom he raped and buried alive), a young African-American boy, and a police officer in disguise of a Catholic priest. The weapons he uses throughout the film and to most of his victims are either a .30-06 sniper rifle or an automatic MP40. By the near end of the film, he steals a Walther P38 9 mm pistol from a liquor store owner, after his weapons are taken into custody by the police. He threatens the city of San Francisco to murder one person each day until he is paid a full ransom of $200,000 (originally $100,000, but upgraded after a double-crossing stakeout by Inspector Harry Callahan and his partner Frank DiGiorgio).
As a result of a written messages sent to City Hall by Scorpio stating that he has buried a teenage girl alive, Callahan is sent to pay the ransom, and goes from phone booth to phone booth all over the city in order to save the girl. Eventually he encounters the killer at Mount Davidson Park and is severely beaten by him, during which Scorpio announces that he does not in fact intend to release the girl, and plans to kill Callahan too. However, Callahan's partner Chico Gonzalez saves him and Callahan inflicts a serious stab wound in Scorpio's left leg, after which he is pursued into Kezar Stadium and is illegally tortured and arrested by Callahan.
No charges are brought against Scorpio, who upon his release gets deliberately beaten up by a thug in order to frame Callahan for police brutality. He then sends his final threatening message to City Hall, that he has hijacked a school bus, and demands the ransom again from the City of San Francisco to be delivered to him at the Santa Rosa Airport, where a jet airplane will be waiting for his arrival. Harry pursues Scorpio into a cement factory where a gun battle ensues between the two foes. After shooting him in the shoulder, Harry confronts Scorpio with the now famous quote:
| “ | I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk? | ” |
Scorpio pushes his luck too far by grabbing his gun, whereupon Callahan shoots him fatally in the chest.
In Phillip Rock's novelization of the film, Scorpio has more dialogue and in-depth scenes than in the movie, including one where he actually meets the young girl that he would eventually kidnap in the climax. In this version, he cannot even remember his own name. However, unlike the film it is later revealed that his real name is Charles Davis, an escaped mental patient from Springfield, Massachusetts, who at an early age had killed his entire family. In both the film and the book, he is a Vietnam veteran. He chose his alias "Scorpio", since he was born on the dates of the month of the astrology sign.
[edit] Casting
Originally, Audie Murphy was approached to play the Scorpio Killer, but he died in a plane crash before his decision on the offer could be made. The part eventually went to a relative unknown, Andy Robinson, who was discovered by Clint Eastwood who saw him in a play, and thought he would be perfectly cast. Film director Don Siegel also gave a nod, stating that he hired Robinson because he has "the face of a choir boy". Robinson's portrayal was so chilling that after the film was released he reportedly received several death threats and was forced to get an unlisted telephone number. In real life, Robinson is a pacifist who despises guns. In the early days of principal photography, Robinson would flinch violently every time he fired. Siegel was forced to shut down production for a time and sent Robinson to a school to learn to fire a gun convincingly. Nonetheless, he still blinks when he shoots.
[edit] Victims
[edit] Killed
- Sandra Benson - shot while swimming in a rooftop pool in the film's opening
- Charlie Russell - a 10-year-old black boy shot outside his mother's house
- Officer John Collins - a policeman, killed while pursuing Scorpio
- Ann Mary Deacon - taken hostage, raped, beaten and buried alive with a limited supply of oxygen. Callahan tortures Ann's location out of Scorpio, but when recovered she is already dead.
[edit] Survived
- Inspector Chico Gonzales - shot by Scorpio in a shootout at Mount Davidson Park, when he tries to save Callahan from getting killed by him while delivering his first ransom.
| Preceded by none |
Dirty Harry villain Dirty Harry |
Succeeded by Lt. Neil Briggs |
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