The Red Dead Redemption series takes heavy inspiration from existing properties, most notably westerns and samurai films. One fan recently noticed a striking similarity between Red Dead Redemption 2's iconic box art and an equally iconic scene featuring Clint Eastwood in the 1971 film Dirty Harry.
Although Dirty Harry is a cop film, not a western, it captures a similarly bleak and often brutal tone to the Red Dead Redemption games. Harry Callahan, like Arthur Morgan, is a morally ambiguous protagonist who could be considered an outright villain in today's more police-critical climate. However, the parallels between them go deeper than that.
Redditor Frobe4K compared the cover art of Red Dead Redemption 2 to a screenshot in Dirty Harry. The cover art shows Arthur Morgan aiming his gun at the viewer while holding his head at almost exactly the same angle as Harry Callahan. Their expressions are also strikingly similar. Although Arthur Morgan's character archetype may have its roots in samurai films, the resemblance between him and Harry Callahan here is hard to deny, especially since he goes by the alias Arthur Callahan in the game.
Some fans have questioned whether the cover art was deliberately patterned after the shot from Dirty Harry, noting that a male protagonist pointing a gun at the camera is hardly an uncommon pose. However, the level of detail carried over does imply that the reference was as intentional as Red Dead Redemption 2's subtle alternate history. Other films that Rockstar drew inspiration for during the making of the Red Dead Redemption series include Unforgiven, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
This comparison appears to have been largely accepted by fans, especially as Dirty Harry is now considered a classic film, and Clint Eastwood is already deeply connected to the western genre. Several comments immediately began quoting the film, particularly Callhan's iconic monologue about having forgotten how many shots he'd fired.
Some of those comments twisted it so the one being threatened was Micah. One user jokingly expressed surprise that Dirty Harry had copied Red Dead Redemption 2, despite Dirty Harry having come out roughly 50 years beforehand. Red Dead Redemption fans are well known for recreating historical figures and popular characters, so Harry Callahan may find his way into the series as more than just an inspiration.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.