Dirty Harry - Death From Above
In the opening shot the audience finds itself staring down the barrel of a sniper’s (Andy Robinson) rifle.
Then … He uses his telescopic sight to aim directly at an unsuspecting woman enjoying a rooftop swim.
… and Now … The pool was for the use of guests staying at the Holiday Inn Chinatown. Brand new when the movie was filmed, the hotel was built on the site of the old Hall Of Justice at 750 Kearny Street following its 1968 demolition (map). After an extensive renovation the hotel became the Hilton Financial District in 2006 at which time the pool was closed. This 2020 Google 3D aerial view reveals a covered area where the pool had been. In this view Portsmouth Square is on the left and at far right we see the sloping sides of the TransAmerica Pyramid which was under construction and just out of sight in the Then image above.
Then (1958) … this image from the excellent Eli Wallach movie The Lineup captured the old Hall Of Justice taken from Portsmouth Square a decade before its demolition. Note that its frontage ran along Kearney Street. (Coincidentally the new Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant Street appears a number of times throughout this movie).
… and Now … here’s a recent photo of the Hilton Financial District on the same site now. The replacement building is set back from the main road.
The sniper homes in on the swimmer through his scope as she glides through the water, then delivers a single fatal shot.
Then … San Francisco Police Inspector "Dirty Harry” Callahan (Clint Eastwood) responds to the call, approaching the covered victim. In the distance we can see Treasure Island, Yerba Buena Island and the east bay hills.
… and Now … the pool was shut down in 2005 when the Holiday Inn was refurbished as a more upscale Hilton hotel. It never did reopen - here’s how it looks in 2023.
Then … He looks up at the likely place where the bullet came from - the top of the Bank Of America Center, a 779 ft 52-story office skyscraper that towered 415 feet above the rooftop pool. It was the highest building in the city back then but would soon be eclipsed by the TransAmerica Pyramid.
… c. 2005 … We thank Hank Donat, Mistersf of the website mistersf.com, for publishing a couple of photos of the pool taken shortly before it closed - CitySleuth combined them into this single image. The Bank Of America Center, since sold and now known as 555 California Street, is in the background at far left: the victim was lying in the foreground corner on the right.
… and Now, here’s the pool in 2023, still closed down.