Ive always wondered how thats considered insulting or what it means outside of that line.
shareI'm not sure if you realize this, but the last line is a reference to the first scene with Callahan and Briggs, when Callagan shows up to the Ricca crime scene.
Briggs says that he's proud that he never had to take his gun out of its holster and Callahan says, "You're a good man, Lieutenant. A good man always knows his limitations."
Here he's saying that Briggs is a coward and wouldn't be any good with a gun anyway. Repeating it at the end of the movie is kind of poetic, especially in light of the fact that Briggs finally did take his gun out of its holster, and look how that ended.
Regards,
Jon Heese
basically: don't night putt if you're not a good putter
I'm with the Mattress Police. There are no tags on these mattresses.
Only JonHeese got it right. Harry uses that line for the sole purpose of insulting whoever he's uttering it to, and usually just in reply to some idiot who criticizes him for using excessive force. Callahan sees that force as a necessary component of the job.
shareThe line refers to 3 things in 3 different contexts.
The line refers to what a person is 1) willing to to do 2) able to do and 3) obligated to do (morally)
Harry is saying that a man (or a woman) must have knowledge of the limits to what
1) he (I'll refer to see since they are all men in the movie but it obviously applies to anyone regardless of gender) is willing to do.
When Harry meets Briggs for the first time, Briggs says he's never had to pull his gun. Harry's line here means, "hey you must be a good man because a good man knows what he is is willing to do and not willing to do and acts on the former not the latter." A good man could do what he is unwilling to do, but chooses not to.
2) he is able (or has the capacity) to do.
Briggs makes a comment about not having time to do the ballistics (or it takes too long, I forget). Regardless, Harry says something about needing time in order to accomplish the task. Here Harry's line means, "A man has to know what he is able to do and not able to do." A man can't do the impossible. If a man can't do something, he needs to own up to that. Or he needs to know what he needs in order to do something. I need X to do Y.
3) he has a moral obligation to do
As police officers they swore an oath. Briggs had crossed over to the dark side: lying, fabricating evidence, and of course creating the magnum force death squad. Harry's line is that there is a clear line that a good man cannot cross, and Briggs and the rookie cops crossed it.
Great response
shareIt means a dude should know his limitations.
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