Sudden Impact (1983)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers:

Harry Julian Fink (characters)
Rita M. Fink (characters)

Release Date:

9 December 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Two killers are at large. One of them is Dirty Harry. [Video]

Plot:

A rape victim is exacting revenge on her agressors in a small town outside San Francisco. Dirty Harry, on suspension for angering his superiors (again), is assigned to the case.

Plot Keywords:

Rape | Revenge | Rape Victim | Police | Heart Attack

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Harry Callahan
Sondra Locke	...	Jennifer Spencer
Pat Hingle	...	Chief Jannings
Bradford Dillman	...	Captain Briggs
Paul Drake	...	Mick
Audrie J. Neenan	...	Ray Parkins
Jack Thibeau	...	Kruger
Michael Currie	...	Lt. Donnelly
Albert Popwell	...	Horace King
Mark Keyloun	...	Officer Bennett
Kevyn Major Howard	...	Hawkins
Bette Ford	...	Leah
Nancy Parsons	...	Mrs. Kruger
Joe Bellan	...	Burly Detective
Wendell Wellman	...	Tyrone

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:18 | Iceland:16 | New Zealand:R16 | USA:R (certificate #27193) | Sweden:(Banned) (original rating) | Finland:K-16 (1993) (cut) | Finland:K-18 (1984) (cut) | Netherlands:12 | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) | Australia:M (TV rating) | Australia:R | Canada:R | France:-12 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 (DVD rating) | Sweden:15 (re-rating) (heavily cut) | UK:18 | West Germany:18 | Norway:18 (video premiere) (1988) (cut) | Norway:(Banned) (1984-2003) (cinema release) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Bowles Franklin Galleries - 765 Beach Street, Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The reason the film was made at all had to do with a survey. Warner Bros. was preparing to release the Sean Connery James Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983) and they took a survey. They asked movie goers to name an actor and a famous part that actor played. Clint Eastwood as "Dirty Harry" scored so high in the survey results, the studio told Eastwood it would be "open" to distributing another "Dirty Harry" film. Eastwood made this film as a result of that meeting.

Goofs:

Continuity: The bulldog changes sex; when urinating in Harry's room it is a male, yet when it warns Harry about the hitman behind the door it is a female.

Quotes:

Harry Callahan: Swell!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Charmings: The Charmings Get Robbed (#2.11)" (1988)

Soundtrack:

THIS SIDE OF FOREVER

Harry is at it again

Sudden Impact is the 4th of the Dirty Harry films and one of the best traits of these films is that they don't really degrade in quality from one film to the next. Thus, Sudden Impact provides another thrill ride through the life of Dirty Harry Callahan. This time Harry attempts to solve a series of murders while on vacation. Harry's always on the job it seems. Clint Eastwood plays Harry as he plays all his men of action, slow, deliberate, and without fear. As the first of the Dirty Harry films to be made in the 80's, Sudden Impact lacks a bit of the 70's feel that characterizes the first three films. This doesn't mean that it's quality is any less. Bottom Line: Brimming with intensity and action, Sudden Impact is another worthy addition to the Dirty Harry series.