Sudden Impact (1983) Reviews

• Sudden Imapct is the third best Clint Eastwood's masterpiece!

  ivo-cobra82015-12-13

  Sudden Impact (1983) - Inspector Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood meets Death Wish! That sounds amazing which it is. The only Dirty Harry directed by Clint Eastwood himself, whiteout a question among, the finest pictures of the 80's, if is not for the best Magnum Force, one of my favorite Dirty Harry movies in the franchise ever!!! It is one of my personal favorite action movies of all time. The fourth installment of Dirty Harry series is one of the most astonish best and greatest Eastwood's masterpiece! I don't care what anyone say's I love this movie to death. It has the greatest and the most finest action in the 80's from Clint Eastwood. This movie is even miles way better than The Enforcer! This movie is a bad ass! Harry's line "Go ahead, make my day" is one of the most memorable praise since Dirty Harry (1971). A long to discover that Dirty Harry is Batman! Why can't they make bad ass action movies like this one is? I will always watch this action flick from Clint Eastwood. This movie is what it is, a perfect 10, because it takes the vision of one of the most imaginative directors on Earth, and realizes them almost perfectly with all the tools that fit the task -- actors, stunts and a lot action sequences in here with a great story. The Death Wish chapter of the Dirty Harry saga and another high point in the action genre containing an amount of masculine bad ass to make anyone grow their chest hair. Also the 475 Magnum montage had me in stitches. Sudden Impact allowed Harry to interact with someone who shares his mindset of justice. Definitely the darkest of the Dirty Harry movies. In my opinion the best in the series. The rapist got raped by a .44 Auto Mag, and then by a unicorn horn. I saw that one coming in the chase scene at the carousel. Clint Eastwood was Batman back when Batman was sipping' martinis and dancing in Studio 54. The film is absolutely filled with great, classic moments (I counted TEN all-star ones during my last viewing), and they're evenly spaced through the movie. Great acting and a plot worthy of the title character. Great cinematography. What else can I say buy it you will not be disappointed. This has to be one of Eastwood's best movie. Okay they are all good, but this one will make your day! The Dirty Harry films were in hiatus for 7.years, since no one wanted to make a Dirty Harry, Clint Eastwood made a fourth installment with a bad ass action film ever! Inspector "Dirty Harry" Callahan (Clint Eastwood) carries his Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum as his sidearm in the film. He is first seen pulling it in the coffee shop and saying what is one of the most famous movie lines in history. The S&W is used until it is kicked into a curb drain by Mick (Paul Drake). He then uses his AMC Auto Mag Pistol in .44 AMP as a replacement. This is different style of Harry using different weapon by the end of the movie. Sudden Impact is the fourth installment in the Dirty Harry film franchise and the only Dirty Harry film to be directed by Clint Eastwood himself. Eastwood returns as Inspector "Dirty Harry" Callahan, who visits a small Northern California city while on leave from the department and finds himself encountering a woman (Sondra Locke) with a vendetta against some of the town's citizens. The 1983 sequel also is the sequel where Eastwood utters the immortal line "Go ahead, make my day", while holding his Smith & Wesson Model 29. Sudden Impact also made popular the use of the .44 Magnum AMP Auto Mag Model 180. Sudden Impact is a 1983 American action film and the fourth film in the Dirty Harry series, directed by Clint Eastwood (making it the only Dirty Harry film to be directed by Eastwood himself), and starring Eastwood and Sondra Locke. This is the basic plot of the movie, it is a revenge flick about a rape victim who murderous spree of revenge puts his own ideas of justice to the test! I grew up with this movie and I still love it, even tough this flick was really dark, Sondra Locke played in it, Clint Eastwood's girlfriend at the time. They made many movies together including: The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), The Gauntlet (1977), Every Which Way But Loose (1978) and Any Which Way You Can. Sudden Impact (1983) was the last movie Sondra made with Clint Eastwood together. I think Clint did a terrific job of directing and producing his last and the only Dirty Harry movie. I still prefer Dirty Harry and Magnum Force as two of the best movies, but this is my third best movie of Dirty Harry and Clint Eastwood. This movie is a perfect 10.

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• Dirty Harry is Back, Big time

  jhclues2002-07-06

  The vigilante has long held a fascination for audiences, inasmuch as it evokes a sense of swift, sure justice; good triumphs over evil and the bad guy gets his deserts. It is, in fact, one of the things that has made the character of Dirty Harry Callahan (as played by Clint Eastwood) so popular. He carries a badge and works within the law, but at heart, Harry is a vigilante, meting out justice `his' way, which often puts him in conflict with his own superiors, as well as the criminals he's pursuing. But it's what draws the audience; anyone who's ever been bogged down in bureaucratic nonsense of one kind or another, delights in seeing someone cut through the red tape and get on with it-- even if it's only on the screen. And that satisfaction derived from seeing justice done-- and quickly-- is one of the elements that makes `Sudden Impact,' directed by and starring Eastwood, so successful. In this one, the fourth of the series, while working a homicide, Harry encounters a bona fide vigilante at work-- an individual whose brand of justice parallels his own, with one exception: Whoever it is, he's definitely not carrying a badge. In his own inimitable way, Inspector Callahan has once again ended up on the bad side of the department and is ordered to take some vacation time. So he does; as only `Dirty Harry' can. In a small town north of San Francisco, Harry finds himself smack dab in the middle of a homicide case, which he quickly links to a recent murder in San Francisco because of the unique M.O. employed by the perpetrator. Unaccountably, Harry encounters resistance from the local Police Chief, Jannings (Pat Hingle), who advises him to take his big city tactics and methods elsewhere. Not one to be deterred, however, Harry continues his investigation, which ultimately involves a beautiful and talented young artist, Jennifer Spencer (Sondra Locke). Gradually, Harry discovers a link between the victims; the burning question, though, is where does Jennifer Spencer fit into the picture? Eastwood is in top form here, both in front of and behind the camera, and it is arguably the second best of the five-film series, right behind the original `Dirty Harry.' It had been seven years since the last `Harry' offering (`The Enforcer,' 1976), but Eastwood steps right back into the character with facility and renewed vigor. And this one definitely benefits from having him in the director's chair, as he is able to recapture the essence of, not only his own character, but that `spirit' that made these films so successful, and he does it by knowing the territory and establishing a continuity that all but erases that seven year gap between #s 3 and 4. As with all the films he directs, Eastwood sets a deliberate pace that works perfectly for this material and creates just enough tension to keep it interesting and involving from beginning to end. The screenplay, by Joseph Stinson, is well written and formulated to that distinctive `Dirty Harry' style; the dialogue is snappy and the story itself (conceived by Charles B. Pierce and Earl E. Smith) is the most engaging since the original `Dirty Harry,' as it successfully endeavors to play upon the very personal aspects of the drama, rather than entirely upon the action. The characters are well drawn and convincing, and, of course, this is the film that gave us one of Harry's best catch-phrases: `Go, ahead-- make my day...' As Harry, Clint Eastwood perfectly embodies all of the elements that make this character so popular: He lives by a personal moral code, a true individual made of the kind of stuff we envision as that of the pioneers who settled this country and made America what it is today. Harry personifies that sense of freedom and justice we all strive for and hold so dear, possibly more so today than ever before. No matter who we are or where we come from, there's undeniably a part of us that wants to be Harry, or at least have him around. `Dirty Harry' is an icon of the cinema, and it's impossible to envision anyone but Eastwood portraying him; for better or worse, Eastwood `is' Dirty Harry, without question, just as Sean Connery is James Bond and Basil Rathbone, Sherlock Holmes. Sondra Locke is entirely effective here in the role of Jennifer Spencer, a young woman wronged and out for vengeance, or as she sees it, `justice.' She manages to bring a hard-edged determination laced with vulnerability to her character, with a convincing, introspective approach that is far beyond what is typical of the `action' genre. Even amid the violence, Locke keeps her focus on Jennifer and the traumatic events that have brought her to this stage of her life. Her portrayal makes a perfect complement to Eastwood's Harry, and becomes, in philosophy and deed, something of his counterpart. In supporting roles, two performances stand out: Paul Drake, as Mick, creates the best `psycho' since Andy Robinson's dynamic portrayal of the serial killer in the original `Dirty Harry.' With actually very limited screen time, Drake establishes a genuinely disconcerting presence that is believable and convincing, which adds much to the purely visceral response of the audience. This is the guy you can't wait to see Harry take care of in the end. Also effective is Audrie J. Neenan, who makes her character, Ray Parkins, the epitome of the proverbial `low life,' who can be found in any bar in any city. It's a performance that evokes a gut-level response, and it adds greatly to the credibility of the film, in that it helps provide that necessary sense of realism. The supporting cast includes Albert Popwell (Horace), Mark Kevloun (Bennett) and Nancy Parsons (Mrs. Kruger). With a perfect blend of drama and action, `Sudden Impact' dispenses justice that is a fulfilling respite from reality; the perfect justice of a not-so-perfect world, that makes for a satisfying cinematic experience. 9/10.

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• Great guns

  Ispybeeper2003-08-24

  The Dirty Harry series are great films. Forget reality and political correctness, just enjoy the films. Like the rest of the series the formula is perfect in Sudden Impact, a great actor delivering action, humour, thrills and excitement.

• Harry is at it again

  chvylvr802003-09-04

  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.

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• Fourth Dirty Harry entry changes the formula to a darker, character-driven style.... interesting but not wholly successful.

  barnabyrudge2003-12-11

  Sudden Impact is the most unusual of the five Dirty Harry movies, but that doesn't make it the best. However, after the rather flat and comic-book heroics of the third film, The Enforcer, it's good to see some changes to the formula. Sudden Impact is quite a dark, moody piece of cinema with big emphasis on character. Yes, there's action, but the action in this one is only one piece of the jigsaw whereas in some of the other Dirty Harry outings the action was everything. Harry Callahan (Eastwood) is in hot water with his superiors for carrying out an illegal search on a suspicious car. The young thugs he arrested are released because of the lack of evidence, and they set out to take revenge on Harry. However, Harry is a tough nut to crack - and pretty soon he is striking back in his own destructive style. Harry's boss decides to get Harry out of town for a while to avoid further bloodshed, so he assigns him to a quiet murder investigation in an isolated coastal town. Harry pieces together the mystery and discovers that the killer is a female artist (Locke) who is bumping off a bunch of drop-outs who gang-raped her and her sister years previously. Should he arrest her for the killings, or should he turn a blind eye and let her do away with these repellent scum-bags? The film is probably the second best in the series (the original is always going to be considered the best). Peculiarly, it is the only Dirty Harry movie upon which Eastwood also doubled up as director. It isn't a whole success, with some needless scenes (what's the point of the sequence detailing the hold-up of a coffee shop?) and a couple of overly hammy performances by the main villains (especially the trailer trash redhead). On the whole, though, this is a very interesting and unusual addition to the series which gets by on the strength of being totally different to all the other four episodes.

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