Act of Violence (1949)

90% of critics liked it
(10 reviews)
79% of users liked it
(452 ratings)

An unusually disturbing noir from a director better known for more mainstream fare like High Noon and From Here to Eternity, Act of Violence focuses on a WWII veteran haunted by his past. A film that was close to the director's heart, he said that it represented "the first time that I felt confident… More An unusually disturbing noir from a director better known for more mainstream fare like High Noon and From Here to Eternity, Act of Violence focuses on a WWII veteran haunted by his past. A film that was close to the director's heart, he said that it represented "the first time that I felt confident that I knew what I was doing and why I was doing it." Van Heflin stars as Frank Enley, a contractor living a peaceful life in a small California town, when Joe Parkson, a man who served in the army with him, arrives in the area, intent on killing him. He follows Frank to a lake where he's fishing but is unable to kill him. When a lakeside bartender tells Frank that a man with a limp is looking for him, Frank is frightened, realizing why he has come. He tells his wife, Edith (Janet Leigh), that Joe is a man who spent time with in a Nazi POW camp, who is now mentally ill, and that he intends to avoid him. When Frank goes to Los Angeles for a business convention, Joe arrives at his house and tells his wife that her husband is responsible for his injury and for the deaths of a number of men. Fearing for her husband's life, Edith heads for L.A. with Joe not far behind. ~ Michael Costello, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 22 min.
Directed By: Fred Zinnemann
Genres: Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

In Theaters: Dec 21, 1948 Wide
On DVD: Jul 31, 2007

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
It is strong meat for the heavy drama addicts, tellingly produced and played to develop tight excitement.
Bosley Crowther, New York Times
Technically Act of Violence touches all the bases in its circuit chase. But it is as though it were doing it on the strength of a long, foul ball.
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Fred Zinnemann's best movie
Louis Proyect, rec.arts.movies.reviews
A terrific film noir directed by the great Fred Zinnemann. Reflects growing disillusionment with American society linked to the emerging Cold War.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Grim, exciting film noir.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
One of MGM's best film noirs and one of Zinnemann's early films to deal with what would become a recurrent issue in his owrk: Men tormented by moral conscience, here in the context of a WWII revenge medlodrama
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies
Zinnemann shows a knack for suspense and moral ambiguity that he unfortunately abandoned in his later Oscar-mongering prestige pictures.
, Film4
Zinnemann's film noir is a rather cynical dig at post-war triumphalism, which questions ideas of heroism.
Mark Freeman, Senses of Cinema
A complex, fascinating noir that exposes the grim truths behind the shiny, fragile façade of post-war America.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A tense melodrama...

Read all 10 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Stella D

interesting scenario of sympathetic family man van heflin being stalked by a slightly crazed robert ryan for something bad that happened in the war. the ending wraps everything up a little too neatly in classic western style but with good suspense in getting there. mary astor plays… More
interesting scenario of sympathetic family man van heflin being stalked by a slightly crazed robert ryan for something bad that happened in the war. the ending wraps everything up a little too neatly in classic western style but with good suspense in getting there. mary astor plays an aging hooker at the same time she was playing the saintly mother in little women LOL
Michael G

Act of Violence is a pretty forgettable and unremarkable noir that explains revenge as it's plot but doesn't really make you believe it. Robert Ryan is unusually dull here (picture a low rent Max Cady) and Van Heflin is just a warm body filling up screen time and keeping… More
Act of Violence is a pretty forgettable and unremarkable noir that explains revenge as it's plot but doesn't really make you believe it. Robert Ryan is unusually dull here (picture a low rent Max Cady) and Van Heflin is just a warm body filling up screen time and keeping shots balanced. I liked where the story went for the second act but by the end it just seemed like 25 lbs of shit stuffed in a 15 lb bag. I just wasn't really buying it all. It's not all bad though, the lighting is brilliant and that final scene that was blatantly influenced by Westerns was well done--all up to the car crash. Look for a young, dopey Janet Leigh and and old, tired Mary Astor.

Cast

            Van Heflin as Frank R. Enley

            Robert Ryan as Joe Parkson

            Janet Leigh as Edith Enley

            Phyllis Thaxter as Ann Sturges

            Mary Astor as Pat

            Berry Kroeger as Johnny

            Taylor Holmes as Gavery

            Harry Antrim as Fred Finney

            Connie Gilchrist as Martha Finney

            Will Wright as Pop

            Rudolph Anders as German Voice

            William Norton Bailey as Ad Lib Drunk

            Margaret Bert as Bystander

            Barbara Billingsley
            
            Douglas Carter Beane as Heavy Jowled Man

            Bill Cartledge as Newsboy

            Rex Downing as Teenage Boy

            Dick Elliott as Pompous Man

            Mary Jo Ellis as Bystander

            Everett Glass as Night Clerk

            Don Haggerty as Policeman

            Mahlon Hamilton as Wino

            Tom Hanlon as Radio Voice

            Nicholas Joy as Mr. Gavery

            Paul Kruger as Policeman

            Nolan Leary
            
            Wilbur Mack as Ad Lib Drunk

            Mickey Martin as Teenage Boy

            Howard Mitchell as Bartender

            Ralph Montgomery as Man

            David Newell as Bystander

            Garry Owen as Attendent

            Ralph Peters as Tim the Bartender

            William 'Bill' Phillips as Veterans

            Andre Pola as German Voice

            Fred Santley as Drunk

            Frank J. Scannell as Bell Captain

            Irene Seidner as Old Woman

            Phil Tead as Clerk

            Harry Tenbrook as Man

            Roland Varno as German Voice

            Larry Holt as Georgie Enley

            Phil Dunham as Ad Lib Drunk

            George Ovey as Bystander

            John Albright as Bellboy

            Jim Drum as Policeman

            Ann Lawrence as Bystander

            Fred Datig Jr. as Bystander

            Cameron A. Grant as Man

            Dick Simmons as Veterans

            Roger Moore as Wino
See full cast