Sudden Impact (1983)
-
58% of critics liked it
(33 reviews) -
55% of users liked it
(21,203 ratings)
In this fourth installment of the Dirty Harry series, Harry has been banished temporarily from San Francisco because his superiors are uncomfortable about his feud with a local crime boss. He goes to an oceanside small town for a little rest and recuperation but finds the town has been traumatized… More In this fourth installment of the Dirty Harry series, Harry has been banished temporarily from San Francisco because his superiors are uncomfortable about his feud with a local crime boss. He goes to an oceanside small town for a little rest and recuperation but finds the town has been traumatized by a series of brutal murders. Harry meets and falls in love with Jennifer Spencer (Sandra Locke), a young artist. Jennifer and her sister were brutally raped a few years previously by a group of men, leaving her sister catatonic and Jennifer filled with a rage that is expressed in her disturbing artworks. Harry investigates the killings and the rapes, and one by one he dispatches Jennifer's rapists, one of whom is the son of the local police chief (which explains why the police have done little investigating). Finally, Harry finds out that Jennifer also dispenses her own brand of justice because she cannot rely on the criminal justice system. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi
- Directed By
- Clint Eastwood
- Genres
- Mystery & Suspense, Action & Adventure
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1983 Wide
- Studio
- Warner Bros. Pictures
Critic Reviews
-
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
It is viewed by many aficionados as the best of the five movies about the hard-nosed, authority-defying San Francisco cop.
-
Variety Staff, Variety
This is the first entry in the series to have been directed by Eastwood himself, and action is put over with great force, if also with some obviousness.
-
, Time Out
Eastwood the star needed a hit to bolster his flagging ratings; now that he's got it, maybe Harry will be put out to stud, with his Magnum.
-
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
To all those cowboy movies we saw in our youth, all those TV Westerns and cop dramas and war movies, Dirty Harry has brought a great simplification: A big man, a big gun, a bad guy and instant justice.
-
Vincent Canby, New York Times
By my count, more than a dozen people are murdered on camera, about half by Miss Locke and most of the others by Mr. Eastwood. This gives them something in common as lovers.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Currently unavailable on Flixster
Also available on
UltraViolet Retailers
Other Retailers
Subscription Services
Cast
-
Clint Eastwood
as Harry Callahan
-
Sondra Locke
as Jennifer Spencer
-
Pat Hingle
as Chief Jannings
-
Bradford Dillman
as Capt. Briggs
-
Paul Drake
as Mick
-
Audrie J. Neenan
as Ray Parkins
-
Jack Thibeau
as Kruger
-
Michael Currie
as Lt. Donnelly
-
Albert Popwell
as Horace King
-
Mark Keyloun
as Officer Bennett
-
Kevin Howard
as Hawkins
-
Bette Ford
as Leah
-
Nancy Parsons
as Mrs. Kruger
-
Carmen Argenziano
as D'Ambrosia
-
Lisa Batt
as Elizabeth
-
Joe Bellan
as Detective Burly
-
Matthew Child
as Alby
-
Mara Corday
as Waitress
-
Lois De Banzie
as Judge
-
Nick Dimitri
as Assassin
-
Nancy Fish
as Historical Society Woman
-
Michael Vincente Gazzo
as Threlkis
-
John X. Heart
as Policeman
-
Steve Kravitz
as Hawkins' Cronies
-
Lisa London
as Young Hooker
-
Russ McCubbin
as Eddie
-
James McEachin
as Detective Barnes
-
Lloyd Nelson
as Desk Sergeant
-
Bill Reddick
as Police Commissioner
-
Tom Spratley
as Senior Man
-
Robert Sutton
as Carl
-
Morgan Upton
as Bartender
-
Wendell Wellman
as Tyrone
-
Jophery C. Brown
as Young Guy
-
Michael Maurer
as George Wilburn
- Marion Dougherty
-
Christopher Pray
as Detective Jacobs
-
Michael Johnson
as Assassin
- Carmen Agenziano
- Kevyn Major Howard

