Sudden Impact

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Sudden Impact

R

Released Dec 9, 1983

1h 57m

Action

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

51%

Tomatometer

41 Reviews

54%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Jennifer Spencer (Sondra Locke) was gang raped, but the crime went unpunished. Now she demands revenge, killing off the men that attacked her years before. The murders attract the attention of Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood), who is on a forced vacation due to his violent approach to police work. The case gets complicated when Harry develops a relationship with Jennifer, and it's up to Harry to make the right decision when Jennifer's life is threatened for a second time.

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Critics Consensus

Sudden Impact delivers all the firepower -- and the most enduring catchphrase -- fans associate with the Dirty Harry franchise, but it's far from the best film in the series.

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Harper Barnes

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Sudden Impact can be fun, if you do not take it too seriously. But it is so unrelievedly brutal and ugly, particularly in the last part, that even hard-core Dirty Harry fans may find themselves recoiling from the experience.

May 12, 2023

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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.

Mar 26, 2009

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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.

Jun 24, 2006

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…annoyingly garbled morally…Eastwood is so busy subverting audience notions of who Dirty Harry is that he neglects to provide much fan service at all…

Rated: 2/5

Feb 11, 2024

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George Anderson

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It probably won't matter to audiences, enjoying the preposterous body count, that Sudden Impact takes Dirty Harry treacherously close to self-parody.

May 13, 2023

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Allan Ulrich

San Francisco Examiner

What it all comes down to is an exercise in manipulation for the Neanderthal sensibility.

Rated: 2/4

May 12, 2023

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Cyril K

I liked it as much as Dirty Harry, dark and moody!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/09/24

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Geke g

Well written screenplay and cinematography

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/26/24

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Munkhchimeg T

For me recommended. Aint gonna be peaceful for a minute, that catchful and dilemmatic kk

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/04/24

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Aender S

The best of the Dirty Harry movies. No coincidence, it's also the one fully directed by Clint Eastwood.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/16/24

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James A

Directed by Clint, this is easily the darkest and most unsettling Dirty Harry film. And overall, it is also the franchise's best movie. The story is memorable and effectively challenges Inspector Callahan's moral sensibilities...at least far more than the events of Magnum Force ever did. Worth your time.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/01/24

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Alec B

The bleakest of these movies but that feels appropriate given the subject matter. Also, Locke's haunting performance seriously elevates what could have easily been your basic exploitation fair.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/24

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Clint Eastwood

Director

Clint Eastwood

Insp. 'Dirty' Harry Callahan

Sondra Locke

Jennifer Spencer

Pat Hingle

Chief Lester Jannings

Bradford Dillman

Capt. Briggs

Paul Drake

Mick

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Synopsis

Jennifer Spencer (Sondra Locke) was gang raped, but the crime went unpunished. Now she demands revenge, killing off the men that attacked her years before. The murders attract the attention of Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood), who is on a forced vacation due to his violent approach to police work. The case gets complicated when Harry develops a relationship with Jennifer, and it's up to Harry to make the right decision when Jennifer's life is threatened for a second time.

Director: Clint Eastwood
Producer: Clint Eastwood
Screenwriter: Harry Julian Fink, Rita M. Fink, Charles B. Pierce, Earl E. Smith, Joseph Stinson
Distributor: Warner Home Vídeo
Production Co: Warner Bros., The Malpaso Company
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 9, 1983, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2009
Runtime: 1h 57m
Sound Mix: Mono

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