This article contains mention of sexual assault.
Clint Eastwood’s darkDirty HarrysequelSudden Impactis really a gender-flipped remake of a controversial 1974 hit.Dirty Harryis one of the rareClint Eastwood movie franchises, but after the third entry in 1976, the star seemed done with the character. It was only when a Warner Bros poll revealed audiences wanted Harry back that Clint returned for another sequel. This saw Harry on the case of a serial killer who shoots victims in both the groin and forehead, and whileSudden Impactis famous for Harry’s “Make my day” catchphrase, it’s perhaps the bleakest of the series.
Harry eventually discovers the killer is artist Jennifer Spencer (Sondra Locke), who is tracking down and murdering the gang who assaulted her and her sister years before. While theDeath Wishmovies andTaxi Drivercovered similar themes,Sudden Impactsets itself apart by being a studio movie where it’s a woman acting as the vigilante and avenging her own attack, rather than a “righteous” male character doing it. In fact,the film started life as a solo project for Eastwood’s longtime romantic partner Locke, before he had the script turned into aDirty Harrystory.
The Only Killer Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry Let Go Free (& Why)
There weren’t many criminals who survived encountering Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry, but only one of the movies saw him let a killer go free.
Dirty Harry Sequel Sudden Impact Remade Controversial 1974 Hit Death Wish
The original Charles Bronson Death Wish remains divisive half a century later
Sudden Impactalso acts as a female-focused remake ofDeath Wish, the vigilante thriller that turned Charles Bronson into a movie star. This cast Bronson as a mild-mannered architect whose wife and daughter are brutally attacked during a home invasion. Bronson’s Paul Kersey then takes out his fury on the streets of New York, roaming the night with a revolver looking for muggers to shoot. Many critics were appalled byDeath Wish’smessage(though it’s still rated “Fresh” onRotten Tomatoes), feeling it was a power fantasy about a wealthy white man who felt empowered to gun down “hoodlums.”
Bizarrely, the film never deals with Kersey tracking down the gang that assaulted his family, which became the central hook forSudden Impact. This gives the story more of a narrative drive, with Jennifer working her way through the group one by one.WhileDeath Wish(and especially its sequels) reveled in Kersey gunning down thugs, there is the sense Jennifer is losing a piece of her soul with each killing- even if she still feels justified.
Sudden Impact is a complicated movie, where Eastwood’s Harry gets to punch and shoot various “punks,” but the underlying vigilante narrative is too dark to be viewed as a simple action flick.
Still, some of the old fearmongering from the Bronson movie is correct and present, such as Jennifer being accosted by a gang of Hispanic youths early on. Again,Sudden Impactis a complicated movie, where Eastwood’s Harry gets to punch and shoot various “punks,” but the underlying vigilante narrative is also too dark to be viewed as a cathartic action flick.
Sudden Impact Is The Only Dirty Harry Directed By Clint Eastwood
Eastwood was still heavily involved in the other Dirty Harry sequels
The original director ofDirty Harry, Don Siegel, had no interest in a sequel, so the subsequent follow-ups went to different helmers. Intriguingly,Sudden Impactis the soleDirty Harrydirected by Eastwood itself - which may account for it being the most distinct outside the original. That said, the star is also reported to have taken a heavy creative hand in the other installments, likeThe Dead Pool. This means that while they’re not officially moviesdirected by Clint Eastwood, he still had a big hand in shaping them.
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Sudden Impactcame at a good time for Eastwood, who was coming off the back of underperformers likeFirefoxandHonkytonk Man.The sequel was a sizable hit too, nabbing over $67 million worldwide (viaBox Office Mojo) and proving the Dirty Harry character still had a big followingamong audiences. The film carries a harder edge than the other sequels, both examining the long-term impact of acts of violence via Jennifer while also getting a thrill out of watching one-dimensional villains getting blown away.
Some of the introspection about violence that Eastwood would fully realize inUnforgiventurns up inSudden Impact, but the demands of aDirty Harryentry means hestillhas to pick up a large magnum and punish the guilty in the finale. On that score, Eastwood knows his way around a thrilling action shootout, and it can’t be denied that the death of the vile gang leader Mick (Paul Drake) isn’t immensely satisfying.
The 1985 Chuck Norris action vehicleCode of Silencebegan life as a potentialDirty Harrysequel.
Sudden Impact Is The Darkest Entry In The Dirty Harry Franchise
Sudden Impact won’t make everyone’s day
Sudden Impactfeels like two movies welded together, accounting for the way the disparate tones battle one anotherconstantly. During the first half in San Francisco, Harry foils a robbery and gets into various gunfights - which is par for the course for aDirty Harryfilm - while the Jennifer subplot plays mostly in the background. Once these divergent storylines meet and the film has to unpack the horror of Jennifer’s assault, it can’t be treated as a guilty pleasure action thriller anymore.
… Sudden Impact makes it clear the guilty can go unpunished while seeking revenge can leave the avenger hollowed out.
CallingSudden Impactthe darkest of theDirty Harryseries is no mean feat, considering the original andMagnum Forceare both gritty, violent tales. Still, the fourth outing makes it clear there are no black-and-white answers; the guilty can go unpunished while seeking revenge can leave the avenger hollowed out. This is also the onlyDirty Harrywhere Eastwood’s character lets the “villain” go, deciding that after all Jennifer has gone through, she’s at least owed a chance at rebuilding her life. UnlikeDeath Wish, there’s zero indication she will take up the vigilante habit again.
Sudden Impact
Cast
Sudden Impact, a crime thriller from director Clint Eastwood, follows San Francisco Police Inspector Harry Callahan as he investigates a series of vigilante killings. Set against the backdrop of the city’s gritty underworld, the film explores themes of justice and revenge while maintaining the suspense and tension characteristic of the series. Eastwood also stars, delivering a compelling portrayal of Callahan’s unwavering commitment to his own brand of law enforcement.
Death Wish
Death Wish, directed by Michael Winner, is a 1974 action thriller featuring a New York City architect whose life turns when his wife is murdered by street criminals. He becomes a vigilante, seeking retribution against muggers and transforming into a one-man force of justice.
