Impact (1949 film)

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Impact

Brian Donlevy with costar Ella Raines in Impact
Directed by Arthur Lubin
Produced by Leo C. Popkin
Written by Dorothy Davenport
Jay Dratler
Starring Brian Donlevy
Ella Raines
Distributed by United Artists
Release date(s) March 20, 1949 (U.S. release)
Running time 111 min
Language English
IMDb profile

Impact is a 1949 film noir starring Brian Donlevy and Ella Raines. Impact was filmed entirely in California and included scenes at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf. The film was based on a story by film noir writer Jay Dratler.

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[edit] Plot

Millionaire-industrialist Walter Williams (played by Brian Donlevy) has a young wife (Helen Walker) who is trying to kill him. With the help of her young lover the plan falls apart when Williams survives a hit on the head from the thug. When the murderer flees the scene of the attempted killing, he kills himself in an accident with the victim's car. At this point, it is believed that Williams is dead. He ends up in a small town in Idaho, taking a job as a service station mechanic and falling in love with Marsha, the station owner (played by Ella Raines). Meanwhile the police arrests Williams' wife for his "murder". When Marsha eventually persudes Walter to goe back to clear his wife, he is charged with the murder of the lover, leaving Marsha and a kindly police detective (played by Charles Coburn) scrambling to prove his innocence.

[edit] Reaction

DVD Beaver Gary W. Tooze praised the B-movie. "As far as 'modest' Film Noirs go, this is one of the best. A simple plot idea is twisted to the max for late 1940's audiences." [1]

[edit] Featured cast

Actor Role
Brian Donlevy Walter Williams
Ella Raines Marsha Peters
Charles Coburn Lt. Tom Quincy
Helen Walker Irene Williams
Anna May Wong Su Lin
Robert Warwick Capt. Callahan

Impact co-star Anna May Wong, makes her first screen appearance since 1942.

[edit] Quote

In this world, you turn the other cheek, and you get hit with a lug wrench. - Walter Williams (Donlevy)

[edit] External links