Impact

"Wanted By Two Women! One For Love! One For Murder!"

1949 1h 51m EN

😐

6.1

MID

🍅

71%

FRESH

⭐

IMDB

★6.1TMDB · 67🍅71%Rotten Tomatoes★7IMDB · 5,651

ThrillerDramaMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After surviving a murder attempt, an auto magnate goes into hiding so his wife can pay for the crime.

“Wanted By Two Women! One For Love! One For Murder!”

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Cast

Brian Donlevy
Walter Williams
Ella Raines
Marsha Peters
Charles Coburn
Lieutenant Quincy
Helen Walker
Irene Williams
Anna May Wong
Su Lin
Robert Warwick
Captain Callahan
Clarence Kolb
Darcy
Art Baker
Defense Attorney

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Arthur Lubin
Writers: Jay Dratler, Jay Dratler, Dorothy Davenport
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

77 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Arthur Lubin, shot by Ernest Laszlo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michel Michelet. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Arthur H. Nadel shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Brian Donlevy and Ella Raines and Charles Coburn carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Wanted By Two Women! One For Love! One For Murder!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0041503 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 67 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Arthur Lubin directs. Ernest Laszlo behind the camera. Michel Michelet scores. Arthur H. Nadel cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

177 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Arthur Lubin, shot by Ernest Laszlo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Michel Michelet. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Arthur H. Nadel shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Brian Donlevy and Ella Raines and Charles Coburn carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Wanted By Two Women! One For Love! One For Murder!".
7IMDB entry: tt0041503 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 67 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ernest Laszlo
Original score: Michel Michelet
Editing: Arthur H. Nadel
Costume design: Maria P. Donovan
Makeup / hair: Lee Greenway
Runtime: 111 min · 1h 51m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Impact (1949)
Rotten Tomatoes: 71% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7/10 · 5,651 votes
MPAA: Approved

Also by

Arthur Lubin

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2019-08-18
★ 8/10
Impact, when two things collide. San Francisco industrial supremo Walter Williams survives an attempt on his life by his two-timing wife's lover, whom ironically is badly burned and killed at the scene himself. As the police think that Williams is the badly burned corpse, his wife is arrested and accused of his murder, with Williams hiding out and plotting revenge in the sleepy back water town of Larkspur, Idaho. But even as Williams finds new hope and re-evaluation of his life, he knows he must go back and reveal all about what happened, which is something that may well prove to be his undoing! Impact is directed by Arthur Lubin and stars Brian Donlevy, Ella Raines, Charles Coburn and Helen Walker. The basic plot and story is certainly nothing new, and I will not list them, but other films such as "The Postman Always Rings Twice" spring to mind immediately upon finishing this smashing and enjoyable piece. However, what is definitely in pic's favour is that it's excellently acted (Donlevy and Raines a delight) and that it manages to bring about the main twist without any aura of inevitability hanging over it. Sitting nicely between film noir and drama, Impact is a film that possibly wouldn't stand up to repeat viewings, yet once viewed I personally feel that it leaves a mark that is most definitely favourable - and I'm not just biased because Ella Raines is stunningly gorgeous here!!! 8/10
CinemaSerf2022-07-09
★ 6/10
This could have been much better had Arthur Lubin not cast the rather wooden, Clark Gable-light Brian Donlevy in the lead role as "Walt Williams", a successful businessman who falls prey to a cunning plot by his scheming wife "Irene" (Helen Walker) and her lover "Jim" (Tony Barrett) to bump him off. When the wrong man comes a cropper, "Walt" keeps his head down in a small Idaho town where he takes up with the local garage owner who needs a decent mechanic. Meantime, able detective "Quincy" (Charles Coburn) has put a strong case together against the wife and as she is about to be put on trial, the new girlfriend "Marsha" (Ella Raines) prevails on "Walt" to return to civilisation and into a maelstrom of legal proceedings. It's just a touch too convoluted, but the last fifteen minutes are quite gripping if a little far fetched. Worth a watch, though, if only for some very classy automobiles.