Parents' Guide to

Sudden Impact

By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

'80s cop-drama sequel has rape, murder, revenge.

Movie R 1983 117 minutes
Sudden Impact Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 1 parent review

PhillyD
PhillyD Adult
August 25, 2018
age 15+

Decent but brutal cop thriller

This is not a great film by all means but it is fairly good and entertaining. This film is probably the most violent Dirty Harry film in the entire trilogy. There are plenty of gunfights with numerous casualties and there is more blood in them then the previous outings. The sexual content includes rape with some breasts seen but it is more brutal than sexual. There is not much smoking but there is mild alcohol consumption. Harry is not a great role model due to his unorthodox methods but at the end of the day he is just doing his job. The secondary female character is vengeful and uses violence for revenge. I would recommend watching this first before letting your kids watch this. I would rate this film 15 for strong bloody violence and sexual content including a brutal rape scene.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
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What's the Story?

"Go ahead, make my day" -- Inspector Callahan's (Clint Eastwood) famous alert to criminals he would be happy to shoot -- is uttered twice in SUDDEN IMPACT. Without any such warning, a gang rape victim (Sondra Locke) is gunning down her attackers right in the private parts, which starts making Harry's warning seem downright neighborly in comparison. As Harry investigates each individual murder, he starts making the connections that lead to the woman. Harry often bitterly complains that the justice system allows criminals too many constitutional protections, but he does tend to arrest criminals (if they survive his pursuit) and let judges and juries do the rest. The revenge-seeking vigilante knows no such restraint.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

What Sudden Impact does well is lay out a balance system that offers heinous crime on one side and satisfying retribution on the other. The audience can't help but root for the woman shooting rapists in cold blood. The movie whips viewers into a supportive frenzy as she eradicates the conscience-free scum who have evaded the justice system with the help of a corrupt police department. You go, girl!

But when the satisfaction subsides, our own consciences must ask: "Do we really want private citizens playing executioner? Is murdering a bad guy still murder? Does it deserve punishment? If not, what kind of society can we expect to live in?" As Clint Eastwood plays him, Harry is a man who sees the world in black and white. Do we want a little gray thrown in? Best for older teens who can handle the mature content and moral questions.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how the movie persuades viewers to root for a murderer seeking revenge for unpunished wrongs done to her and her sister years before. Do you think it's ever OK to take justice into your own hands?

  • Why do you think it feels good to see the bad guys get what they "deserve"? Does the movie think that the woman seeking vengeance should not be punished? Why, or why not?

  • How does this sequel compare to other Dirty Harry movies?

Movie Details

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