Sudden Impact: Critic Reviews

67%

MovieWeb: 0 reviews

59%

RottenTomatoes: 32 reviews

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Vincent Canby New York Times (Top Critic)

40

By my count, more than a dozen people are murdered on camera, about half by Miss Locke and most of the others by Mr. Eastwood. This gives them something in common as lovers.
Full Review » 9 years ago
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times (Top Critic)

75

To all those cowboy movies we saw in our youth, all those TV Westerns and cop dramas and war movies, Dirty Harry has brought a great simplification: A big man, a big gun, a bad guy and instant justice.
Full Review » 8 years ago
Variety Staff Variety (Top Critic)

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.
Full Review » 3 years ago
James Berardinelli ReelViews (Top Critic)

75

It is viewed by many aficionados as the best of the five movies about the hard-nosed, authority-defying San Francisco cop.
Full Review » 3 years ago
John J. Puccio DVDTown.com

60

...stretches the believability factor to the limit, with a story that is all over the map.
Full Review » 2 years ago
Fernando F. Croce CinePassion

A study of the Dirty Harry macho drive, worked out lucidly by the filmmaker and his avenging muse
Full Review » 2 years ago
Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid

The film lags whenever Eastwood isn't on screen, but even his dryly humorous patter can't offset the very sour, mean tone of the rest of the film.
Full Review » 3 years ago
Michael A. Smith Nolan's Pop Culture Review

40

Sadly, Clint was still sleeping with Sandra Locke and giving her work! The worse of the "Dirty Harry" films...didn't "make my day"
Full Review » 4 years ago
Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com

60

Full Review » 4 years ago
Susan Granger www.susangranger.com

40

Full Review » 5 years ago
Michael Dequina TheMovieReport.com

80

Full Review » 5 years ago
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.
Full Review » 6 years ago
Rob Thomas Capital Times (Madison, WI)

40

Harry starts to parody himself with this one.
Full Review » 6 years ago
Brad Laidman Film Threat

60

Boy did Ronald Reagan love this movie!
Full Review » 6 years ago
Chuck O'Leary Fantastica Daily

60

Not as strong as the first three Dirty Harry movies, but this fourth one has enough classic Harry Callahan moments to make it a worthy addition to the series.
Full Review » 7 years ago
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com

60

Full Review » 7 years ago
Steve Crum Kansas City Kansan

80

Dirty Harry draws again. Vintage Clint.
Full Review » 8 years ago
Leo Goldsmith Not Coming to a Theater Near You

80

Full Review » 8 years ago
Alex Sandell Juicy Cerebellum

60

Worth watching, just for THEE line.
Full Review » 9 years ago
James O'Ehley Sci-Fi Movie Page

40

Full Review » 9 years ago
Carol Cling Las Vegas Review-Journal

60

Full Review » 9 years ago
Brian Mckay eFilmCritic.com

40

The worst of the Dirty Harry films, made even more excruciating by Sondra Locke's presence. Fans of the series will find several worthwhile moments, however.
Full Review » 9 years ago
Nicolas Lacroix Showbizz.net

60

Full Review » 10 years ago
Jeffrey Westhoff Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

40

Full Review » 10 years ago
Robert Roten Laramie Movie Scope

60

Probably Sondra Locke's best performance.
Full Review » 10 years ago