Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- tense
- fatalistic
- melodramatic
- classic noir night
- rainy day viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard it as a brisk, solid modest film noir whose high-concept crime plot is contrived but effective as a late-1940s B thriller.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Walter survives the attack but allows authorities and newspapers to believe he died, hiding as a mechanic in Idaho while following Irene's prosecution.
Jim's fatal crash in Walter's car causes the burned corpse to be identified as Walter, redirecting suspicion toward Irene and concealing Walter's survival.
Irene's affair with Jim motivates the attempted murder and later drives the competing accusations surrounding Walter's supposed death.
Walter leaves San Francisco's business world for Larkspur, Idaho, where Marsha employs him at a gas station and offers an alternative life.
Films like Impact, and why
The Postman Always Rings Twice
shared film noir atmosphere, marital betrayal, mistaken identity, and a protagonist hiding after an attempted killing
Double Indemnity
shared noir fatalism, adulterous conspiracy, suburban respectability, and a murder plot that spirals through legal jeopardy
The Stranger
shared crime mystery structure, false identity, threatened innocence, and brisk late-1940s noir tension
Too Late for Tears
shared postwar noir mood, small-town refuge, romantic renewal, and danger following a supposedly dead man
Movie Details
- Director
- Arthur Lubin
- Release Date
- 1949-03-20
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (67)
Cast
- Brian Donlevy
- Ella Raines
- Charles Coburn
- Helen Walker
- Anna May Wong
- Robert Warwick
- Clarence Kolb
- Art Baker
- William Wright
- Mae Marsh
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, MGM+ Amazon Channel, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Pure Flix, FILMBOX+ Stream, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, FilmBox Live Amazon Channel, Great American Pure Flix Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Impact about?
- A presumed-dead businessman hides in an Idaho garage while an adulterous murder plot and a mistaken identity threaten to destroy everyone he once trusted.
- What is Impact like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Impact as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Impact violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Impact as moderate.
- What did critics think of Impact?
- Critics broadly regard it as a brisk, solid modest film noir whose high-concept crime plot is contrived but effective as a late-1940s B thriller.
- Which films are like Impact?
- Films with a similar feel include The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity, The Stranger, and Too Late for Tears.
- How long is Impact?
- Impact runs 111 minutes.
- Where can I watch Impact?
- In United States, Impact streams on Amazon Prime Video, MGM+ Amazon Channel, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Pure Flix, FILMBOX+ Stream, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, FilmBox Live Amazon Channel, Great American Pure Flix Amazon Channel.
