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Act of Violence (1949)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 6.8/10
Reviews Counted: 10
Fresh: 9 | Rotten: 1

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Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 2
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 0

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Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 440

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Movie Info

An unusually disturbing noir from a director better known for more mainstream fare like High Noon and From Here to Eternity, Act of Violence focuses on a WWII veteran haunted by his past. A film that was close to the director's heart, he said that it represented "the first time that I felt confident that I knew what I was doing and why I was doing it." Van Heflin stars as Frank Enley, a contractor living a peaceful life in a small California town, when Joe Parkson, a man who served in the army

Unrated, 1 hr. 22 min.

Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

Directed By: Fred Zinnemann

In Theaters: Dec 21, 1948 Wide

On DVD: Jul 31, 2007

Cast

Van Heflin
Frank R. Enley
Robert Ryan
Joe Parkson
Janet Leigh
Edith Enley
Phyllis Thaxter
Ann Sturges
Mary Astor
Pat
Berry Kroeger
Johnny
Taylor Holmes
Gavery
Harry Antrim
Fred Finney
Connie Gilchrist
Martha Finney
Will Wright
Pop
Rudolph Anders
German Voice
William Norton Bailey
Ad Lib Drunk
Margaret Bert
Bystander
Barbara Billingsley
Douglas Carter Beane
Heavy Jowled Man
Bill Cartledge
Newsboy
Rex Downing
Teenage Boy
Dick Elliott
Pompous Man
Mary Jo Ellis
Bystander
Everett Glass
Night Clerk
Don Haggerty
Policeman
Mahlon Hamilton
Wino
Tom Hanlon
Radio Voice
Nicholas Joy
Mr. Gavery
Paul Kruger
Policeman
Nolan Leary
Wilbur Mack
Ad Lib Drunk
Mickey Martin
Teenage Boy
Howard Mitchell
Bartender
Ralph Montgomery
Man
David Newell
Bystander
Garry Owen
Attendent
Ralph Peters
Tim the Bartender
William 'Bill' Phillips
Veterans
Andre Pola
German Voice
Fred Santley
Drunk
Frank J. Scannell
Bell Captain
Irene Seidner
Old Woman
Phil Tead
Clerk
Harry Tenbrook
Man
Roland Varno
German Voice
Larry Holt
Georgie Enley
Phil Dunham
Ad Lib Drunk
George Ovey
Bystander
John Albright
Bellboy
Jim Drum
Policeman
Ann Lawrence
Bystander
Fred Datig Jr.
Bystander
Cameron A. Grant
Man
Dick Simmons
Veterans
Roger Moore
Wino

Critic Reviews for Act of Violence

All Critics (10) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (9) | Rotten (1) | DVD (2)

It is strong meat for the heavy drama addicts, tellingly produced and played to develop tight excitement.

November 1, 2007 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comment

Variety Staff

Variety

Top Critic

Technically Act of Violence touches all the bases in its circuit chase. But it is as though it were doing it on the strength of a long, foul ball.

March 25, 2006 Full Review Source: New York Times

| Comment

Bosley Crowther

New York Times

Top Critic

Fred Zinnemann's best movie

September 20, 2009 Full Review Source: CinePassion

| Comment

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

A terrific film noir directed by the great Fred Zinnemann. Reflects growing disillusionment with American society linked to the emerging Cold War.

August 27, 2008 Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews

| Comment

Louis Proyect

rec.arts.movies.reviews

Grim, exciting film noir.

November 1, 2007 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide

| Comment

TV Guide's Movie Guide

One of MGM's best film noirs and one of Zinnemann's early films to deal with what would become a recurrent issue in his owrk: Men tormented by moral conscience, here in the context of a WWII revenge medlodrama

October 26, 2006 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

| Comment

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

Zinnemann shows a knack for suspense and moral ambiguity that he unfortunately abandoned in his later Oscar-mongering prestige pictures.

July 4, 2006 Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies

| Comment

Michael W. Phillips, Jr.

Goatdog's Movies Source: Goatdog's Movies

Zinnemann's film noir is a rather cynical dig at post-war triumphalism, which questions ideas of heroism.

May 24, 2003 Full Review Source: Film4

| Comment (1)

Film4

A complex, fascinating noir that exposes the grim truths behind the shiny, fragile fa�ade of post-war America.

March 31, 2003 Full Review Source: Senses of Cinema

| Comment

Mark Freeman

Senses of Cinema

A tense melodrama...

March 31, 2003 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews

| Comment

Dennis Schwartz

Ozus' World Movie Reviews

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Audience Reviews for Act of Violence

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interesting scenario of sympathetic family man van heflin being stalked by a slightly crazed robert ryan for something bad that happened in the war. the ending wraps everything up a little too neatly in classic western style but with good suspense in getting there. mary astor plays an aging hooker at the same time

September 9, 2010

Stella Dallas

Super Reviewer

Act of Violence is a pretty forgettable and unremarkable noir that explains revenge as it's plot but doesn't really make you believe it. Robert Ryan is unusually dull here (picture a low rent Max Cady) and Van Heflin is just a warm body filling up screen time and keeping shots balanced. I liked where the story went for

July 23, 2007

Michael Gildea

Super Reviewer

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