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Act of Violence

Play trailer Poster for Act of Violence 1948 1h 22m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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94% Tomatometer 17 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
A former prisoner of war, Frank Enley (Van Heflin) is hailed as a hero in his California town. However, Frank actually aided his Nazi captors, and he closely guards this secret. Frank's shameful past comes back to visit him when fellow survivor Joe Parkson (Robert Ryan) emerges, intent on making the turncoat pay for his betrayal. As Joe closes in on Frank, the traitor goes into hiding, abandoning his wife, Edith (Janet Leigh), who has no clue about her husband's wartime transgressions.
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Act of Violence

Critics Reviews

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Variety Staff Variety 11/01/2007
It is strong meat for the heavy drama addicts, tellingly produced and played to develop tight excitement. Go to Full Review Bosley Crowther New York Times 03/25/2006
3/5
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. Go to Full Review Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies 04/02/2025
3.5/5
Act of Violence shines a light on veterans and how the war impacted them in post-war America. Go to Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 06/30/2024
3/4
The film is strengthened by its messy morality. Go to Full Review Nick Rogers Midwest Film Journal 06/26/2024
3.5/5
A chilling consideration of the darker side of American dreams, a concise but complex tale about the corrosion of vengeance, and an often agonizing depiction of post-traumatic stress behavior. Go to Full Review Pat Padua Washington City Paper 10/18/2023
Director Fred Zinnemann is best known for his 1952 masterpiece High Noon, but this 1948 noir feels like a dry run, embodying themes of courage and cowardice in a distinctly postwar tale. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Henry D @Henry_Domke Jun 2 Great script and a very good print. The story had real meaning and raised hard questions about what men might do in desperate situations, and how they may struggle with it afterward. It dealt with guilt, cowardice, revenge, and moral responsibility in a thoughtful way. Much higher quality than the typical film noir. See more Barry W W @Bunthorne 11/10/2024 Masterful. Each shot shows Zinnemann as an artist of the highest caliber and the actors were outstanding Ryan and Heflin were multi faceted in committing to the making of this prime and superior noire. a special nod to Janet Leigh for a natural and touching performance.and every home should have a Mary Aster in it . She is Always fantastic. See more acsdoug D @acsdoug 08/07/2024 Th ending was a little disappointing, it was a little too neat. Up until that point, however, it's a pretty good noir. The mystery is emboldened by moral dilemmas that you usually don't see in these kind of movies. See more Steve D @RT35616104 06/05/2023 The characters are too thin for it to be fully engaging. See more 05/14/2022 LOL, so funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Ed M @RT80499164 04/06/2021 Entertaining, creepy little movie about World War 2 Vets. Not bad. See more Read all reviews
Act of Violence

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Cast & Crew

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Fred Zinnemann

Director

Van Heflin

Frank R. Enley

Robert Ryan

Joe Parkson

Janet Leigh

Edith Enley

Mary Astor

Pat

Phyllis Thaxter

Ann Sturges

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Act of Violence

Act of Violence (1949) Act of Violence (1949) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A former prisoner of war, Frank Enley (Van Heflin) is hailed as a hero in his California town. However, Frank actually aided his Nazi captors, and he closely guards this secret. Frank's shameful past comes back to visit him when fellow survivor Joe Parkson (Robert Ryan) emerges, intent on making the turncoat pay for his betrayal. As Joe closes in on Frank, the traitor goes into hiding, abandoning his wife, Edith (Janet Leigh), who has no clue about her husband's wartime transgressions.
Director
Fred Zinnemann
Producer
William H. Wright
Screenwriter
Collier Young, Robert L. Richards
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.
Production Co
Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 21, 1948, Wide
Release Date (DVD)
Jul 31, 2007
Runtime
1h 22m
Sound Mix
Mono