Act of Violence (1949)

An embittered, vengeful POW stalks his former commanding officer who betrayed his men's planned escape attempt from a Nazi prison camp.

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Writers:

Robert L. Richards (screenplay), Collier Young (story)

Stars:

Van Heflin, Robert Ryan, Janet Leigh

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Van Heflin	...	Frank R. Enley
Robert Ryan	...	Joe Parkson
Janet Leigh	...	Edith Enley
Mary Astor	...	Pat
Phyllis Thaxter	...	Ann Sturges
Berry Kroeger	...	Johnny
Taylor Holmes	...	Gavery
Harry Antrim	...	Fred Finney
Connie Gilchrist	...	Martha Finney
Will Wright	...	Pop

Storyline

War veteran Frank Enley seems to be a happily married small-town citizen until he realises Joe Parkson is in town. It seems Parkson is out for revenge because of something that happened in a German POW camp, and when a frightened Enley suddenly leaves for a convention in L.A., Parkson is close behind.

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Plot Keywords:

revenge | nazi | small town | housewife | mental illness | 

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Taglines:

He's the only one that came out alive ... and now he wants my life ... to atone for the others'

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

February 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Akt der Gewalt

Filming Locations:

City Hall - 200 N. Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,290,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

MGM records show the film earned $703,000 in the United States and Canada and $426,000 overseas but lost $637,000 overall.

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Goofs

As Parkson (Ryan) gets into the rowboat, there is a stiff breeze, the water is choppy, and a cloudy sky is 'threatening'; a second later, after the tender pushes the boat away from the dock, the lake is calm and breeze-free, and the sky is clear.

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Quotes

Frank R. Enley: You don't know what made him the way he is - I do!

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Connections

Featured in Pulp Cinema (2001)

User Reviews

Robert Ryan is a man bent on vengeance...

Fred Zinnemann does it again. He was a master at film noir during the early '40s, first with some B-films (GRAND CENTRAL MURDER, THE KID GLOVE KILLER--both starring VAN HEFLIN) and some seven or eight years later with ACT OF VIOLENCE. His direction and Robert Surtees' excellent B&W photography make this taut story even more watchable.

VAN HEFLIN goes on a fishing trip and finds himself being shadowed by a man he knows wants to kill him--a man who knows about his past when they were both soldiers and imprisoned in a German prison camp during World War II. When ROBERT RYAN shows up at Heflin's home to inquire about his whereabouts, his wife JANET LEIGH willingly tells Ryan where to find him, not knowing the truth about her husband's past.

From there on, it's a manhunt and at first our loyalties are with Heflin, until it turns out that he's not the hero but an anti-hero who deserves being shot. After this registers, we understand why Ryan is so intent on his mission to kill. Toward the end, Heflin runs into MARY ASTOR, a prostitute with a heart of gold, who tells him what he needs to do to get a hit man get rid of Ryan. But then Heflin, before the kill, has a change of mind. That's all the wrap-up on the story I'll give here.

There's a final twist at the end, but the whole film is absorbing and well worth your time with Heflin, especially, giving one of his most intense performances and Mary Astor doing a vivid job in a small role.