Sudden Impact is a 1983 American neo-noir action-thriller film, the fourth in the Dirty Harry series, directed, produced by, and starring Clint Eastwood (making it the only Dirty Harry film to be directed by Eastwood himself) and co-starring Sondra Locke. The film tells the story of a gang-rape victim (Locke) who decides to seek revenge on her rapists 10 years after the attack by killing them one by one. Inspector Callahan (Eastwood), famous for his unconventional and often brutal crime-fighting tactics, is tasked with tracking down the serial killer.
The film is notable for the catchphrase "Go ahead, make my day", written by John Milius and uttered by Clint Eastwood's gun-wielding character at the beginning of the film as he stares down an armed robber who is holding a hostage. This is the last Dirty Harry film to feature Albert Popwell. It is also the second film in the series to feature Bradford Dillman, although in a different role than the one in The Enforcer, and the third to be scored by Lalo Schifrin. Character actor and Eastwood's friend Pat Hingle is also in the film ; he had performed alongside Eastwood in Hang 'Em High (directed by Ted Post, who would also direct Magnum Force, the second entry in the Dirty Harry series) and The Gauntlet (directed by Eastwood, and featuring Sondra Locke as well). At 117 minutes, it is the second longest film of the series after Magnum Force.
