Last night I watched IMPACT, a 1949 film directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Brian Donlevy. I had been searching for Anna Mae Wong movies I hadn't seen before and this was almost her last appearance. Sadly, she only plays the "maid" and has very little screen time.
It's a pretty interesting crime mystery with Donlevy's spoiled wife played by Helen Walker, who along with her lover, has plotted to kill him. The story has a lot of twists & turns and the husband survives the planned "accident" and the rest of the movie is his attempt to unravel what actually happened.
Along the way home to San Francisco he stays at a war widow's garage as a mechanic, letting us see what a square guy he really is. The widow is played by gorgeous Ella Raines who falls hopelessly in love with him. (she's beautiful, but painfully skinny!)
Back home, a police detective becomes involved in the case, played by Charles Coburn who almost steals the show-
(that's supposedly her lounging robe)
The great charactor actor Coburn has a slight Irish brogue & as usual brings a lighthearted vibe to an otherwise grim story.
All hinges on Su Lin and everyone scrambles to get her testimony at the last minute, clearing Donlevy. The closing credits cite Jason Robards as the Judge, but scrolling back see the Judge is an older man. Apparently, Robards just reads the Judge's last lines off camera, as the actor who plays the Judge never speaks!
Disappointing if you're looking for an Anna Mae Wong performance, but a decent movie carried by the talent of the cast, writing and taut editing. Great poster with NONE of the pictures actually in the movie, haha-
I love Brian Donlevy who always reminds me of Bruce Willis. At one point, the widow's Mother finds out Donlevy's story and says, "It's a lot easier for someone of 50 to see things more clearly than someone who's 25." Really? Donlevy looks more like a 40 year old than a 25 y/o. Just looked it up, despite his smooth wrinkleless face, he was 47-48 when this movie was made.