Impact - VCI Entertainment (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1949
Director: Arthur Lubin
Writers: Dorothy Davenport, Jay Dratler
Cast: Brian Donlevy, Ella Raines, Charles Coburn, Helen Walker, Anna May Wong

Release Date: January 21st, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 110 Minutes 50 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $24.95

"Millionaire industrialist, Walter Willams, has it all, power, money, success and a supposed, idyllic life with his young, beautiful wife, Irene. When a business trip to Denver arises, Walter decides to take his wife along, hoping to turn the scenic ride over the mountains via Lake Tahoe into a mini vacation. However, things begin to go awry when Irene claims she's ill and can't go but insists Walter give a ride to her poor "cousin," who is hitchhiking his way home to Evanston, Illinois. The "cousin" is actually Irene's lover, Jim Torrence, and he is there to carry out his and Irene's plot to murder Walter. But in a twist of fate, after Jim's attack upon Walter, and while Jim is fleeing the scene, he is killed in a head-on collision. Once the bloodied, very shaken, and very bewildered Walter awakens and pieces together what all had happened, he claims amnesia and goes into hiding, with the hope of somehow bringing Irene to justice.” – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 3.5/5

Impact comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 21.3 GB

Feature: 19.8 GB

There is no information provided about this transfer's source. Though there are a few minor source-damaged moments, the bulk of the transfer is in great shape. Image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is very good, and there does not appear to be any egregious digital filtering of the image.

Audio: 3/5

This release comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital mono mix in English with removable English SDH. Though there is a mild background hiss, it is never overbearing; dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. That said, range-wise, this audio track is satisfactory.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a photo gallery with music from the film playing in the background (poster/lobby cards/stills), and an audio commentary with Bernard M. Prokop, associate professor, Colorado Christian University. 

Included is a DVD that has the same content as the Blu-ray included with this combo release.

Summary:

Arthur Lubin directed the impact. He also directed The Phantom of the Opera, The Thief of Baghdad, and six Francis the Talking Mule films.

An unfaithful wife and her lover come up with a way to get rid of her husband. When things don’t go as planned, the wife becomes the lead suspect in her husband's murder.

Impact does a phenomenal job laying the foundation in its opening setup. It introduces the key characters: a loving husband who is oblivious to his wife's infidelities, a black widow wife, and her equally cold-blooded lover. The wife makes an excuse not to go on a trip with her husband. She convinces him to pick up her lover, disguised as her cousin, knowing he will be vulnerable on his long trip. Her lover is supposed to kill and make it look like an accident when the moment arrives.

Though it is the aforementioned crime that sets everything in motion, it is the cover-up that drives the narrative. The middle section of the narrative sees the wife go to jail for killing her husband, while he is still very much alive and recovering from a head injury. In the last act he reveals that he’s still alive, and instead of being grateful, his wife shifts the blame of her lover's death on him. Everything builds toward a final twist where the guilty party will finally be held accountable.

When it comes to performances, the cast is very good in their roles, especially Brian Donlevy (The Glass Key), who portrays the husband who narrowly escapes death. The other performance of note is Helen Walker’s (Brewster's Millions) pitch-perfect portrayal of the femme fatale wife. Notable cast members include Charles Coburn (The Devil and Miss Jones) in the role of the detective assigned to the murder, Ella Raines (Phantom Lady), who portrays a new love interest for the husband, and Anna May Wong (Daughter of Shanghai), who portrays the husband's housekeeper.

From a production standpoint, Impact is a film that does very well with its resources. There is one moment in Impact that comes up short; a car collides with a tanker, resulting in a painfully obvious miniature shot. Though the narrative has a few lulls, there are enough twists and turns that things never come to a halt. Impact is a film that firmly fits into the Film noir genre, and yet there are things about it that are not in line with what one expects from a Film noir. That said, the visuals lack the style that one associates with Film noir. Ultimately, Impact is a well-made Film noir that fans of this genre are sure to enjoy.

VCI Entertainment gives Impact a good release that comes with a serviceable audio/video presentation and an informative audio commentary.

Written by Michael Den Boer