WATCH NOW
Witnessing Deadly Impact is an opportunity I would highly recommend. Similar to Dirty Harry and 48 Hours, the film follows the story of Bo Svenson, his captain and his vendetta as he tries to exact justice with the help of his friend Fred Williamson. The movie uses the argument Bo has his superior as an excuse for the plot. In fact, the movie is also known as Impatto Mortale, Dirty Killer or even Giant Killer!
As I previously mentioned in my article of Blazing Magnums, another Dirty Harry imitation, Deadly Impact was a pleasant surprise. Without Blazing Magnums, there is no other parody with this much success in the genre. In this film, Bo Svenson is a decorated officer trying to figure out a case in which a master computer engineer, who tragically came up with a way to win the slot machines in Phoenix casinos, was murdered. I say he acts extremely well as he has a stoic expression the whole time during his role. The character playing his pal Fred, who is a helicopter pilot, assists him in solving the mystery and makes sure Bo is fully involved in all the action.
Fabrizio De Angelis, the producer of the Bronx Warriors, Thunder Warriors, and Karate Warriors series, takes care of the action film Deadly Impact. And for some reason, most of these films have Warrior in the name. As for the rest of his work, it seems that he’s made a whole bunch of genre classics that are in high demand. Action sequences are the most memorable parts of the movie, and there are lots of them! Literally every single piece of the plot brings with it an action sequence, whether it’s a fist fight, rooftop chase, or a car chase. Bo certainly makes use of several cars as the movie progresses, and damage to the vehicle is apparent before the action that ruins the car actually takes place.
Bo’s monologue depicts a promising artistic turn, interestingly echoes absence of scripts in Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. It evolves from a burger joint scene shared by Bo and another character stunningly. When asked whether he wanted a burger or not, he contemplates the question while observing the deepening plot and makes his decision. But as he enjoys the moment, the audience is on the edge, unable to contain their exhilaration. He gets intimate with a woman in a way that showcases his vulnerability, but all of a sudden begins a postcoital transformation in which he abandons her for her car. In a fit of destruction, he embarks on a furious car chase and wrecks his vehicle.
Deadly Impact sympathizes with modern social grievances while being effective on the forward impediments including Bo’s case. Bo comes to a bar looking to search for a woman but this bar is a no-women-zone and only men who address themselves as ‘girl’ go there, so things spiral down fast as a pack of intimidating dudes threatens Bo, but at least this gives Bo some room to breathe. This scene reminds me of the Blue Oyster Bar of Police Academy from a year later.
Bo and Fred trade barbs the same way Nolte and Murphy do in 48 Hours. There’s a bit of parents bonding that Nolte and Murphy indulge in that Bo and Fred are not able to do, or in my opinion, were strongly friends off the screen because of their joint credits. They still can’t get much more than Fred proclaiming himself a fantastic pilot and Bo replying, “I hear you, but I don’t see you doing anything.”
Everything from the car chases to the helicopter chases along with all the other stunt action in Deadly Impact is fantastic with Bo showing some real heart when performing some of the more dangerous stunts because the whole film revolves around it. I remember quite vividly I was awestruck at the stunt work performed by Bo on the highway. In one continuous incident he jumps from the helicopter and foot chases a car down the road. I have to give it to him, that was brave. However, the helicopter footage combined with the last 20 minutes does seem a little tired. De Angelis’s objective seems to be erecting all the helicopter shots he can with no care for the viewer. The unending sound of the helicopter noise comes off as monotonous, but it does pull attention away from the furious activity in the film.
There is brief gunfire when the people on the helicopters shoot at one another. At one point, Bo crawls out onto the landing skid, grabbing hold of it; it is puzzling as to why, but he poses well at the times that we can see him.
One issue, however, that keeps this film from being a classic is its terrible score. It is, simply put, unbelievable. Very much like in Indiana Jones and Star Wars, in Deadly Impact we also had an ongoing theme tune that plays throughout the action. The difference, of course, is that Deadly Impact had a more adult theme to it. Unfortunately, the underlying track was more geared toward ‘heroic’ antics, which means it was far more inappropriate than just simply misplaced. It would be better suited on contemporary family Chicken Shack TV commercials. The producers, rather than just coming into a stock music emporium and expecting something catchy, should have actually considered the film.
A VHS tape of Deadly Impact was mentioned by Taylor, and I am very excited that it even exists. I remember bordeline avoiding using that word, or should I say, term. With how much emphasis Taylor has put on the 80s styling though, should I be worried? One would hope not considering it a great shame, and what should embed itself into the minds of future children would be the tape and not the overused shadow of disappointment the original prints left. But I digress.
Whenever I stumble across a copy of Deadly Impact, I always make it a point to watch it for ‘research purposes’ so that one day I can finally explain to myself the intricate action scenes and what goes through my mind while enjoying it. It is a weird but valid ‘reason’ for doing so and just like in Indiana Jones and Star Wars, the film never fails to amuse.
Trying to visualize Harry Callahan driving around in a Plymouth convertible while blasting the Inspector Gadget theme song is utterly absurd. It makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time.
For most of you, this movie deserves to be torn apart. I was on the fence of calling this movie abysmal, but it becomes increasingly impossible to ignore the sheer vigor and love that the entire cast possesses. This action flick manages to put a smile on my face every time I watch it. This is the third time I watch it and I know I will thoroughly enjoy it this time as well. Although the crew did not aim to earn the same amount of revenue as the movie Bullet, they still managed to do a fantastic job at producing the film and I could not thank them enough for it.
As a child, the original cover of the movie Deadly Impact strongly appealed to me. The cover art of the VHS below gave off strong nostalgic feelings because it reminded me of the intense car chases and well built guns that I had always wanted to see in movies.
To watch more movies like Deadly Impact (1984) 123website.
Also Watch for more movies like: 123movies.
