I'm a lifelong fan of Mary Astor, from her early work in Silent films, through her Pre-Code and Classic Hollywood era films, onward through her later career feature roles in television dramas. Miss Astor was excellent and perfect in every role I've seen her in.

Act of Violence is a very good Noir film, with a compelling story, and memorable performances by all the cast, though Mary Astor is who and what always especially stands out in this to me. She fully believably takes on the role of a heart of gold hard knocks "nobody" prostitute who's just trying to get by and to, meanwhile, get some kicks, and who has compassion, concern, and caring for someone who she sees has bigger problems than she does.

It's captivating seeing usually classy Miss Astor in this movie and how convincingly she fills the shoes of the down and out character she portrays. Unlike other star actresses of her era, who no doubt would have played the part in a bravura "knock their socks off" type way, Astor's performance is subtle and feels earthy and genuine, like you're seeing a real three dimensional person, not a flashy portrayal of one. Even her posture, walk, hair and face, as well as body language and way of speaking, inform her performance, that is complete and spot-on, down to the smallest details.

Please check out the following list of titles and celebrities I've created TMDb threads for: https://www.themoviedb.org/list/118052