The Big Heat (1953)
After the suspicious suicide of a fellow cop, tough homicide detective Dave Bannion takes the law into his own hands when he sets out to smash a vicious crime syndicate.
- Fritz Lang
- Milton Feldman
- Sydney Boehm
- William P. McGivern
Rating: 7.644/10 by 492 users
Alternative Title:
酷热 - CN
伟大的警察 - CN
De schrik op het lijf - BE
Jeg er loven - DK
To megalo ktypima - GR
Búcsúlevél - HU
Fukushû wa ore ni makasero - JP
Els subornats - ES
Lain puolustajat - FI
I megali kapsa - GR
Ta fota esvysan noris - GR
Los sobornados - MX
Tot het bittere einde - NL
Bannion - PL
Corrupção - PT
Veliko uzbudjenje - RS
Ölüm Korkusu - TR
Η μεγάλη κάψα - GR
Heißes Eisen - DE
Cái Nóng Oi Ả - VN
Los sobornados - VE
Велика спека - UA
火線密殺令 - TW
Polishämnaren - SE
Los sobornados - ES
Сильная жара - SU
Marea căldură - RO
Jeg er loven - NO
復讐は俺に任せろ - JP
Io, la legge - IT
Il grande caldo - IT
Règlement de comptes - FR
Gangsterikuningas - FI
Os Corruptos - BR
Country:
United States of America
Language:
English
Runtime: 01 hour 29 minutes
Budget: $0
Revenue: $0
Plot Keyword: suicide, police, gangster, homicide, car bomb, cop, revenge, film noir, death, wrecking yard, patrol car, crime syndicate, mob, preserved film
Fritz Lang deals nicely in obsession and corruption. Detective Dave Bannion is investigating the suicide of corrupt cop Tom Duncan. As he gets deeper, and his colleagues get nervous, his wife is inadvertently killed by a car bomb that was meant for him, he turns from mannered family man into a vengeful obsessive, the heat is most definitely coming down on those responsible. Writer Sydney Boehm took a "Saturday Evening Post" serial (written by William McGiven), and crafted a tight, biting and incredibly bleak script. Handed it into director Fritz Lang's hands, who then cloaked it (along with Charles Lang's perfectly apt photography) with dripping noir nastiness. Playing out as a tale of murder, revenge and pure hatred, The Big Heat holds up now as one of the best of the dialogue driven noir pieces of the 50s. Lang isn't concerned with showing the violence exactly, more like the reaction of our protagonists to the violence in the piece, this makes for a sort of ethereal viewing, with the sets themselves becoming integral to our characters personalities. The cast are excellent, Glenn Ford as Bannion was never better than he is here, but even he is playing second fiddle to the fabulous Gloria Grahame as Debby Marsh, a Moll who makes a decision that has very far reaching consequences. It begs the question as to why Grahame never had a far better career, for here she is one of film noir's best (anti?) heroines. Rounding out a trio of great performances are Lee Marvin as the vile and brutal Vince Stone - Marvin of course would go on from here and deliver a ream of brilliant gruff hard bastard performances. A potent, gripping and superb piece of film noir. 9/10
_The Big Heat_ is a blistering slice of film noir; its shocking violence—especially the infamous coffee-throwing scene—still jolts in its cruelty, surpassing most of its contemporaries. Fritz Lang crafts a relentlessly dark narrative of corruption and vengeance, with Gloria Grahame and Lee Marvin delivering performances that are nothing short of magnetic. Their talent is sure to leave you appreciative and in awe. However, Glenn Ford's portrayal of Bannion feels disappointingly one-note, his stiffness paling against Marvin's menacing energy. A near-masterpiece, held back by its lead.
