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. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment in 1997.
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Wonderfully offbeat film!
The Worst Film Ever
Such a frustrating disappointment
In other words,this film is a surreal ride.
Fritz Lang was at his zenith here, sucking the viewer in to Glenn Ford's rage against the corrupt cops and politicians he works for. Ford's seething anger virtually jumps off the screen. Gloria Grahame in probably her greatest role. Each scene raises the tension level masterfully. This is what Hollywood movies are all about.
In some ways, 'The Big Heat (1953)' seems lighter than the usual film noir fare, making less use of hard shadows or heavy narration and generally avoiding many of the cues the genre tends to evoke. Yet, the story itself never shies away from its darker elements and in general is a rather brooding, unflinching tale of political corruption and the quest for revenge. There are a number of twists and turns that genuinely manage to surprise, the feature takes several risks with convention and the portrayal of violence - considering the era in which it was created - and the lead character's tough cop persona is believable enough to not just be a one-note facade but rather another dimension to his personality. In the end, this piece is a shining example that so many others would aspire to follow. 7/10
. . . Today's viewers are bound to conclude after checking out things in a typical totally corrupt American city during THE BIG HEAT. Sure, this city's Police Commissioner is in cahoots with every whim and command coming to him from the murderous thieving crime lord character "Mike Lagana," but at least "Commissioner Higgins" is NOT a U.S. President taking orders from the murderous thieving Russian Red Commie KGB Chief. Sure, THE BIG HEAT's crusading do-gooder police sergeant character "Dave Bannion" gets peeved when one of his Police Commissioner's fellow mob henchmen blows up Mrs. Bannion with a car bomb, but at least he's not fighting a master crook who looted $1 TRILLION from the Russian Treasury, and then began to rub out his critics throughout the world with War Crime nerve agents, secure in the knowledge that Fortress America had been defanged and neutered, reduced to the mute fearful silence of the "See no Evil, Hear no Evil, Say no Evil" simian figurines. Therefore, if YOU want to spend 90 minutes with something more positive than Real Life as we know it Today, check out THE BIG HEAT.
Classic film-noir crime-thriller.A police detective, Sgt Dave Bannion (played by Glenn Ford) investigates the apparent suicide of a senior police officer. A woman approaches him and claims that it wasn't suicide - it was murder. Intrigue ensues...A great crime-thriller from master director Fritz Lang. While you know broadly who did it, you don't know all the details. Moreover, you mostly see it from the policeman's point-of-view, and feel his frustration as he is constrained in his abilities to crack the case.Great work from Glenn Ford in the lead role, especially as he is more known for westerns. Good support from Gloria Grahame, Alexander Scourby and an early-career Lee Marvin.Not perfect - Bannion's big break feels a bit contrived. In addition, the pacing is a bit off: after building the tension, the ending feels rushed. These are, however, minor negatives in an otherwise flawless movie.