The Big Heat (1953)

There's a satisfying sense of closure to the definitive noir kick achieved in The Big Heat: its director, Fritz Lang, had forged early links from German expressionism to the emergence of film noir, so it's entirely logical that the expatriate director would help codify the genre with this brutal 1953 film. Visually, his scenes exemplify the bold contrasts, deep shadows, and heightened compositions that define the look of noir, and he matches that success with the darkly pessimistic themes of this revenge melodrama.

The story coheres around the suicide of a crooked cop, and the subsequent struggle of an honest detective, Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford), to navigate between a corrupt city government and a ruthless mobster to uncover the truth. Initially, the violence here seems almost timid by comparison to the more explicit carnage now commonplace in films, yet the story accelerates as its plot arcs toward Bannion's showdown with kingpin Lagana (Alexander Scourby) and his psychotic henchman, the sadistic Vince Stone, given an indelible nastiness by Lee Marvin. When Bannion's wife is killed by a car bomb intended for the detective, both the hero and the story go ballistic: suspended from the force, he embarks on a crusade of revenge that suggests a template for Charles Bronson's Death Wish films, each step pushing Lagana and Stone toward a showdown. Bodies drop, dominoes tumbled by the escalating war between the obsessed Bannion and his increasingly vicious adversaries.

Lang's disciplined visual design and the performances (especially those of Ford, Marvin, Jeanette Nolan as the dead cop's scheming widow, and Gloria Grahame as Marvin's girlfriend) enable the film to transcend formula, as do several memorable action scenes--when an enraged Marvin hurls scalding coffee at the feisty Debby (Grahame), we're both shattered by the violence of his attack, and aware that he's shifted the balance of power. --Sam Sutherland Amazon.com essential video

Another Great Noir From Fritz Lang. 4 1/2 Stars

Fritz Lang is one of the best known directors of Film Noir, and one of the most respected. With good reason. His films, such as Metropolis, M, The Woman in the Window, Scarlet Street, House by the River, Clash by Night, etc, are considered to be classics.

The Big Heat is one of Lang's better movies, thanks to an outstanding script, great performances from the cast (Glenn Ford gives another understated, but powerful performance, Lee Marvin is excellent as the menacing thug, and Gloria Grahame is, well, Gloria Grahame - in a part you'd think was written for her), and, of course, thanks to the great direction of Fritz Lang himself.

This is a more straightforward detective/crime thriller than many of Lang's other movies, but he handles it extremely well. Ford is homicide detective Dan Bannion, who is assigned to investigate the suicide of a fellow officer. Bannion uncovers indications that this wasn't just a case of depression, and he stumbles into a case that some of his superiors want closed as a suicide and nothing more. With so much pressure from above to just let the whole thing go, Bannion forges ahead, getting into trouble along the way - trouble that would have tragic consequences for him.

The Big Heat delivers on all counts, and while not quite as NOIR as many Films Noir (it would fit in the Police Procedural category of Film Noir), it still fits squarely in the genre with many dark twists and turns - and some fairly brutal scenes.

This is definitely a, "Must Have," movie for all Film Noir buffs, and for most fans of classic films in general. Highly recommended.

December 23, 2007

The Naked City

Take one honest but world wise urban cop played by Glenn Ford. Take a gangster ridden town run by the mob. Take a genuine `bad guy' enforcer played by a young Lee Marvin and his wrong side of the tracks but heart of gold girlfriend played by the legendary B actress Gloria Grahame and you have a fair B side noir film. The dialogue is a little thin and the melodrama gets laid on a little thick but it will not be the worst time you have every spent. If nothing else look at it to see the Grahame performance. It is a classic portrayal of the type.

November 7, 2007

"The city's being strangled by a gang of thieves"

"The big heat" (1953) is a classic film noir in black and white, directed by Fritz Lang. This movie is characterized by an intriguing plot, fast pace, and good acting, something that never gets old.

The main character is Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford), an honest cop that due to unforeseen circumstances and his need to do the right thing falls in the middle of a nightmare, losing what is dear to him. As a consequence, nothing will stand in Bannion's way in his new mission: to wreak havoc on those responsible for what destroying his life. All bets are off...

Even though "The big heat" includes some scenes with plenty of violence, this is the kind of movie that I would like to see again, because it is so good that you cannot fully appreciate it the first time around. The main character is extremely well-drawn, and you can identify with him in his quest for vengeance and justice. What is more, there are some secondary actors that do an outstanding job, specially the young woman that plays Debbie Marsh (Gloria Grahame), the beautiful girlfriend of one of the gangsters Bannion is after.

On the whole, I can say that I recommended this splendid movie, as an excellent example of what a great film noir should be like...

Belen Alcat October 29, 2007

A classic from the master

A great but disturbing film noir from the master, Fritz Lang. Especially for the Vince Stone character (Lee Marvin), who seems to enjoy torturing and killing women--a remarkable character for a fifties movie--reminds me of the Dennis Hopper character in David Lynch's BLUE VELVET 30 years later. Very violent. Fast-moving plot. Great performances from all, especially Glen Ford, Lee Marvin, and Gloria Grahame, perhaps the greatest role of her career. Ford is a homicide detective investigating the murder of a prostitute that no one wants him to investigate, because of corruption in high places. The organized crime syndicate has his wife killed, and him taken off the force, so he is forced to seek revenge on his own, even though he resists the urge to kill. When Stone's girlfriend, Gloria Grahame, talks to Ford, Stone throws a pot of hot coffee on her face. She then befriends Ford, and helps him achieve his revenge. I guess she is the femme fatale character, but she's fatal for the bad guys, not Ford. The corruption is finally cleansed and Ford returned to his position, but his wife is still dead, and the violence lingers hauntingly in our minds. Visually, this is classic film noir, with lots of menacing shadows. August 22, 2007

The Big Heat

This brutal, in-your-face noir thriller about organized crime and political graft by German ex-pat Lang is about as hardboiled as they come. For starters, the dialogue is sharp and blunt, like a smack in the jaw, and Ford's portrayal of the obsessed Bannion is downright fearsome. "Heat" is particularly memorable for two performances: Lee Marvin, as psychotic henchman Vince Stone, and the peerless Gloria Grahame, as a sultry moll whose face Marvin cruelly disfigures--with a cup of coffee! Crisply paced and unrelentingly fierce, "The Big Heat" is one steamy ride. June 26, 2007

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