My first Lang is arguably the greatest meditation on the destructive consequences of revenge that I've come across. Gloria Grahame is fantastic and Lee Marvin is shockingly evil, especially given when this was made. One of the best and darkest noirs I've ever seen.
Car bomb and the apartment scenes would have influence on The Godfather. Also we hear "Put the Blame on Mame" (from Gilda) when Ford show off in The Retreat.
A noir noir. Dark, that is. Dirty cops. Corrupt politicians. Tough women. Death and violence and innocent victims. And a one man trying to see justice done whatever the cost.
fine acting all-around in this noir classic from lang. i especially enjoyed gloria grahame's performance. jocelyn brando and jeanette nolan were also quite convincing. favorite line: "we're sisters under the mink"
The first half hour is so hokey as to be borderline unbearable and the script is kind of patchy throughout, but after the first half hour it turns cold blooded and angry enough to be well worth any crime fan's time.
Some of the family interactions seemed to have all the authenticity of a pancake commercial. But even when they seemed to be going through the ideal-fifties-family motions, each had a look in their eye, and at least one subversive bite in their banter that made it feel like there were real people somewhere in there.
The only Film Noir where u can actually smell the Folger's Crystal's
Classic noir from director Lang. An often brutal picture of corruption, revenge and underlying violence. Glenn Ford perfectly captures the suspended sergeant trying to reveal those responsible for his wife's death. Memorable turns from Lee Marvin (the coffee hurling sequence), Jeanette Nolan and especially Gloria Grahame as the disfigured moll who gives everyone their comuppance (her final scene with Ford perfect)
The little banter between Bannion and his wife is damn well-constructed with subtle screwball physicality. Love it.
What a brutal movie, and it's all conveyed without buckets of gore or harsh language.
lee marvin's lips in this movie: somehow not digitally enhanced. lead actor sandbags but mainly a rad excursion into bitterness and the non-redemption of violence.
It's suprising how shocking "The Big Heat" still is almost sixty later. That power lies greatly behind the director's vision, for no other filmmaker knew better than Lang the daunting and even downright repulsive potentiality of obsession. Paradoxically, in order to achieve this vision, he himself had to become immersed within it, for there is nothing more powerful than truth, and this film proves it.
There's so many brilliant insights to this film. Ford is bent on vengeance to the point of being naive, Grahame plays her part with such innocence she's almost childish only to become just as vengeful, the film has a sense of coldness that's unparalleled even in Lang's silents. Lang told Peter Bogvanovich that every film has its own rhythm and you get a sense of that here in the opening. One of the greatest noirs.
Hard Boiled Film Noir. "Someone's going to pay... because they forgot to kill me!"
"I guess the scar ain't so bad if it's only on one side of my face. I can always go through life sideways."
Glenn Ford is a bad mammajamma. Why, shut your mouth. But I'm talkin' about Ford. Then I can dig it. Great fucking movie. Gloria Grahame is tremendous and Lee Marvin is sickly evil. You'll never look at a coffee pot the same way again.
Glenn Ford plays the only cop with guts in a city filtered by corruption. Concise direction, topnotch acting and a ceaseless, brutal and intense plot make an splendorous noir, full of drama and tension.
