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Amazon.co.uk review
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
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
It took a German director to produce this great American fim noir. It isn't surprising when you find out that Lang also directed 'M'a dark study of the hunt for a serial child killer (played by Peter Lorre!) before moving to Hollywood.
Although Glenn Ford is perfectly OK as the upstanding cop who vows vengeance after his wife is killed (look out for Brando's sister in a rare screen role) it is Lee Marvin and especially the great Gloria Grahame that provide the zing.
Dark and brutal this is what film noir is all about.
Although Glenn Ford is perfectly OK as the upstanding cop who vows vengeance after his wife is killed (look out for Brando's sister in a rare screen role) it is Lee Marvin and especially the great Gloria Grahame that provide the zing.
Dark and brutal this is what film noir is all about.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This will be short but sweet - the best lines, the best direction, the best acting, the most uncompromising script (specially taking into account it was made in 1953), if you love Film Noir and dont have this in your collection then order it now! If you think you'd like it but maybe put off because as some people i know say 'I wanna watch it but its black and white' then i'd advise you never watch a film again and just watch the likes of Davinna McCall and Simon Cowell and be content with living your life through telephone voting. The Big Heat is a Masterpiece, real genius like this doesnt cost a phone vote.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
===Elements of the plot will be discussed===
This is an exceptional Fritz Lang film. Were it not for the slight overload of plot crammed into its 89 minutes (taken from a weekend newspaper serial) that reduces the scope for dwelling in a little more depth on the nature of the corruption it exposes, I'd give it *****.
This story of a straight detective (Glenn Ford) embarking on a trail of vengeance out of professional and more especially boiling personal motives falls into the film noir category, even though paradoxically it has most of its being in well-lit interiors. Its pessimistic tone (the hopeful ending need not be taken too seriously) and subject matter of deception and corruption everywhere, with ordinary people going along with criminality out of fear or just a feeling of helplessness, link it with film noir. So does Gloria Grahame's femme fatale, especially since her own final act of revenge on her violent boyfriend (Lee Marvin), though helpful to putting criminals behind bars, is a cruel and similarly violent one.
The script is sharp and pretty bitter, and it's a little surprising to see Glenn Ford, hitherto on a downward spiral into the very mire of evil inhabited by his quarries, pause when on the verge of taking his final vengeance against Lee Marvin, then relent, shrug off the mantle of vigilantism and instead reach for the institution of the law. A significant moment that marks the beginning of Ford's own rehabilitation from both bereavement and consequent revenge.
Direction and acting are first rate. Fritz Lang wastes not a moment in cramming in all the plot machinations, from the dramatic close-up that kicks the picture off to his brief but bruising fight sequences. He creates a convincing domestic idyll for Ford and his wife (Jocelyn Brando, Marlon's sister) as a contrast to the twisted world outside the front door. The excellent Gloria Grahame is a sexy, cynical yet sympathetic gangster's moll, and Lee Marvin makes a brutish hood, apparently drunk on violent power. I have seen it said that the two of them upstage Glenn Ford. This is nonsense. Ford's performance here is subtle; both tough but tender, the two qualities needed so he can inhabit his two worlds. Look out for two great moments in close-up, both at the very end; one where Lee Marvin dementedly begs Ford to shoot him. There's a long pause, then Ford slightly raises his head at the moment of decision. The other comes when Ford tells Grahame about his wife; at the conclusion he falters and looks down and slightly to his right, recognizing the moment of truth. Wonderful!
If you like Forties and Fifties film noir, this is a must.
This is an exceptional Fritz Lang film. Were it not for the slight overload of plot crammed into its 89 minutes (taken from a weekend newspaper serial) that reduces the scope for dwelling in a little more depth on the nature of the corruption it exposes, I'd give it *****.
This story of a straight detective (Glenn Ford) embarking on a trail of vengeance out of professional and more especially boiling personal motives falls into the film noir category, even though paradoxically it has most of its being in well-lit interiors. Its pessimistic tone (the hopeful ending need not be taken too seriously) and subject matter of deception and corruption everywhere, with ordinary people going along with criminality out of fear or just a feeling of helplessness, link it with film noir. So does Gloria Grahame's femme fatale, especially since her own final act of revenge on her violent boyfriend (Lee Marvin), though helpful to putting criminals behind bars, is a cruel and similarly violent one.
The script is sharp and pretty bitter, and it's a little surprising to see Glenn Ford, hitherto on a downward spiral into the very mire of evil inhabited by his quarries, pause when on the verge of taking his final vengeance against Lee Marvin, then relent, shrug off the mantle of vigilantism and instead reach for the institution of the law. A significant moment that marks the beginning of Ford's own rehabilitation from both bereavement and consequent revenge.
Direction and acting are first rate. Fritz Lang wastes not a moment in cramming in all the plot machinations, from the dramatic close-up that kicks the picture off to his brief but bruising fight sequences. He creates a convincing domestic idyll for Ford and his wife (Jocelyn Brando, Marlon's sister) as a contrast to the twisted world outside the front door. The excellent Gloria Grahame is a sexy, cynical yet sympathetic gangster's moll, and Lee Marvin makes a brutish hood, apparently drunk on violent power. I have seen it said that the two of them upstage Glenn Ford. This is nonsense. Ford's performance here is subtle; both tough but tender, the two qualities needed so he can inhabit his two worlds. Look out for two great moments in close-up, both at the very end; one where Lee Marvin dementedly begs Ford to shoot him. There's a long pause, then Ford slightly raises his head at the moment of decision. The other comes when Ford tells Grahame about his wife; at the conclusion he falters and looks down and slightly to his right, recognizing the moment of truth. Wonderful!
If you like Forties and Fifties film noir, this is a must.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Tedious and boring with few bangs for your buck
It's a classic but The Big Heat (1953) is tedious and dull to watch. Despite the colour DVD cover, the film is shown entirely in black and white. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Miami
"The Big Heat (1953) ... Ford/Grahame/Marvin/Jones/Scourby ... Fritz...
Columbia Pictures presents "THE BIG HEAT" (1953) - (90 min/B&W) -- Starring: Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, Lee Marvin, Carolyn Jones & Alexander Scourby
Directed by Fritz... Read more
Directed by Fritz... Read more
Published 7 months ago by J. Lovins
The Big Heat
Glenn Ford becomes a big star because of this film. Quite good plot but the direction is a bit ponderous.
Published 11 months ago by Camgreen
It is Still Fresh, the Boiling Coffee too......
This is one of the best film directed by Fritz Lang whom I am a great fan.
He is one of the few film directors whose films remain fresh till this very day,
e.g. Read more
He is one of the few film directors whose films remain fresh till this very day,
e.g. Read more
Published 11 months ago by B. Ying
Classic hit
Wonderful old fashioned movie. Lovely to see that in the old days they made really thrilling movies. The special effects are very civilized: no blood. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Leo
The Big Heat
A classic 1940's / 50's style film noir which features Lee Marvin and Glen Ford. It is superb and atmospheric, just look at the street scenes, the real 1940's nostalgia, it is all... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Mr. M. Sanders
The test of time!
It must be 40 years since I last saw this classic film noir and could only recall the coffee percolator incident. Read more
Published on 16 Sep 2009 by Mr. A. Campbell-walter
THE BIG HEAT--A FIVE STAR FILM NOIR
THE BIG HEAT,1953,black and white,is a great classic Film Noir. Performed brilliantly by-GLENN FORD,GLORIA GRAHAME,JOCELYN BRANDO[older sister of MARLON],LEE MARVIN and JEANETTE... Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2009 by Mr. W. J. Wright
Disturbing
The film begins with the suicide of a senior policeman but Sgt. Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford) is alerted to something deeper lying behind the incident. Read more
Published on 20 July 2009 by Alex da Silva
About as noir as you get
Hard boiled, fairly violent noir that ticks all the classic noir boxes. It isn't as deep and brooding, or even as pretentious as some of the more starry noirs of the period but it... Read more
Published on 9 Mar 2009 by Lou Knee
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