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The Big Heat [DVD] [1953]
 
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The Big Heat [DVD] [1953]

DVD ~ Glenn Ford
4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
RRP: £12.99
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Frequently Bought Together

The Big Heat [DVD] [1953] + Kiss Me Deadly [DVD] [1955] + In A Lonely Place [DVD] [1950]
Total RRP: £38.97
Price For All Three: £12.74

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The Big Heat [DVD] [1953]
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The Big Heat [DVD] [1953] 4.9 out of 5 stars (7)
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Product details

  • Actors: Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, Jocelyn Brando, Alexander Scourby, Lee Marvin
  • Directors: Fritz Lang
  • Format: Black & White, Full Screen, PAL
  • Language English
  • Subtitles: Arabic, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: 20 Feb 2006
  • Run Time: 86 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000CIWXEQ
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 4,277 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

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



Synopsis
, Fritz Lang's most celebrated American film, is a chilling and violent tale of corruption, vengeance, and loss. Dave Bannion, played by distinguished film noir actor Glenn Ford, is an upright but unscrupulous cop on the trail of a vicious gang he suspects holds power over the police force. Bannion is tipped off after a colleague's suicide and his fellow officers' suspicious silence lead him to believe that they are on the gangsters' payroll. When a bomb meant for him kills his wife instead, Bannion becomes a furious force of vengeance and justice, aided along the way by the gangster's spurned girlfriend Debbie (Gloria Grahame). As Bannion and Debbie fall further and further into the Gangland's insidious and brutal trap, they must use any means necessary (including murder) to get to the truth. The violence comes suddenly and unrelentingly, as Lang explodes the stripped down story with economic yet forceful cinematography and editing, and gritty yet emotionally gripping performances from Ford and Grahame.

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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
5 star:
 (6)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A great film noir, 18 Dec 2006
By P. C. Walsh "PatC" (uk) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
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.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars "The city's being strangled by a gang of thieves" , 29 Oct 2007
By Bel Alcat "bel_78" (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   
"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
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Somebodys gonna pay...because they forgot to kill me!, 23 Mar 2009
By Mr. Matthew John Gunn "straymonkey" (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars 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 4 months ago by Lou Knee

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb noir
This has Lee Marvin in one of his best turns, even though he's a support player. The hood he plays is incredibly vicious (one scene in particular) and all in all this is a really... Read more
Published 7 months ago by The Cheerful Teacher

4.0 out of 5 stars Sleaze, violence, corruption...it's great noir
When the wife of Detective Dave Banion (Glenn Ford) is killed by mistake in a mob hit aimed at him, everybody...not just the bad guys...had better look out. Read more
Published 23 months ago by C. O. DeRiemer

5.0 out of 5 stars Gratuitous Violence - it all started with one!
Moll Debby, Gloria Grahame's character, is hideously scarred by a pot of boiling coffee thrown by her mobster boyfriend (Lee Marvin. Read more
Published on 4 Jan 2007 by Ms. N. P. Dougan

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