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White Heat
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White Heat (1949) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
8.1/10   8,683 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 13% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Raoul Walsh
Writers:
Ivan Goff (screenplay) and
Ben Roberts (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for White Heat on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1952 (Austria) more
Genre:
Action | Crime | Film-Noir more
Tagline:
James Cagney Is Red Hot In "White Heat"! more
Plot:
A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist. Shortly after the plan takes place, events take a crazy turn full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination more
User Comments:
Cagney's last great gangster film was his best... more
US TV Schedule:
Mon. July 139:30 PMTCM   

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
114 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Certification:
Iceland:12 | UK:15 | West Germany:16 (nf) | Sweden:15 (re-rating) (1962) | Sweden:(Banned) (original rating) (1949) | Canada:PG (video rating) | South Korea:15 | Australia:PG | Finland:(Banned) (1950) | Finland:K-15 (re-rating) (2004) | USA:Approved (PCA #13852) | Australia:M (DVD rating)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The unusually close relationship between Cody Jarrett and his domineering mother was inspired by real life bank robbers Kate Barker (aka "Ma Barker") and her sons. more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: In the opening railroad heist, there is a shot of a man jumping down from an overpass onto the train. When he lands the mats used to break his fall can be clearly seen. more
Quotes:
Cody Jarrett: A copper, a copper, how do you like that boys? A copper and his name is Fallon. And we went for it, I went for it. Treated him like a kid brother. And I was gonna split fifty-fifty with a copper! more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Bullets Over Hollywood (2005) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Five O'Clock Whistle more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
48 out of 70 people found the following comment useful:-
Cagney's last great gangster film was his best..., 15 June 2002
Author: Neil Doyle from U.S.A.

WHITE HEAT is the ultimate gangster melodrama with the great James Cagney at the peak of his powers. No one else in the cast is a slouch either--Virginia Mayo convinces me that Bette Davis was right when she suggested Mayo should have played Rosa Moline in BEYOND THE FOREST.

Edmond O'Brien as a doggedly determined cop pretending to be a prisoner to get close to Cagney, is excellent, as he always is in these kind of roles. Steve Cochran's dirty lowdown heel is a standout as the darkly handsome actor makes the most of every line, especially in his scenes opposite Virginia Mayo.

Director Raoul Walsh keeps the film spinning along at a fast clip, never once letting the rather uncomplicated plot lose any of its tension as he underscores the pathology of Cody Jarrett's character, a man obsessed by his conniving mother (Margaret Wycherly). Cagney's prison breakup scene is masterfully handled by the actor and staged for maximum effect. A rousing score by Max Steiner underlines all of the suspenseful action and there's an electrifying climax with Cagney's famous "Top of the world, ma!" before he meets his end.

James Cagney has never had a better gangster role and he's given brilliant support by an outstanding cast. By all means, worth viewing as one of the great Warner crime melodramas of the late '40s.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for White Heat (1949)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Verna Got Away With Murder! joeparkson
Trivia on Cagney's Meltdown Scene BlondeVixen
Great Forgotten Scene joeparkson
'Made it Ma - Top of the world!' fwroots
In the top 5 Raoul813
Top 250? cyrax_v
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