White Heat (1949)

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

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writers:

Ivan Goff (screen play), Ben Roberts (screen play),

Stars:

James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O'Brien

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Cagney	...	Cody Jarrett
Virginia Mayo	...	Verna Jarrett
Edmond O'Brien	...	Hank Fallon / Vic Pardo
Margaret Wycherly	...	Ma Jarrett
Steve Cochran	...	Big Ed Somers
John Archer	...	Philip Evans
Wally Cassell	...	Cotton Valletti
Fred Clark	...	Trader Winston

Storyline

Cody Jarrett is the sadistic leader of a ruthless gang of thieves. Afflicted by terrible headaches and fiercely devoted to his 'Ma,' Cody is a volatile, violent, and eccentric leader. Cody's top henchman wants to lead the gang and attempts to have an 'accident' happen to Cody, while he is running the gang from in jail. But Cody is saved by an undercover cop, who thereby befriends him and infiltrates the gang. Finally, the stage is set for Cody's ultimate betrayal and downfall, during a big heist at a chemical plant.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | heist | undercover | killer | escape | 

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Taglines:

Pick up the pieces folks, Jimmy's in action again!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 September 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fúria Sanguinária

Filming Locations:

2720 Winona Avenue, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jim Thorpe:  the sports legend is one of the cons in the "telephone game".

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Goofs

The fabric marker on Ma Jarrett's car changes positions.

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Quotes

Cody Jarrett: Made it, Ma! Top of the world!

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Connections

Referenced in Lost Signal (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Five O'Clock Whistle"
(1940) (uncredited)
Music by Josef Myrow, Kim Gannon & Gene Irwin
Played on a radio

User Reviews

Bridges the gap between film noir and WB's classic gangster flicks.

An extraordinary performance from James Cagney turns what might have been a by-the-numbers movie into a masterpiece. Everything revolves around Cagney. Edmond O'Brien, Virginia Mayo, and Margaret Wycherly are all superb, but when Cagney is off the screen you wait for him to come back.

Cody Jarrett (Cagney) is a desperate gangster, standing on the ledge at the end of the Public Enemy era. But 'White Heat' gives us a much more intricate psychological portrait of it's anti-hero protagonist than earlier gangster movies. Cody's dependence on his "Ma" is at the crux of the story; there is no finer example of the corrupted mother in film history, even Mrs. Bates takes a backseat to Ma Jarrett.

Throughout the film, events, and characters, conspire against Cody all leading to his delivering of one of most iconic lines ever concocted by Hollywood. I won't repeat it, you know what it is even if you've never seen the movie, but even with prior knowledge it's still an extraordinarily moving moment given the context in which it's delivered.