The Big Heat (1953)

Tough cop Dave Bannion takes on a politically powerful crime syndicate.

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

Sydney Boehm (screenplay), William P. McGivern (Saturday Evening Post serial)

Stars:

Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, Jocelyn Brando

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Glenn Ford	...	Dave Bannion
Gloria Grahame	...	Debby Marsh
Jocelyn Brando	...	Katie Bannion
Alexander Scourby	...	Mike Lagana
Lee Marvin	...	Vince Stone
Jeanette Nolan	...	Bertha Duncan
Peter Whitney	...	Tierney
Willis Bouchey	...	Lt. Ted Wilks
Robert Burton	...	Gus Burke
Adam Williams	...	Larry Gordon
Howard Wendell	...	Commissioner Higgins
Chris Alcaide	...	George Rose
Michael Granger	...	Hugo
Dorothy Green	...	Lucy Chapman
Carolyn Jones	...	Doris

Storyline

Dave Bannion is an upright 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 Debby. As Bannion and Debby 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.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | suicide note | scalded face | disfigurement | corruption | 

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Taglines:

Somebody's going to pay ...because he forgot to kill me...

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Genres:

Crime | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 December 1953 (Japan)

Also Known As:

The Big Heat

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,324

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

As Dave Bannion leaves The Retreat after he first sees Vince Stone face to face, the music in the background is "Put the Blame on Mame," a reference to Glenn Ford's performance in Gilda (1946).

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Goofs

When Bannion (Glenn Ford) confronts Larry Gordon (Adam Williams) in Gordon's apartment, Gordon's revolver is first seen behind Gordon, in the middle of the desk near the blotter. When Bannion picks up the revolver, it is several inches closer to the right-hand edge of the desk.

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Quotes

Debby Marsh: [to Bannion] I guess a scar isn't so bad, not if it's only on one side.
[takes a swig of scotch]
Debby Marsh: I can always go through life sideways.

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Connections

Referenced in The Girl on the Late, Late Show (1974)

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Soundtracks

Put the Blame on Mame
(uncredited)
Written by Doris Fisher and Allan Roberts
Heard instrumentally during one of the scenes at The Retreat

User Reviews

Taut, gripping, vintage cop thriller

It's doubtful that even Dirty Harry in his most menacing moments could match the smouldering rage that Glenn Ford brings to the screen in this excellent 1953 Fritz Lang flick. From a modern POV there is nothing unfamiliar here, except maybe the dated hardboiled lingo. The maverick cop, the revenge theme, the underworld characters and heroines. It's just that whereas a modern director would make this into a predictable two hour yawn-fest with slow-motion car accidents and ten minute shootouts with shoulder-launched missiles, Lang's movie clocks in at under 90 minutes, and there isn't an ounce of fat on it. It's lean, fast-moving and engrossing. Not a single camera shot is wasted or unnecessary. The script crackles, the cast is uniformly excellent, and Ford and Lee Marvin in particular are unforgettably intense. Ford, just when he's about to go way over the top, reins himself in, adding to the aura of barely suppressed violence in his character.

The movie can also lurch from plot exposition to sudden, economical and unexpected explosions of violence which can still shock today and must have been extremely confronting fifty years ago. And from there it can become suddenly, unexpectedly sensitive and moving.

Nothing is wasted in this movie. Everything is nailed down just right. It's not that they don't make them like this any more; it's more that they've been making them like this ever since, and generally to lesser and lesser effect.

A strong 8 out of 10.