The Big Heat
|
List Price: Our Price: $8.65 You Save: $6.34 (42%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $6.50 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of The Big Heat
Movie Review: Sleaze, Violence, Corruption...It's Great Noir.
Summary: 5 Stars
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. I like this film a lot. In particular, I like three things about it.
First, although Dave Banion may be a straight arrow good guy, a number of people get hurt or killed because of him...and he doesn't seem to care too much about these consequences. He's a hero you may not want to have too close to you. His righteousness can be unnerving.
Second, Gloria Grahame. I really like her in most of her roles, and she was great here...no better than she needed to be, funny, desirable, ultimately brave and sad. And she had an unusual face, a small chin, an upper lip that didn't move very much, but a face I liked to look at. This was one of her great roles, perhaps second only to In a Lonely Place.
Third, Lee Marvin. I've never been a great fan of his when he finally hit his stride as a leading man, but in his character roles and early leads he could sure catch your attention. He does here. You never know what he's capable of but you know it'll be bad...as Gloria Graham's character finds out. He could sure put across a sense of brutal danger. In Bad Day at Black Rock as one of Robert Ryan's two goons, Ernest Borgnine gives the impression of a guy who'd just as soon beat you to death, but Marvin gives the impression of a guy who'd just as soon beat you to death slowly.
The Big Heat is a fine movie, one of the best Fritz Lang made while he worked in Hollywood.
Movie Review: One Of The Fastest-Moving Film Noirs
Summary: 5 Stars
Intense characters, led by Glenn Ford's portrayal of "Det. Sgt. Dave Bannion," make this one of the better film noirs of the period, at least one of the ones most people seemed to enjoy the most.....me included.
Ford is a believably 100 percent honest and tough cop who is unrelenting in getting his wife's killer. (His wife is killed early on in a car bomb.) Ford takes the law into his own hands, which really contradicts what he stands for, and is not least bit apologetic for his actions, either. Make no mistake: this is a pure "revenge" film.
Gloria Grahame, Lee Marvin, Jocelyn Brando, Alexader Scourby, Jeanette Noland and Carolyn Jones complete the cast of "name" actors of the period. No surprise that Marvin plays the lead villain.
SPOILER - Grahame almost steals the show as Marvin's girl who gets scalded when the latter throws hot coffee in her face - one of the more shocking scenes in film noir history. She then, understandably, switches allegiances.
It was kind of fun to see Marvin at such a young age. This was my first look at Scourby. Pro football fans know his distinctive voice well, as he became the voice of the NFL Films for many years.
One of the attractions of this story is the pace: it is fast-moving, and it's not too dated either, despite being over 40 years old. I have no complaints about the transfer on this DVD, either. It looks good. This is highly recommended for crime buffs of any era.
Movie Review: CLASSIC 50's NOIR.....
Summary: 5 Stars
Awesome 50's detective film noir with Glenn Ford out to bust up a gang that's getting away with murder. He starts snooping around and finds a cover up bigger than he expected. When his wife gets blown up in their car by a bomb meant for him, he's told to take a "leave". So he sets out on his own to get the guys responsible. He hangs out at a club known to be frequented by the thugs and witnesses a party girl (Carolyn Jones) being victimized by hissably slimy Lee Marvin--- who's a key member of the gang. He intervenes and meets another party girl Debby (50's noir babe Gloria Grahame)who tells him to back off for his own good. Ford continues to snoop around and discovers things are even more involved than he thought. Debby proves to be helpful (she likes him) but Marvin scalds her face with boiling coffee when he finds out---a shocking highlight of the film. She goes to Ford, tells all and then takes matters into her own hands. She will be avenged. Tense, exciting story and top notch acting make this a bona-fide classic of the genre and not to be missed. They don't get much better than this. Ford is excellent and Grahame gives the kind of performance that defines a career. She's unforgettable as Debby. A must for DVD collectors who like their film noir pitch black and brutal.Movie Review: "The city's being strangled by a gang of thieves"
Summary: 5 Stars
"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
Movie Review: A classic from the master
Summary: 5 Stars
A great but disturbing film noir from the master, Fritz Lang. Especially for the Vince Stone character (Lee Marvin), who seems to enjoy torturing and killing women--a remarkable character for a fifties movie--reminds me of the Dennis Hopper character in David Lynch's BLUE VELVET 30 years later. Very violent. Fast-moving plot. Great performances from all, especially Glen Ford, Lee Marvin, and Gloria Grahame, perhaps the greatest role of her career. Ford is a homicide detective investigating the murder of a prostitute that no one wants him to investigate, because of corruption in high places. The organized crime syndicate has his wife killed, and him taken off the force, so he is forced to seek revenge on his own, even though he resists the urge to kill. When Stone's girlfriend, Gloria Grahame, talks to Ford, Stone throws a pot of hot coffee on her face. She then befriends Ford, and helps him achieve his revenge. I guess she is the femme fatale character, but she's fatal for the bad guys, not Ford. The corruption is finally cleansed and Ford returned to his position, but his wife is still dead, and the violence lingers hauntingly in our minds. Visually, this is classic film noir, with lots of menacing shadows.