Tacticalin An absolute waste of money

ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Hulkeasexo it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Smoreni Zmaj Above average crime flick, but I wouldn't go that far to call it masterpiece, even for its time...7/10

Christopher Reid The Big Heat starts out as many crime films do. A detective investigates a death which could possibly be a murder and gradually things become more complicated. But usually, you get a whodunnit where everyone acts suspicious and slowly a mystery unravels and a culprit is found. The end. But here, we jump head-first into a major battle between a cop and a mob syndicate. The tone is ominous and the people and places are dangerous. But our hero is not happy to do as he's told and he can't stand being surrounded by those that do (because they're afraid).Movies maintain your interest with tension and changes to the situation. The plot moves and it keeps you involved. Some movies feel slow at times or predictable. If nothing is happening, the suspense fades away. The Big Heat contains many events that can be quite shocking and which shift the balance of power and motivation for the characters. It keeps getting more interesting. It can feel inevitable in retrospect, but the first time it's full of surprises.I really like Glenn Ford as Bannion. He seems like a good, passionate cop and a kind and caring husband and father. I was genuinely moved by his performance in several scenes. But that's also thanks to the direction, the story and the other performances. Jocelyn Brando (Marlon's older sister) is very good, a loving wife but in a real kind of way not a cheesy way. Gloria Grahame and Lee Marvin are excellent as well and bring lots of energy and character to their roles (I don't know how else to word it).I felt like some of the scenes were a bit typical at first (giving so much attention to an attractive woman, showing intimate family moments) but as the film progresses, you see that everything is there for a reason. What is white without black? You need contrast, a background, a context. Loss is not appreciated without seeing what is lost. An empty room has meaning if you know what used to be in it. Every scene in this movie serves a purpose. We might not be told the purpose, but we feel it in the greater scope of the whole film.The Big Heat is riveting all the way through. There is real menace and a feeling that anything could happen. It holds no punches - I was really affected by certain scenes, they have real impact and involve you even more in the film. There are a number of interesting similarities with The Dark Knight, another great film where a man takes the mob head on and tries to put an end to corruption and crime. Anyway, I immensely enjoyed it. It's uncompromising but very rewarding and entertaining. One of my new favourite movies.

Jackson Booth-Millard The book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die has helped me find a lot of film I probably would never have known about before, this is one of the titles I found in it, directed by Fritz Lang (Metropolis, M, Secret Beyond the Door). Basically upright cop Detective Sergeant Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford) from the homicide bureau is assigned to the case to investigate the cause of the suicide of Tom Duncan, head of the records bureau. This case seems pretty open and shut, until the police are called by Lucy Chapman (Dorothy Green), Tom's girlfriend, who says that Tom would never commit suicide, Bannion dismisses this comment, but then when Chapman is found beaten and tortured he believes there is more to the case than predicted. Despite warnings from his superior and others Bannion's trail leads him to a vicious gang he suspects holds power over the police force, he suspects many officers are on the payroll of the gangsters as they keep silence about particular things, and Bannion's assignment gets personal when a car bomb meant for him kills his wife Katie (Jocelyn Brando, Marlon's sister). Bannion is furious to get vengeance and justice, and he is aided along the way by Debby Marsh (Gloria Grahame), the spurned girlfriend of the gangster Mike Lagana (Alexander Scourby), and when push comes to shove he quits the police force to pursue the mobster and his henchman Vince Stone (Lee Marvin) on his own terms. Also starring Jeanette Nolan as Bertha Duncan, Peter Whitney as Tierney, Willis Bouchey as Lieuntant Ted Wilks, Robert Burton as Detective Gus Burke, Adam Williams as Larry Gordon and Howard Wendell as Police Commissioner Higgins. Ford is good a the crusading on and off cop pursuing the gang and all corrupt characters, Grahame as the gangster's girlfriend gets many dramatic moments, and supporting cast members like Marvin get their time too, the most memorable moments of the film is also the one the censors wanted trimmed, when Grahame is scolded in the face by hot coffee thrown by Marvin, also the car bombing moment, there are other moments that get your attention, and it is a relatively interesting story of corruption and crime, it is a worthwhile classic film noir. Good!

utgard14 First-rate film noir with a terrific cast and great director in Fritz Lang. Glenn Ford plays a cop who is asking too many questions. He's warned to stop by gangsters and his corrupt superiors. When he doesn't, they kill his wife! After this, Ford snaps and sets out to bring the bad guys to justice no matter what. Obviously this sort of material has been handled many times in the decades since and in much more violent and graphic fashion than could be allowed in 1953. But I still feel the grit and emotion in this classic hold up well today. The coffee scene still packs a punch.Glenn Ford gives one of his best performances in this film. Some memorable support from an up & coming Lee Marvin and especially Gloria Grahame in perhaps the best acting job of her career. I mean, she'll always be Violet Bick to me, but this is a much more challenging role. This is a bona fide classic everybody should see at least once. A powerful example of film noir. Great direction, acting, writing. An excellent film.