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The Big Heat | 
 enlarge | Director: Fritz Lang
Actors: Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, Jocelyn Brando, Alexander Scourby, Lee Marvin
Studio: Sony Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.94
Buy New: $11.82
You Save: $8.12 (41%)
New (40) Used (17) from $10.49
Rating:  42 reviews
Sales Rank: 18785
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Chinese (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Portuguese (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Dubbed)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 99
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 89 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: COLD06532D
UPC: 043396065321
EAN: 0043396065321
ASIN: B00005RDRL
Theatrical Release Date: October 14, 1953
Release Date: December 18, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW, Factory Sealed items direct from the Studios. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Quick International Airmail!
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Product Description
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 05/27/2008 Run time: 89 minutes Rating: Nr
Amazon.com essential video
There's a satisfying sense of closure to the definitive noir kick achieved in The Big Heat: its director, Fritz Lang, had forged early links from German expressionism to the emergence of film noir, so it's entirely logical that the expatriate director would help codify the genre with this brutal 1953 film. Visually, his scenes exemplify the bold contrasts, deep shadows, and heightened compositions that define the look of noir, and he matches that success with the darkly pessimistic themes of this revenge melodrama. The story coheres around the suicide of a crooked cop, and the subsequent struggle of an honest detective, Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford), to navigate between a corrupt city government and a ruthless mobster to uncover the truth. Initially, the violence here seems almost timid by comparison to the more explicit carnage now commonplace in films, yet the story accelerates as its plot arcs toward Bannion's showdown with kingpin Lagana (Alexander Scourby) and his psychotic henchman, the sadistic Vince Stone, given an indelible nastiness by Lee Marvin. When Bannion's wife is killed by a car bomb intended for the detective, both the hero and the story go ballistic: suspended from the force, he embarks on a crusade of revenge that suggests a template for Charles Bronson's Death Wish films, each step pushing Lagana and Stone toward a showdown. Bodies drop, dominoes tumbled by the escalating war between the obsessed Bannion and his increasingly vicious adversaries. Lang's disciplined visual design and the performances (especially those of Ford, Marvin, Jeanette Nolan as the dead cop's scheming widow, and Gloria Grahame as Marvin's girlfriend) enable the film to transcend formula, as do several memorable action scenes--when an enraged Marvin hurls scalding coffee at the feisty Debby (Grahame), we're both shattered by the violence of his attack, and aware that he's shifted the balance of power. --Sam Sutherland
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| Customer Reviews: Read 37 more reviews...
 Superb noir November 18, 2008
Chris Wood (UK)
This has Lee Marvin in one of his best turns, even though he's a support player. The hood he plays is incredibly vicious (one scene in particular) and all in all this is a really impressive film.
The plot is great and the ending is truly satisfying. If you like old noir films, this is one to check out.
" On A Hate Binge" August 30, 2008
RC Wade (Virginia)
"The Big Heat" is a very nice film noir DVD. Glen Ford gives a strong performance and you would go "on a hate binge" if you were in his shoes. Strong direction from Fritz Lang gives the film an excellent pace. Lee Marvin has a role in the film as a real slime ball and Gloria Grahame is the ditzy blonde who is smarter than she acts. There's not a lot of buzz about this movie, but it delivers the goods and will please all fans of noir.
 Another Great Noir From Fritz Lang. 4 1/2 Stars December 23, 2007
Erik Rupp (Southern California)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Fritz Lang is one of the best known directors of Film Noir, and one of the most respected. With good reason. His films, such as Metropolis, M, The Woman in the Window, Scarlet Street, House by the River, Clash by Night, etc, are considered to be classics.
The Big Heat is one of Lang's better movies, thanks to an outstanding script, great performances from the cast (Glenn Ford gives another understated, but powerful performance, Lee Marvin is excellent as the menacing thug, and Gloria Grahame is, well, Gloria Grahame - in a part you'd think was written for her), and, of course, thanks to the great direction of Fritz Lang himself.
This is a more straightforward detective/crime thriller than many of Lang's other movies, but he handles it extremely well. Ford is homicide detective Dan Bannion, who is assigned to investigate the suicide of a fellow officer. Bannion uncovers indications that this wasn't just a case of depression, and he stumbles into a case that some of his superiors want closed as a suicide and nothing more. With so much pressure from above to just let the whole thing go, Bannion forges ahead, getting into trouble along the way - trouble that would have tragic consequences for him.
The Big Heat delivers on all counts, and while not quite as NOIR as many Films Noir (it would fit in the Police Procedural category of Film Noir), it still fits squarely in the genre with many dark twists and turns - and some fairly brutal scenes.
This is definitely a, "Must Have," movie for all Film Noir buffs, and for most fans of classic films in general. Highly recommended.
The Naked City November 7, 2007
Alfred Johnson (boston, ma)
Take one honest but world wise urban cop played by Glenn Ford. Take a gangster ridden town run by the mob. Take a genuine `bad guy' enforcer played by a young Lee Marvin and his wrong side of the tracks but heart of gold girlfriend played by the legendary B actress Gloria Grahame and you have a fair B side noir film. The dialogue is a little thin and the melodrama gets laid on a little thick but it will not be the worst time you have every spent. If nothing else look at it to see the Grahame performance. It is a classic portrayal of the type.
"The city's being strangled by a gang of thieves" October 29, 2007
Belén (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
"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
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