The Big Heat

"A hard cop and a soft dame."

1953 1h 29m EN

🙌

7.7

BANGER

★7.7TMDB · 581

CrimeThriller

Synopsis

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After the suspicious suicide of a fellow cop, tough homicide detective Dave Bannion takes the law into his own hands when he sets out to smash a vicious crime syndicate.

“A hard cop and a soft dame.”

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Cast

Glenn Ford
Det. Sgt. 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

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Fritz Lang
Writers: Sydney Boehm, William P. McGivern
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

73 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Fritz Lang, shot by Charles Lang. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Henry Vars. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Charles Nelson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Glenn Ford and Gloria Grahame and Jocelyn Brando carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A hard cop and a soft dame.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0045555 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Fritz Lang directs. Charles Lang behind the camera. Henry Vars scores. Charles Nelson cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
273 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Fritz Lang, shot by Charles Lang. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Henry Vars. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Charles Nelson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Glenn Ford and Gloria Grahame and Jocelyn Brando carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A hard cop and a soft dame.".
8IMDB entry: tt0045555 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 13 themes, including "suicide", "police", "gangster", "homicide".
10Released under 34 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Charles Lang
Original score: Henry Vars
Editing: Charles Nelson
Costume design: Jean Louis
Makeup / hair: Clay Campbell
Runtime: 89 min · 1h 29m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Big Heat (1953)

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Fritz Lang

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What people are saying

John Chard2019-12-21
★ 9/10
Fritz Lang deals nicely in obsession and corruption. Detective Dave Bannion is investigating the suicide of corrupt cop Tom Duncan. As he gets deeper, and his colleagues get nervous, his wife is inadvertently killed by a car bomb that was meant for him, he turns from mannered family man into a vengeful obsessive, the heat is most definitely coming down on those responsible. Writer Sydney Boehm took a "Saturday Evening Post" serial (written by William McGiven), and crafted a tight, biting and incredibly bleak script. Handed it into director Fritz Lang's hands, who then cloaked it (along with Charles Lang's perfectly apt photography) with dripping noir nastiness. Playing out as a tale of murder, revenge and pure hatred, The Big Heat holds up now as one of the best of the dialogue driven noir pieces of the 50s. Lang isn't concerned with showing the violence exactly, more like the reaction of our protagonists to the violence in the piece, this makes for a sort of ethereal viewing, with the sets themselves becoming integral to our characters personalities. The cast are excellent, Glenn Ford as Bannion was never better than he is here, but even he is playing second fiddle to the fabulous Gloria Grahame as Debby Marsh, a Moll who makes a decision that has very far reaching consequences. It begs the question as to why Grahame never had a far better career, for here she is one of film noir's best (anti?) heroines. Rounding out a trio of great performances are Lee Marvin as the vile and brutal Vince Stone - Marvin of course would go on from here and deliver a ream of brilliant gruff hard bastard performances. A potent, gripping and superb piece of film noir. 9/10
griggs792024-12-02
★ 9/10
The Big Heat is a blistering slice of film noir; its shocking violence—especially the infamous coffee-throwing scene—still jolts in its cruelty, surpassing most of its contemporaries. Fritz Lang crafts a relentlessly dark narrative of corruption and vengeance, with Gloria Grahame and Lee Marvin delivering performances that are nothing short of magnetic. Their talent is sure to leave you appreciative and in awe. However, Glenn Ford's portrayal of Bannion feels disappointingly one-note, his stiffness paling against Marvin's menacing energy. A near-masterpiece, held back by its lead.