The Big Heat

Released Oct 14, 1953

1h 30m

Crime

Drama

List

94%

Tomatometer

71 Reviews

90%

Audience Score

5,000+ Ratings

A police officer seems to have committed suicide, but Detective Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford) thinks there's more to the story. After talking to the man's mob-connected mistress, Bannion discovers far-reaching corruption that leads all the way from the police station to kingpin Mike Lagana (Alexander Scourby). But when the policeman's lover is killed, it becomes clear that crossing Lagana is a dangerous thing to do. Soon Bannion finds himself marked for death and his family in mortal danger.

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Critics Consensus

Presented with stark power by director Fritz Lang, The Big Heat is a delightfully grim noir that peers into the heart of darkness without blinking.

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Lindsay Anderson

Sight & Sound

Above all, it is directed with a dramatic incisiveness, a sharp-edged observation that keeps the pitch of interest and excitement continuously high.

Apr 11, 2024

Full Review

Helen Bower

Detroit Free Press

It has the kind of socko that will lies behind a good many small items in the newspapers and behind the big stories that make the evil deeds of the Medicis amateurish and simple in comparison.

Apr 11, 2024

Full Review

Mildred Martin

Philadelphia Inquirer

Ford has seldom been seen to better advantage than as Bannion... Miss Grahame adds another fine performance to those that already stand to her credit; while Scourby, Marvin and Adam Williams create genuinely terrifying portraits of beasts of prey.

Apr 11, 2024

Full Review

Joshua Polanski

Midwest Film Journal

The Big Heat is a pessimistic, mordacious, even feral film in the late style of the great director...

Jul 4, 2024

Full Review

P.S. Harrison

Harrison's Reports

One of the best produced crime melodramas to have come out of Hollywood in some time. It is taut and exciting, and the direction and acting are so skillful that one is made to feel as if present at a real-life occurrence.

Apr 11, 2024

Full Review

M. Oakley Christoph

Hartford Courant

[The Big Heat] has Gloria Grahame in so amazing a performance as a gun moll that if you miss going down to see her, boy, oh boy, you are cheating yourself.

Apr 11, 2024

Full Review

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Leaburn O

Standard detective v crime Gand shtick but done tidily and at a good pace. An enjoyable crime thriller from yesteryear. Watched on SKY Cinema.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/03/24

Full Review

Jack V

Solid noir, but it could've been a lot better and more suspenseful.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/02/24

Full Review

Alexander B

Very good for the time it came out. If you like classic noir this is a must.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

Mark A

One of the great ones!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/20/22

Full Review

Heironymus B

On first viewing, I never expected this 1950s noir thriller to be so tough and brutal! Absolutely fantastic!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/21/22

Full Review

Ed M

Really fun crime noir. Glenn Ford is better than I thought.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/20/22

Full Review

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Fritz Lang

Director

Glenn Ford

Det. Sgt. Dave Bannion

Gloria Grahame

Debby Marsh

Jocelyn Brando

Katie Bannion

Alexander Scourby

Mike Lagana

Lee Marvin

Vince Stone

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Synopsis

A police officer seems to have committed suicide, but Detective Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford) thinks there's more to the story. After talking to the man's mob-connected mistress, Bannion discovers far-reaching corruption that leads all the way from the police station to kingpin Mike Lagana (Alexander Scourby). But when the policeman's lover is killed, it becomes clear that crossing Lagana is a dangerous thing to do. Soon Bannion finds himself marked for death and his family in mortal danger.

Director: Fritz Lang
Producer: Robert Arthur
Screenwriter: William P. McGivern
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 14, 1953, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 25, 2014
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Flat (1.37:1)

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