The Big Heat (1953)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

The Big Heat (1953) – F. Lang

Appearing later in the film noir cycle, when things start to go a bit psychotic, Fritz Lang’s The Big Heat starts with the straightforward investigation of a cop’s suicide and then continues to ramp up the intensity for the remainder of its running time. Glenn Ford, at his cynical best, is homicide detective Sgt. Dave Bannion. He first sees Tom Duncan’s suicide as an open-shut case but when a B-girl from a local bar contacts him with contradictory information after seeing the story in the paper, he decides to dig deeper. Duncan’s widow is clearly hiding something and after the B-girl is murdered, he suspects that the local crime kingpin, Mike Lagana (Alexander Scourby), and his key henchman, Vince Stone (Lee Marvin), may have something to do with it.  He is warned off the case by his superiors but proceeds anyway (as you do, in films like this).  A tragic turn of events leaves Bannion raw and unbridled and he is forced to turn in his badge. Surprisingly, Stone’s girlfriend Debby (played superbly by Gloria Grahame) becomes an important ally. Lang does not shy away from letting us see that Bannion may be not much different from the gangsters he pursues in his willingness to use violence to achieve his goals. Indeed, the worldview here is one that sees humans pursuing their self-interest above all, perverting the institutions set up to ensure a fair and humane society (Bannion is no exception). Dark and cynical, this is one of the best noirs of all time.