Teringer An Exercise In Nonsense

Kailansorac Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Pjtaylor-96-138044 In some ways, 'The Big Heat (1953)' seems lighter than the usual film noir fare, making less use of hard shadows or heavy narration and generally avoiding many of the cues the genre tends to evoke. Yet, the story itself never shies away from its darker elements and in general is a rather brooding, unflinching tale of political corruption and the quest for revenge. There are a number of twists and turns that genuinely manage to surprise, the feature takes several risks with convention and the portrayal of violence - considering the era in which it was created - and the lead character's tough cop persona is believable enough to not just be a one-note facade but rather another dimension to his personality. In the end, this piece is a shining example that so many others would aspire to follow. 7/10

Hitchcoc Glen Ford is one of those charismatic actors from a previous era. In this film he does a nice job playing a tough talking cop. Some might say he is reckless....as a matter of fact, his behavior ends up getting his wife killed. This, of course, lights the ultimate fire to go after a gang boss who has a set of thugs working for him. In the mix are some women who are hooked up with this guy and who also pay dearly. This is one of those man against the world efforts that is quite slick, action packed, and a good deal of fun.

Ian (Flash Review)How intensely would you fight back against a tragic injustice done in your life? In this Film Noir, Dave Bannion, an FBI agent investigating the apparent suicide of another agent, is getting too close to finding the truth behind it. Hence, personal tragedy strikes and he won't stop until he gets justice. Bannion won't take no for an answer nor will he back down from anyone. How far will he be able to dig and how many people will he shake down to uncover the tangled web of shady characters? This film clips along with snappy and raw dialog that'll make you grin. Mediocre cinematography (I expected better as this is a Lang film) yet nice crisp black and whites. This was very engrossing and a highly enjoyable watch.

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!