Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8831 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-02-20
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, Full Screen, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Arabic, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
• Dubbed in: French, German, Italian, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 86 minutes

Amazon.co.uk review

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

Synopsis
, Fritz Lang's most celebrated American film, is a chilling and violent tale of corruption, vengeance, and loss. Dave Bannion, played by distinguished film noir actor Glenn Ford, is an upright but unscrupulous cop on the trail of a vicious gang he suspects holds power over the police force. Bannion is tipped off after a colleague's suicide and his fellow officers' suspicious silence lead him to believe that they are on the gangsters' payroll. When a bomb meant for him kills his wife instead, Bannion becomes a furious force of vengeance and justice, aided along the way by the gangster's spurned girlfriend Debbie (Gloria Grahame). As Bannion and Debbie fall further and further into the Gangland's insidious and brutal trap, they must use any means necessary (including murder) to get to the truth. The violence comes suddenly and unrelentingly, as Lang explodes the stripped down story with economic yet forceful cinematography and editing, and gritty yet emotionally gripping performances from Ford and Grahame.

Customer Reviews

A great film noir
It took a German director to produce this great American fim noir. It isn't surprising when you find out that Lang also directed 'M'a dark study of the hunt for a serial child killer (played by Peter Lorre!) before moving to Hollywood.
Although Glenn Ford is perfectly OK as the upstanding cop who vows vengeance after his wife is killed (look out for Brando's sister in a rare screen role) it is Lee Marvin and especially the great Gloria Grahame that provide the zing.
Dark and brutal this is what film noir is all about.

"The city's being strangled by a gang of thieves"
"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

Somebodys gonna pay...because they forgot to kill me!
This will be short but sweet - the best lines, the best direction, the best acting, the most uncompromising script (specially taking into account it was made in 1953), if you love Film Noir and dont have this in your collection then order it now! If you think you'd like it but maybe put off because as some people i know say 'I wanna watch it but its black and white' then i'd advise you never watch a film again and just watch the likes of Davinna McCall and Simon Cowell and be content with living your life through telephone voting. The Big Heat is a Masterpiece, real genius like this doesnt cost a phone vote.