The Big Heat

1953 89 min ★ 7.7 Crime, Thriller

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.

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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

Robert Burton

Det. Gus Burke

Adam Williams

Larry Gordon

Details

Director

Fritz Lang

Screenplay

Sydney Boehm

Tagline

"A hard cop and a soft dame."

Status

Released

Original Language

EN

Production

Columbia Pictures

Reviews

J

John Chard

December 21, 2019

★ 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 Bo...

G

griggs79

December 2, 2024

★ 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 apprecia...