The Big Heat (1953)

I've been a fan of Fritz Lang since I saw his landmark 1931 thriller, M. It was stylish and felt fresh despite its being released 88 years ago. I've always meant to check out more of his oeuvre.

Now that The Criterion Channel is a thing, I have that opportunity! I am not a Criterion shill, but I am quite excited that I now have access to curated lists of classic films. This month there is a collection of noir films released by Columbia, one of which is Fritz Lang's thriller, The Big Heat (1953). 

With the wife out of town and the Criterion Channel app freshly installed, I settled in for an evening of noir.

I. What Is It?

This is the story of Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford), a no-nonsense homicide cop working the mean streets. When a car bomb meant for him takes his wife instead, Bannion hits the streets with his eye on revenge. He'll be working against organized crime, a corrupt police force, and a city caught in the grip of evil.

II. A Lean, Mean Little Thing

At 89 minutes, it's hard to tell a story more economically than Lang manages here. The plot juggles multiple characters, and their arcs, as well as a devious conspiracy with ease. Each character has moments to shine, and the movie never loses sight of its own plot, all the while rocketing towards a thrilling shootout.

Sydney Boehm's dialogue is sharply written, with all the hard-boiled swagger of a classic noir, without ever feeling like a cartoon. The cast takes Boehm's work and elevates it, and breathes life into it.

III. A Great Noir Hero

Glenn Ford is great as Bannion. He is tough, and does his job admirably, but when the car bomb rocks his world, he becomes a mad dog let off its leash. Many noir heroes start as bad people and, through the course of their story, try to do good. Other noir heroes start good and become irreconcilably corrupted. Bannion doesn't start wholly good, and he never falls to wholly evil levels. He flirts with the line, though: Bannion lets a gangster know point-blank that he will spread word of the gangster's betrayal on the street, knowing that it will get the man killed; he then threatens to kill the widow of a corrupt cop to get the dirt she has on the mob, going so far as to wrap his hands around her throat before being called off. Bannion goes to some dark places, but never dark enough that we stop rooting for him.

IV. Creative Violence

This movie hails from the era of the Hays Code, a set of strict regulations of what could and could not be shone in movies. This required the film to be creative with its violence. The film features a suicide, murders, car bombings, and pots of hot coffee splashed in faces, and manages to get away with it all. Lang does this by shooting his violence in such a way that it all happens out of frame. The camera swings away, and sound effects tell the tale: a deafening gunshot, a room-rattling explosion, or a scream of agony. Lang forces our imaginations to do the heavy-lifting, which allows him to abide by the Hays Code, but still deliver a story that hits hard and doesn't feel like it compromises its own sense of darkness.

In an era that revels in a solid R-rating, it is nice to watch a movie that doesn't need splashes of gore or staccato F-bombs to feel edgy.

V. Stylish

Fritz Lang and cinematographer Charles Lang (no relation), have crafted a finely stylized film: the framing is exquisite, balancing figures in the fore, middle and background. The camera pans and moves in little ways that help the film feel dynamic, even when nothing exciting is happening. Lang doesn't rely on the noirish chiaroscuro all the time, but when he turns up the contrast, he forms some wonderfully effective imagery.

VI. Wonderful Performances

I have already extolled the virtues of Glenn Ford's hard boiled turn as Bannion, but I would be remiss if I didn't show love to the ensemble.

Lee Marvin is all towering brute malevolence as Vince Stone. He grabs a woman's arm and snubs out a cigarette on her wrist, then he splashes a pot of hot coffee in the face of his girlfriend in a fit of pique. By the time he gets his just desserts, you'll practically cheer for it.

Gloria Grahame is Debby Marsh, Stone's naive trophy girl. She plays a wonderful arc, starting irritatingly naive, and ending the film with a gun in her hand and a will to use it. Debby BECOMES the femme fatale over the course of the film, and I liked that she was able to play that emotional range.

Alexander Scourby is all insidious smiles as mob boss, Mike Lagana. He isn't a stupid man: he knows when a situation calls for a pay off and when it calls for a bullet.

And, not for nothing, Jocelyn Brando makes a wonderful turn as Bannion's wife, Kate. Their chemistry feels real, and her death is affecting because she made the most of her screentime. I like that she isn't a delicate flower: she shares her husband's bourbon and his cigarettes, and she is patient and understanding when his police work takes its toll on him. Their marriage feels earned, which makes its tragic end all the more effective.

VII. Should You See It?

If you love movies, you owe it yourself to catch at least one of Fritz Lang's movies: he was innovative in ways that crafted what modern cinema would become. If you are hesitant to watch older films because you feel like they are not relevant any more, like I used to be, you will find a lingering vitality in the works of Fritz Lang. And if you have already subscribed to the Criterion Channel, give this one a whirl!

Miscellany

- The movie is set in the fictional city of Kenport.
- The producers wanted Marilyn Monroe, but 20th Century Fox's asking price was too steep.
- In 2011, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.