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The Big Heat (1953)
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Overview
Release Date:
14 October 1953 (USA) moreTagline:
A hard cop and a soft dame! morePlot:
Tough cop Dave Bannion takes on a politically powerful crime syndicate. full summary | full synopsis (warning! may contain spoilers)Awards:
1 win moreNewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Glenn Ford: 1916 - 2006 (From IMDb News. 31 August 2006)
Film Great Glenn Ford Dead At 90 (From Studio Briefing. 31 August 2006)
User Comments:
The king of the film noir hill, bar none... moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| 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 | |
| Howard Wendell | ... | Police Commissioner Higgins | |
| Chris Alcaide | ... | George Rose | |
| Michael Granger | ... | Hugo (police clerk) | |
| Dorothy Green | ... | Lucy Chapman | |
| Carolyn Jones | ... | Doris |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
89 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)Certification:
Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Québec) | UK:X (original rating) | West Germany:18 (nf) (original rating) | UK:15 (re-rating) (1988) | Norway:16 | Germany:16 (nf) (re-rating) | Finland:(Banned) | Finland:K-16 (re-rating) (1966) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (certificate #16549) | Australia:PG | Germany:BPjM RestrictedMOVIEmeter: 
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
When Lee Marvin first sees Glenn Ford face to face, the music in the background is "Put the Blame on Mame," a reference to Ford's performance in Gilda (1946). moreGoofs:
Continuity: Near the end of the film, Dave Bannion has an altercation with his brother-in-law's old army buddy in the stairwell. When he enters the apartment a second later, the sleeves of his suit are suddenly rolled up. moreQuotes:
Debby Marsh: The main thing is to have the money. I've been rich and I've been poor. *Believe* me, rich is better. moreFAQ
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My interest in film noir goes all the way back to "The Maltese Falcon" and, in the last few years, I've managed to see quite a few good ones. But none of them come even close to what I saw this very day with "The Big Heat". Perhaps more than any other film noir I've seen to date, this one sums up it's genre almost completely.
I'm not the slightest bit suprised why such a story appealed to the film's director, the legendary Fritz Lang (whose earlier films, particularly "M", were instrumental in the creation of the film noir genre). An escapee from Nazi Germany, he had a special affinity for the kind of atmosphere portrayed here. When the basic ground rules are look the other way, pretend you didn't see it, you don't know anything we don't want you to, is there that much difference between the Third Reich and the corrupt city government portrayed here?
Sgt. Banion (played with low-key, but believable calm by Glenn Ford) pays a heavy price for bucking the cowardice of those around him. His wife is killed in a car bomb. He's suspended from duty. He loses yet another friend to Vince Stone (perhaps Lee Marvin's best role as a villain ever). But when push comes to shove, he eventually makes the right decision. Nothing about the way the plot moves is forced or unrealistic (though being blown in a car or shot in the head is a lot messier than portrayed here). This is not a film to be forgotten nor to be missed.