Everything about "The Big Heat" is "hard boiled."
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07/25/09
The Big Heat (1953)
100
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Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:26
Fresh:26
Rotten:0
Average Rating:8.4/10
Runtime: 90 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: THE BIG HEAT, 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... [More]
Starring: Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, Jocelyn Brando, Lee Marvin
Director: Fritz Lang
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Reviews for The Big Heat
Ford's portrayal of the homicide sergeant is honest and packs much wallop. Lang's direction builds taut suspense, throwing unexpected, and believable, thrills at the audience.
04/09/08
Top CriticA scalding face-full of harsh reality, courtesy Fritz Lang.
04/09/08
Lang presents one of the great works of film noir. The acting is first rate, Boehm's script tough and efficient, and the whole affair is photographed with the appropriate expressionist, chiaroscuro lighting.
04/09/08
Brutal, atmospheric, and exciting -- highly recommended.
04/09/08
Top CriticOne of Lang's most accomplished and influential noir crimers, with a top-notch turn from Glenn Ford as the avenging cop-angel, a role that Clint Eastwood (Dirty Harry) and Charles Bronson (Death Wish) would develop in their 1970s revenge thrillers.
04/08/07
Lang at his cruelest.
07/22/06
Lang strips down William P McGivern's novel to essentials, giving the story a narrative drive as efficient and powerful as a handgun.
06/24/06
That's the beauty of Lang's moral ambidexterity. He tells the story of a heroic cop, while using it to mask another story, so much darker, beneath.
01/20/06
Top CriticNo review available.
08/31/05
Overwhelming crime thriller, with plenty to say and brilliant storytelling
08/13/05
In-your-face tough cop-gangster noir yarn features gritty Glenn Ford and great Gloria Grahame.
05/28/05
Strong noir thriller from the great Lang in his later years.
11/24/03
One of Fritz Lang's very best films.
10/01/03
No review available.
08/22/03
Mr. Lang can direct a film. He has put his mind to it, in this instance, and he has brought forth a hot one with a sting.
05/20/03
Top CriticMay be Lang's greatest American film.
03/24/03
No review available.
11/22/02
No review available.
08/30/02
In many ways, Fritz Lang's The Big Heat, scripted by former crime reporter Sydney Boehm, laid the groundwork not only for "Dirty Harry," but for the whole sub-genre of 'rogue cop' films that began to surface during the Vietnam era.
07/20/02
Top CriticLatest News for The Big Heat
August 31, 2006:
Actor Glenn Ford Dead at 90
People of my generation (and younger) most likely remember the widely-admired Glenn Ford as "the actor who played Pa Kent" in Richard Donner's classic... More...
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