The Big Heat (1953)
Wow! What a tremendous film! This film is worth discovering for yourselves so i won't go into the who's, what's, how's and why's of the plot. Needless to say it's a gripper from the opening seconds and a tight script, crackling dialogue, Oscar baiting performances, strong violence and stunning direction from Fritz Lang, guarantee to keep you glued to the screen.
I would just like to pause and say how brilliant Gloria Grahame came over. Not usually a favourite of mine but here she practically steals the film from under Glenn Ford's nose. Not an easy feat as he was as tough and calculated as they come and his performance surely was a precursor to the classic crime films of the 60's and 70's. In fact the whole film seemed to have sequences that would influence film makers for years to come. Grahame however gave a multi-faceted performance. At times extremely funny and at others a dame to kill for or indeed be killed by. She was an absolute joy to behold. In fact everyone was on top of their game here. From nasty Lee Marvin to smaller roles for Dorothy Green, Jeanette Nolan and Alexander Scourby, each and everyone just so memorable.
The Big Heat is the best 'new to me' noir since i saw Rififi last year.
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