The Big Heat
| The Big Heat | |
|---|---|
theatrical release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Fritz Lang |
| Produced by | Robert Arthur |
| Screenplay by | Sydney Boehm |
| Based on | the Saturday Evening Post serial and 1953 novel by William P. McGivern |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Henry Vars |
| Cinematography | Charles Lang |
| Edited by | Charles Nelson |
|
Production
company |
|
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.25 million (US) |
The Big Heat is a 1953 film noir directed by Fritz Lang, starring Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame and Jocelyn Brando, and featuring Lee Marvin. It is about a cop who takes on the crime syndicate that controls his city, after the murder of his wife. The film was written by former crime reporter Sydney Boehm, based on a serial by William P. McGivern, which appeared in the Saturday Evening Post and was published as a novel in 1953. The film was selected for inclusion in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2011.
Homicide detective Sergeant Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford) investigates the suicide of officer Tom Duncan, which seems to have been brought on by ill health. Bannion is contacted by the late cop's mistress, Lucy Chapman (Dorothy Green), who claims it could not have been suicide. Bannion revisits his widow, Bertha Duncan (Jeanette Nolan), asking for particulars on the second home, but she resents the implication. The next day, Bannion is rebuked by Lieutenant Ted Wilks (Willis Bouchey), who is under pressure from "upstairs" to close the case. Chapman is found dead after being tortured and covered with cigarette burns. Bannion investigates, although the case is not in his jurisdiction. After receiving threatening calls to his home, he confronts Mike Lagana (Alexander Scourby), the local mob boss who runs the city. and finds that people are too scared to stand up to the crime syndicate. When warnings to Bannion go unheeded, his car is blown up and his wife Katie (Jocelyn Brando) is killed. After accusing his superiors of corruption, Bannion resigns.
...
Wikipedia