The Big Heat Movie Review

The Big Heat (1953)

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Written by: Sydney Boehm (screenplay), William P. McGivern (Saturday Evening Post serial)
Directed by: Fritz Lang
Starring: Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, Jocelyn Brando, Lee Marvin
Rated: Approved [PG-13]
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Plot
Tough, yet unscrupulous, police detective Dave Bannion takes on a crime syndicate with powerful political ties.

Verdict
It's easy to see why this is well regarded. Bannion stumbles into a cover up that goes all the way to the top. Despite threats and attacks, he doggedly pursues the truth to discover what's really happening. It's grim for a '50s movie. Like most old movies, it was a pioneer at the time that can now feel dated, but if you're into old movies, this is a must watch.
It depends.

Review
This starts with a bang and a letter to the district attorney. After a few phone calls the cops are on the scene, but the letter is gone. We know the wife moved it, but we don't know why. Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford) is assigned to Duncan's death, a fellow police officer. Duncan's wife states he was in ill health, but a woman claiming to be Duncan's girlfriend throws a wrinkle in the wife's story. Bannion gets chided by his bosses for not closing what they claim is an open and shut case. He then gets a call at home warning him off the case to drive home the point.

Glenn Ford plays Dave Bannion

There's more to this case than it appears as dead bodies accumulate. Bannion is even targeted in an attack. In turn he accuses his bosses of corruption, and they take his badge. Bannion refuses to back down, continuing the investigation. While this uses some tropes, it may well have invented them. Bannion seems like the only person in the city willing to stand up to the local gangsters. He stands up to Stone (Lee Marvin) when he attacks a woman. That impresses Stone's girlfriend Debby (Gloria Grahame), which is convenient for Bannion who now has a connection to the gangsters. He also falls for Debby which complicates everything. It's clear Debby is with Stone for his money more than his personality.

Bannion is this loose cannon that will stop at nothing to get the truth while leaving a path of destruction in his wake. Even after he loses his badge, he continues pursuing the case. How can you not like a guy that doesn't blink when standing toe to toe with murderers? This concludes with various deaths and shootouts, but Bannion gets the truth, and his badge, back.