The Big Heat (1953) has occupied a bit of our time of late, a Fritz Lang film starring Glenn Ford and Lee Marvin. Ford is a policeman faced with a nightmare situation, and we witness his reactions, his choices, and how those choices can damn a soul – or save it.
This is a dark bit of lightning in a bottle, featuring ordinary, yet memorable, characters faced with the problem of crime overcoming law and order, and what to do about it. It is a classic treatment in that, while horrid violence resulting in death or ugly scarring occurs, it is not emphasized as it is today; the important element is the influence the violence has on the lives connected to those afflicted, and the implications for society at large. The lessons have to do with greed and heedlessness and the chaos it inflicts on society.
Technically an astute movie as well, it’s hard to find anything to really criticize. The dialog might have been better, but the plot specializes in the tension of choice, not in the question of who: we know, or can credibly guess, those responsible for the crimes, and their motivations. The tension comes from the decisions facing those who need to respond to the antagonists, and whether or not they are fit for their roles.
