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Information

Year
1953
Runtime
89 min.
Director
Fritz Lang
Genres
Crime, Thriller, Film-Noir
Rating *
7.9
Votes *
13,805
Checks
5,777
Favs
521
Dislikes
23
Favs/checks
9.0% (1:11)
Favs/dislikes
23:1
* View IMDb information

Top comments

  1. MrE2Me's avatar

    MrE2Me

    A classy noir by the almighty Fritz Lang. Gloria Grahame steals the film as a gangster's moll with attitude and heart. Beware of hot coffee! 13 years 1 month ago
  2. Siskoid's avatar

    Siskoid

    Fritz Lang's The Big Heat is a brutal noir that ups the stakes considerably when it dares to show us the protagonist's home life in addition to the case he's pursuing. Suddenly, the threats he receives when he gets too close to the solution to the badly explained suicide of a colleague are more visceral and suspenseful. Glenn Ford is great in this, juggling both sides of his copper's life through believable attitudes. Can a police detective keep both his integrity and his family intact when faced with this amount of corruption? And boy, is this ever violent for its time. That's the best part, really. Just how shocking it can be without really showing us anything that might attract the notice of the censors. Though nearer the end of his career than its beginning, Lang creates one of the iconic noirs of American cinema, with memorable characters and incidents, precision storytelling, and some cracking lines as well. 5 years 2 months ago
  3. acolthart's avatar

    acolthart

    A near perfect film noir by Fritz Lang, arguably darker than most. The action is brutal, the acting is excellent. A complete thrill ride, just be carful where you put the coffee when you watch this one. 10 years 6 months ago
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In 18 official lists

  1. This movie ranks #21 in IMDb's Film-Noir Top 50
    IMDb's Film-Noir Top 50's icon

    IMDb's Film-Noir Top 50

    21
  2. This movie ranks #38 in 101 Gangster Movies You Must See Before You Die
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    101 Gangster Movies You …

    38
  3. This movie ranks #53 in Time Out’s The 100 Best Thrillers
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    Time Out’s The 100 Best …

    53
  4. This movie ranks #78 in iCheckMovies's 1950s Top 100
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    iCheckMovies's 1950s Top…

    78
  5. This movie ranks #82 in The New York Times's Book of Movies
    The New York Times's Book of Movies's icon

    The New York Times's Boo…

    82
  6. This movie ranks #85 in TSPDT's 100 Essential Noir Films
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    TSPDT's 100 Essential No…

    85
  7. This movie ranks #85 in TSPDT's 1,000 Noir Films
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    TSPDT's 1,000 Noir Films

    85
  8. This movie ranks #89 in Time Out's 1000 Films to Change Your Life
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    Time Out's 1000 Films to…

    89
  9. This movie ranks #96 in The Guardian's 1000 Films to See Before You Die
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    The Guardian's 1000 Film…

    96
  10. This movie ranks #231 in BFI's 360 Classic Feature Films Project
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    BFI's 360 Classic Featur…

    231
  11. This movie ranks #247 in Roger Ebert's Great Movies
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    Roger Ebert's Great Movi…

    247
  12. This movie ranks #258 in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
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    1001 Movies You Must See…

    258
  13. This movie ranks #346 in Jonathan Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema
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    Jonathan Rosenbaum's Ess…

    346
  14. This movie ranks #361 in Emma Beare's 501 Must-See Movies
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    Emma Beare's 501 Must-Se…

    361
  15. This movie ranks #457 in David Thomson's Have You Seen?
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    David Thomson's Have You…

    457
  16. This movie ranks #580 in Library of Congress's National Film Registry
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    Library of Congress's Na…

    580
  17. This movie ranks #733 in TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films
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    TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest F…

    733
  18. This movie ranks #917 in Halliwell's Top 1000: The Ultimate Movie Countdown
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    Halliwell's Top 1000: Th…

    917
View all lists this movie is in