The Big Heat

No film noir depicts the ruination of 1950’s domestic tranquility more explicitly than Fritz Lang’s The Big Heat; in fact, homicide detective Dave Bannion’s (Glenn Ford) happy home life quite literally explodes, leaving him a bitter, empty shell of a man on “a hate binge.” Lang immerses us in Bannion’s secure and loving household complete with a sweet, little daughter and an unconditionally supportive wife named Katie (Joceyln Brando, sister of Marlon), but forces of evil soon arrive in the form of a crime syndicate led by the fabulously wealthy Mike Lagana (Alexander Scourby) and right-hand man Vince Stone (Lee Marvin). When a married cop commits suicide, his mistress tells Bannion she believes he was murdered; this sets Bannion on an investigation that uncovers corruption, blackmail, and murder, not to mention domestic abuse at its most extreme: just try not to cringe when Stone punishes his over-social girlfriend Debbie Marsh (Gloria Grahame) in the infamous coffee scalding scene. Considered by many to be Lang’s most finely crafted American noir, The Big Heat may be vicious and bleak, but it’s also an example of exceptional storytelling, each of Bannion’s interactions leading to more ugliness and danger, each assault fueling his vengeance but also moving him a step closer to reclaiming his humanity.