White Heat

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White Heat: Top of the World (S)

Original title: White Heat
Year: 1949
Running time: 114 min.
Country: United States
Director: Raoul Walsh
Screenwriter: Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts. Story: Virginia Kellogg
Music: Max Steiner
Cinematography: Sidney Hickox (B&W)
Cast: James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O'Brien, Margaret Wycherly, Steve Cochran, John Archer, Wally Cassell, Fred Clark
Producer: Warner Bros.
Genre: Film noir | Prison Drama. Crime
Synopsis / Plot: Cody Jarrett is the sadistic leader of a ruthless gang of thieves. Afflicted by terrible headaches and fiercely devoted to his 'Ma', Cody is a volatile, violent, and eccentric leader. Cody's top henchman wants to lead the gang and attempts to have an 'accident' happen to Cody, while he is running the gang from in jail. But Cody is saved by an undercover cop, who thereby befriends him and infiltrates the gang. Finally, the stage is set for Cody's ultimate betrayal and downfall, during a big heist at a chemical plant.

Awards: 1949: Nominated for Oscar: Best Story

Critics' reviews

"Cagney has an excellent supporting cast."

Variety
"Brilliantly directed by Raoul Walsh, an old master of cinema hoodlumism, it returns a more subtle James Cagney to the kind of thug role that made him famous."

Time
"[Cagney] could be the most unbalanced hero in film noir, yet Walsh's swift, pounding direction keeps you cheering for him up to the famous ending (...) The film leaves you drained and weirdly exhilarated."

Dave Kehr: Chicago Reader
"It was made to excite and amuse people. And that it most certainly does."

Bosley Crowther: The New York Times
"O’Brien plays as crucial a role to the film’s success as a cornerstone of Cagney iconography (…) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"

Eric Henderson: Slant
"This is really the fitting climax of the '30s gangster movie."

Phil Hardy: Time Out
"Magnificent examination of the criminal mind and Cagney's finest moment (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"

David Parkinson: Empire

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