Film Review

White Heat by Raoul Walsh is one of the very best crime dramas of the film noir period after the war. This movie is simplistic and straightforward, but the characters are very complex, which is why it is so intriguing, entertaining, and just great to watch even though it might be before our time. People looking for action came to the right place with a large display of violence and brutality throughout the movie, however if they are looking for cool effects, realistic gun shots, and explosions, they might need to stay away from this black and white film.

The film received and Oscar in the category of “story.” This was the one great aspect of the film as written by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts. In this movie, produced by Louis Edelman, the main actors are James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, and Edmond O'Brien. Cagney plays the role of Cody Jarrett, a violent, and psychologically twisted gangster who becomes dependent on too many people. He relies a lot on his mother, who is his main accomplice and femme fatale of the movie, his right hand, who ends up betraying him, and then he trusts an undercover cop who ends up screwing everything up. Mayo plays the part of Cody's wife, Verna, who benefits from all the money that Cody gets from his heists.

The movie takes places in California at Cody's house, his hideaways, on the road, and at prison. It begins with Cody and his gang taking control of a train, killing everyone, and stealing all the valuable goods that were being transferred on it. The police have trouble finding him, but when his mother slips up, they are able to track him down and he is sent to prison for what is suppose to be a couple of years. While he is there, O'Brien, the undercover cop gets info from him, his mother dies, and then escapes with several other cell mates. When Cody gets out he meets with his gang and they plan another robbery. They decide to pull a “Trojan horse” to sneak inside of a gas plant and steal the money from the banking office. Unfortunately, the undercover cop catches on and tells the police exactly where they are heading by sending signals through a radio he puts on the bottom of the car. The police track down their location and all hell breaks loose.

The movie is for the most part very fast paced, powerful, and melodramatic. It also enhances how tough Cody is at many points during the film. All of these aspects are accompanied wonderfully by the musical score of Max Steiner. Cody is well visualized with many low shots to show his power, but there isn't really that much emotion in the film causing there to really only be long and medium shots. This was probably a good idea because Walsh was focusing more on the action then the drama. The cinematography included many shady black and white moments normally in film noirs. The low key lighting played a significant role especially when Cody would plan out his missions and escapes. It was apparent that when people were conversing, the shots really didn't change at all, not showing any perspectives like shows and movies nowadays do a lot. This also affected the fact that there were really no closeups. However, when there was action, there were a lot of quick cuts and even some rhythmic relations, especially in the chase scene.

The variety of settings and characters were significant for how this movie turned out. The actors picked for the roles were perfect. James Cagney fits the criminal role magnificently. The dialogue in the acting was realistic, but it was almost hysterical to listen to Cagney talk. The movie is a little confusing at the beginning but it is very well structured. There aren't any flashbacks, but there is a lot of foreshadowing that creates a great ending worth watching. Everything is resolved, but not necessarily how one would expect it to end. The great acting and story line of White Heat are on par with some of the best black and white gangster movies of the time, and it is worth your time to take a look at it even if older movies make you cringe.