Review of White Heat (1949) by Russell W — 21 Aug 2012
Before the darknessof Film Noir set in the classic Warner Brothers gangster movie was given one last hurrah by ace studio Director Raoul Walsh and one of the best actors of that genre the James Cagney.
Cagney gives one of crime cinemas best performances as Cody Jarret ,Train Robber,nutcase and Mamas boy and trust me when I say this Cody has one serious Oedipus complex when it comes to his ma add to that some REALLY bad headaches and you get one dangerous individual.
But the film is not just about Cagney ,Raoul Walsh keeps the action moving at a cracking pace and Edmond O Brien and Virginia Mayo lend stirling support..
Warner Brothers must have known film noir was upon them as the loaction work in the film is great as we witness Codys gang rob a train at the start to the final classic never bettered climax at an industrial plant.
Its easy to see why directors such as Martin Scorsese rate this film so highly as it really is the last gasp of the classic Hollywood Gangster film before the lights went out and the shadows of noir crept in .
This review of White Heat (1949) was written by Russell W on 21 Aug 2012.
White Heat has generally received very positive reviews.
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