Review of White Heat (1949) by Paul S — 31 Jan 2010
Enjoyable gangster film that features Cagney's most memorable performance. It's due in no small part to the script; with a gangster who's suffering from a pretty major case of Oedipal complex, Cagney gets a lot to do here, with scenes ranging from cocky swagger to open psychosis to broken shell of a man.
The movie around him? Well, it's okay. There's something fascinating about the idea of an undercover officer who's spent more time in jail than many of the criminals he's casing, but the movie doesn't do much with that idea, nor really anything with the police officer.
And while it's nice to have a movie where the cops are actually intelligent and proactive, there's never a real sense of why they're so after Cagney's character. Still, it's all a lot of fun, and it's worth every second for Cagney, who gets a great villain's role here, with a lot more violence than I expected and one hell of an exit scene.
This review of White Heat (1949) was written by Paul S on 31 Jan 2010.
White Heat has generally received very positive reviews.
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