Review of White Heat (1949) by Thomas L — 20 Apr 2009

This is a true gangster classic. Jimmy Cagney's perfect as Cody Jarrett. "Look, ma! Top of the world!" His mommy mania puts Norman Bates to shame. What's more, unlike Norm, this dude's mom's actually alive, so her influence over him is very real as opposed to all in his head.

Edmond O'Brien's great as the no-nonsense Vic Pardo. I can see now how his character has served as a template over the years for other tough-talking cops and PIs and what have you. Director Raoul Walsh was in his early sixties, the twilight of his career, when he helmed this, but the man who gave John Wayne his first starring role with The Big Trail twenty years earlier obviously hadn't lost a beat.