Review of White Heat (1949) by Geoff P — 30 Jun 2008

Hurt only by it's underdeveloped and underwhelming protagonist and co-stars, this is a movie starring James Cagney as a big-time gangster with some big-time mother issues. Like Joe Pesci in many-a-gangster film since, Cagney plays the bad guy like a short, compact stick of dynamite, ready to explode at any moment. He has aspirations for one thing, to be on "top of the world!," and only his mother can be trusted to help him get there.

Cody Jarret (Cagney) has just pulled off a train robbery and killed four men while doing so and decides to take a wrap for a small crime committed elsewhere, preferring 1-2 years in prison over the gas chamber. The police, knowing Jarret has just taken the legal system for a ride, have plans to bend some rules themselves and send Vic Pardo (Edmund O'Brien) inside the prison to pose as a lowlife criminal himself, serving undercover as a roommate and confidant of Cody's.

Each scene in "White Heat" draws the viewer in by doing something that isn't easy -- showing you something you haven't seen before. It's at times fascinating to watch the technology of the time (or lack thereof) be employed by both the gangsters and the coppers to try and out do one another. Tracking devices, tailing a suspect, and laying low are all cliches that are done in fresh ways, this said about a movie that was released in 1949.

Some rewarding plot devices and a spectacular finish make this a great viewing for most anyone.