THE BIG HEAT 4K Review: The Darkness Stuns

Directed by German Expressionist (technically, Austrian) master Fritz Lang (M, Metropolis), The Big Heat has been recently released in a 4K/Blu-ray combo pack by our friends at the Criterion Collection.

Film noir is the successor to the creative tenets of German Expressionism: the light is low key; the stakes are still high, usually life or death; and shadows are just as dark, but soaked in realism. While film noir has been crafted across the globe, it is inherently American, specifically from the 1930s-50s. The genre has an emphasis on crime stories, particularly on the haves and have nots, and what it takes to succeed in a world that is rigged against you, often at a steep cost. It makes sense that Lang would find a good fit in film noir from his exalted, fever dream beginnings.

The Big Heat sees Lang directing a powerhouse of a cast. We follow Glenn Ford’s Sargent Dave Bannion as he investigates the suicide of the cop who kills himself in the first scene. We never see that cop’s face, just the surly wife who doesn’t seem too upset about what just took place. If Bannion had been content to let the motivation of “ill health” continue to be the reason for the case, we’d have no film.

However, he finds the dead cop’s girlfriend, who’s adamant that he was perfectly fine. Moreso, they had plans for a future together. That begets more investigating, and of course, it isn’t long before said girlfriend disappears offscreen. We hear about the gruesome details of her fate and follow Bannion as he keeps questioning the underbelly of the city to learn more.

Barking up the wrong tree gets his car blown up, but his perfect wife Katie (Jocelyn Brando, Marlon’s sister) is killed via a bomb absolutely meant for him. His boss down at the station is sympathetic to a point, but in a long tradition of cinema cops, Bannion refuses to go on leave or vacation. Instead, this Dirty Harry prototype quits his job and continues investigating the local hoods.

Enter Gloria Grahame’s tragic gangster moll Debby Marsh and her sociopathic other half, Vince Stone, played by Lee Marvin in a role Criterion calls “sensationally sleazy.” It seems like this is the part that really pushed Marvin into stardom. Likewise, Grahame is fantastic. Together, they’re incendiary, especially with the coffee assault that disfigures her… She helps Bannion as much as she can after that from the shadows. And to spoil just a part of this 1953 film, she gets righteous comeuppance with her own coffee pot, which I very much enjoyed watching. But because this is film noir, you’re not going to see her survive.

From there, the crime syndicate unravels under Bannion’s sheer determination. Many do not survive, but the day is saved at last. At least for now.

The 4K restoration of the film is basically flawless. Blacks are lush, grays and whites are sharp. Fantastic image stability to boot. And the sound? Just as perfect as the image, and from my research, I hear (ha ha) that the sound is an improvement over the Blu-ray.

Let’s check out the:

4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

I enjoyed reading the included essay on the film and Lang. A video supplement includes Michael Mann and Martin Scorsese speaking about the film; masters speaking on the work of others is always welcome. Another extra by critic Farran Smith Nehme on the female characters in the film was great as well.

Love film noir and want to add The Big Heat to your home library? Head over to Criterion Collection’s page for The Big Heat here.