THE BIG HEAT (1953)

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Title:  The Big Heat
Year: 1953
Director: Fritz Lang
Format: Blu-ray
Label: Indicator

Notes: A learned friend warned me this would be brutal. A late period film noir, THE BIG HEAT presents one of grimmest revenge tales I've seen. Without giving away too much of the plot, the domestic bliss that we see the hero cop enjoy in the first act is a not too subtle clue as to how the dastardly villains will respond to his nobly persistent investigations.

There are at least three moments of acute violence in the film and each still shocked this modern viewer to some extent. Much of that has to be down to the nimble script and canny direction that presents the acts of violence following more light-hearted moments.

As these screen grabs hopefully demonstrate, the light and shadow motifs of film noir are very much in presence throughout the film. It also includes several scenes where the hero's superior office refers to the grief the bosses upstairs will inflict upon him, which must have been a noir cliché too, but only makes me think of GARTH MARENGHI'S DARKPLACE...