Brilliantly directed by Raoul Walsh, an old master of cinema hoodlumism, it returns a more subtle James Cagney to the kind of thug role that made him famous.
Comment
04/27/09
White Heat (1949)
100
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:28
Fresh:28
Rotten:0
Average Rating:8.4/10
Consensus: Raoul Walsh's crime drama goes further into the psychology of a gangster than most fear to tread and James Cagney's portrayal of the tragic anti-hero is constantly volatile.
Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: James Cagney solidified his tough guy persona in this brutal gangster opus about a vicious man who still loves his Ma. Cody Jarrett, the leader of a gang out west, has been busy knocking over... [More]
Starring: James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O'Brien, Steve Cochran
Director: Raoul Walsh
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Reviews for White Heat
Despite chronology (deranged by the censor's influence on the studios), this is really the fitting climax of the '30s gangster movie.
01/26/06
There's a freewheeling brutality about the picture.
05/24/03
None of Jimmy Cagney's superlative gangster films of the 1930s approaches this supercharged production.
01/01/00
The simple fact is that Mr. Cagney has made his return to a gangster role in one of the most explosive pictures that he or anyone has ever played.
05/20/03
No review available.
08/22/03
If you're looking for Cagney's best gangster role ever, you got it right here, on the top of the world.
02/05/05
No review available.
10/21/05
Cagney's scariest performance anchors a gripping and somewhat kinky thriller.
03/28/03
Raoul Walsh's heroes had a knack for going too far, but none went further than James Cagney in this roaring 1949 gangster piece.
04/27/09
Top CriticMagnificent examination of the criminal mind and Cagney's finest moment.
04/27/09
A very entertaining classic gangster film from the 1940s.
06/13/03
No review available.
08/14/05
White Heat’s ultimate message: love’s a *****…even crypto-incestuous love.
02/04/05
Cagney is unforgettable in this fascinating, brutal drama
07/29/02
Cagney gives an utterly ferocious performance, arguably his finest, as Cody Jarrett, a psychotic gangster with an unholy mother fixation.
03/21/05
White Heat is vigorous and uncompromising. Cagney is all kinetic energy and raw nerve.
02/24/05
Powerful late-in-the-day gangster film.
04/02/03
No review available.
02/04/04
Its archetypal influence on later films like Goodfellas and the Al Pacino Scarface is striking, even if we can never again experience how new and bold it was back in its day....
04/05/06
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