White Heat (1949)
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
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
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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. Full Review |
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Cagney has an excellent supporting cast. Full Review |
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5/5 |
Magnificent examination of the criminal mind and Cagney's finest moment. Full Review |
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Raoul Walsh's heroes had a knack for going too far, but none went further than James Cagney in this roaring 1949 gangster piece. Full Review |
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B+ |
Cagney supercharges the entire film with frenetic energy. Full Review |
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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.... Full Review |
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Despite chronology (deranged by the censor's influence on the studios), this is really the fitting climax of the '30s gangster movie. Full Review |
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5/5 |
Cagney, intenso como de hábito, cria um personagem que, apesar de sua óbvia instabilidade psicológica e de sua crueldade patológica, conquista o espectador com sua carência emocional.
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3/5 |
No review available.
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5/5 |
No review available.
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Film noir masterpiece, with brilliant direction and visual style Full Review |
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4/4 |
Cagney gives an utterly ferocious performance, arguably his finest, as Cody Jarrett, a psychotic gangster with an unholy mother fixation. Full Review |
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8/10 |
White Heat is vigorous and uncompromising. Cagney is all kinetic energy and raw nerve. Full Review |
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4/5 |
If you're looking for Cagney's best gangster role ever, you got it right here, on the top of the world. Full Review |
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2.5/4 |
White Heat’s ultimate message: love’s a *****…even crypto-incestuous love. Full Review |
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5/5 |
Cagney's finest hour and one of the best gangster pictures ever made.
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5/5 |
No review available.
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5/5 |
No review available.
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B- |
A very entertaining classic gangster film from the 1940s. Full Review |
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There's a freewheeling brutality about the picture. Full Review |
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