White Heat (1949)
Directed by Raoul Walsh
A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and then leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist. After the heist, events take a crazy turn.
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What critics compared White Heat to
Ledger’s performance recalls James Cagney’s unforgettable turn as Cody Jarrett in the 1949 noir classic “White Heat.”
But, true to the tradition of crime movies going back to James Cagney in "White Heat," "A Prophet" - which was nominated for an Oscar for best foreign-language film this year and won the grand jury prize at last year's Cannes Film Festival - is taut and brutal, and its scenes of bloodletting often stand out.
This story of a fifteen year-old who enters a life of crime resembles classics like Hawks' Scarface , Walsh's White Heat , and any of a handful of other James Cagney or Edward G. Robinson gangster films.
He calls her “ma’am,” but thanks to an English affectation no doubt cultivated by Mendes, it really sounds like “mum” — and if you can wrap your head around the notion of Bond and M as a bloody mother-and-son combo, Craig and his co-star Javier Bardem get to riff on everything from James Cagney in White Heat to Anthony Perkins in Psycho.
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Channeling James Cagney in White Heat and Paul Muni in Scarface, Nicholson leeches out the glamour to create a landmark portrait of evil.
Moviegoers rooted for villains like James Cagney in White Heat and Angels with Dirty Faces, but Al Pacino’s performance as Michael Corleone goes far darker places.
Moviegoers rooted for villains like James Cagney in White Heat and Angels with Dirty Faces, but Al Pacino’s performance as Michael Corleone goes far darker places.
Only a queasy late-night kitchen scene with the twin’s indulgent mother (Jane Wood) feels freshly observed — but, come to think of it, “Goodfellas” and “White Heat” got there first, too.
With an eye on the international market, Helgeland (who co-wrote the screenplay for LA Confidential ) tips his hat to Scarface , White Heat and Sunset Boulevard , investing his British anti-heroes with a stateside pizzazz entirely befitting their Rat Pack aspirations.
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If you're not already having fun, try not to now, with Cage playing Travolta in a futuristic take-off on White Heat.