White Heat (1949)

Featured Audience Ratings

• First L

  
  Someone on IMDB called "White Heat" the bridge "between film noir and WB's classic gangster flicks", and I think it's a pretty apt description. It's the story of Cody Jarrett, psychotic gangster feared by everyone, and yet constantly looking over… More
  Someone on IMDB called "White Heat" the bridge "between film noir and WB's classic gangster flicks", and I think it's a pretty apt description. It's the story of Cody Jarrett, psychotic gangster feared by everyone, and yet constantly looking over his shoulder as conspirators lie in wait at every turn (whether it be his right hand man, Big Ed, or the undercover cop, Vic Pardo). Cody the crackpot, with his phantom headaches and his obsessive fixation on his mother, you get the sense of impending doom lingering about his head. So what makes this film so noir-ish? Well, there's a certain amount of lurid fascination we the audience are made to feel with Cody's world, be it with his sleezy, back-stabbing wife or his disturbingly ruthless mother, it's all gritty and seedy. Characters like Pardo or "The Trader" (Cody's "manager") feel like they're ahead of their time in some ways, and we can still see echoes of them in modern day crime films. But it's James Cagney's Cody that steals the show. He's intense, intelligent, but maybe a little too trusting of those around him. His character is kind of pitiful in that he never sees betrayal coming until it's too late. It's a great performance and a great, if quirky crime noir that's right up there with The Big Sleep and The Big Heat (and other "big" movies, for that matter- well, except for Tom Hanks' "Big", obviously).

• AJ V

  
  My favourite gangster movie, Cagney is brilliant as the crazy mama's boy gang leader. The ending is classic. I love it.

• xGary X

  
  James Cagney stars as Cody Jarrett, a mother obsessed psychopath who breaks out of jail to plan a raid on chemical refinery, whilst unwittingly taking an undercover agent under his wing. Probably Cagney's most well known (and misquoted) character, Jarrett is one of the great… More
  James Cagney stars as Cody Jarrett, a mother obsessed psychopath who breaks out of jail to plan a raid on chemical refinery, whilst unwittingly taking an undercover agent under his wing. Probably Cagney's most well known (and misquoted) character, Jarrett is one of the great gangsters from the old school. The addition of his Oedipus complex made him a whole different animal to his contemporaries, although I personally found his performance a little ripe in the earlier scenes of the film (when he has his headaches and finds out about his mother's death I couldn't help but be reminded of Norman Wisdom!) Once they break out of jail the film and his performance settle down though, and it becomes a masterful character study of a cold blooded hoodlum whose flippant use of violence and contempt for the law has passed into legend. The incredibly influential formula has been copied a million times over the years, not least by Tarantino in Reservoir Dogs and as such White Heat can be seen as a real watershed in the evolution of the crime drama. The cops are of course a little bland especially in comparison to Cagney's exuberant performance, but their use of oscillators and spectrographs must have made it the equivalent of CSI in its day. There is also some great support from Virginia Mayo as the classic gangster's moll, as ugly on the inside as she is beautiful on the outside and Margaret Wycherly as his hard-as-nails ma, and the spectacular finale in the refinery never fails to get the blood pumping. Classic stuff.

• Mister C

  
  Released in 1949,"White Heat" is considered to be one of the greatest gangster films of all time. James Cagney's performance as Cody Jarrett remains one of the top ten badasses of them all. It is amazing that Cagney did not win the Oscar for his performance here,but… More
  Released in 1949,"White Heat" is considered to be one of the greatest gangster films of all time. James Cagney's performance as Cody Jarrett remains one of the top ten badasses of them all. It is amazing that Cagney did not win the Oscar for his performance here,but still he gives a riveting performance that remains one of his best,thanks to a stellar cast that includes Edmond O'Brien, Virginia Mayo and Steve Cochran.

• Stella D

  
  what's there to say about white heat? ten years out of the genre and cagney hasn't missed a step. how'd ya like that, ma?

• Pierluigi P

  
  Vibrant and brilliant film, engaging plot, and electrifying performance by James Cagney as the totally amoral and psychotic momma's boy Cody Jarret. Cody's farewell line is unforgettable.

• Lady D

  
  Worthy of all it?s praise, Cagney just has great presence on screen and of course the lovable rogue image suits him well. As a storyline, this ticks many boxes for me, a Gangster story, Robbery, Undercover operation and is such a good base story for modern day films and tv Dramas.… More
  Worthy of all it?s praise, Cagney just has great presence on screen and of course the lovable rogue image suits him well. As a storyline, this ticks many boxes for me, a Gangster story, Robbery, Undercover operation and is such a good base story for modern day films and tv Dramas. An instant favourite!

• Chris G

  
  White Heat is probably one of the greatest gangster films ever made. The fact that it was released in an era that monitored film violence to the hilt is even more shocking. The film is about Arthur "Cody" Jarrett (James Cagney), a gangland leader that's on the edge and… More
  White Heat is probably one of the greatest gangster films ever made. The fact that it was released in an era that monitored film violence to the hilt is even more shocking. The film is about Arthur "Cody" Jarrett (James Cagney), a gangland leader that's on the edge and just about ready to fall off. His gang has made moves against him. His wife Verna (Virginia Mayo) is not as enthusiastic about him as she once was. The only thing Cody has going for him in his life is his Ma (Margaret Wycherly). Ma isn't just a mother, but an advisor and nurse to the mobster. When a recent train heist turns bad Cody turns himself in for another job on the other side of the continent. The feds don't buy it and plant Vic Pardo (Edmund O'Brien) to not only get the truth out of Cody, but to catch the man who sets up the jobs and fences the goods. It's not as easy as it seems. As the film progresses and events continue to turn against Cody he slowly slides over that edge into insanity. Cagney gives us one of the greatest performance of madness ever seen. Even today after countless thousands of psychotics gracing our screens, the Cagney performance still shocks and holds the power that it had sixty years ago. There are scenes where he seems to enjoy killing off the competition, which was unheard of in this era. Cagney created the psychotic gangster model that would be repeated over and over again for the next three score. Raoul Walsh directs White Heat without the glitz and glamour that permeated in 1940's Hollywood. Virginia Mayo's character snores and spits while Cagney's Cody stomps along as a cold hearted bastard. It's not a shiny gangster film. It goes for the guts and when it has them it doesn't let go. The rest of the cast is your basic '40's stock company, but it doesn't matter because it's Cagney's picture. He is just so amazing to watch on screen as he slowly slips downward. White Heat is a gangster masterpiece that has had such an impact on film it has reverberated even into today's cinemas. Coppola, Scorsese, and Tarantino owe a debt to this film for laying a blueprint for the modern gangster movie. A true classic masterpiece.

• Luke B

  
  Cagney plays one of the most fascinating characters ever put on film. A mother's boy gangster slowly descending into pure insanity. White Heat is a real cops and robbers drama and stands up today against all the greatness it has inspired. The procedural elements of the police… More
  Cagney plays one of the most fascinating characters ever put on film. A mother's boy gangster slowly descending into pure insanity. White Heat is a real cops and robbers drama and stands up today against all the greatness it has inspired. The procedural elements of the police hunt can be seen today in The Wire and the under-cover aspects were both tackled in similar ways for Reservoir Dogs and The Departed. It's an exciting watch, where the editing is noticeably quick for 1949. The performances are all strong, with Cagney being terrifying but also empathetic. The climax is exactly that, bringing the film to a fantastic end with a single line echoing the entire film before it. An amazing crime drama with equal focus on either side of the law. Well developed characters and enough intensity to keep you hooked to the very end.

• moon r

  
  "jimmy, jimmy, just do whatcha did th'last movie, only turn it up a notch, willya..." and so he did. ten notches.

• danny d

  
  widely considered one of the best gangster films of all time, this one really delivers. cagney is menacing and brilliant as the lead gangster, putting in a performance that is believable. he comes across smart and calculated while at the same time being completely psychotic. the… More
  widely considered one of the best gangster films of all time, this one really delivers. cagney is menacing and brilliant as the lead gangster, putting in a performance that is believable. he comes across smart and calculated while at the same time being completely psychotic. the tale is also a good one and the story is told with fluidity and passion. one of the best films ive ever seen.

• Jason S

  
  Cagney is a crazy and scary man... and he happens to play one in this movie as well. This is a pretty decent flick about a mommy obsessed crime figure and I think the casting of the film is what makes it great. Cagney plays his character like it's second nature and the jumbled… More
  Cagney is a crazy and scary man... and he happens to play one in this movie as well. This is a pretty decent flick about a mommy obsessed crime figure and I think the casting of the film is what makes it great. Cagney plays his character like it's second nature and the jumbled mind of the man eminates from the screen with force. The story is fairly simple but we don't watch for the story, we watch for the people on the screen. We want to see what they do when things start to go south as we know they are bound to do. Like all old crime flicks this one is dirty and filled with the dirty people and you need to root for someone. We get that guy in the form of an undercover cop named Fallon. His character is interesting as he goes undercover in prisons to get info for the coppers. That has to wear on some men but this guy keeps his cool and his honor though the whole thing. In the end this is much like the other crime dramas I have seen from this period but it's the persona of Cagney that makes it stand out.

• Veronique K

  
  as the studio shedded off the moral code which had been effeminating the flicks for a decade in 30s, james cagney rises up again to be the incorigible villainy man without converting to the heroic roles he had taken such as "g men", "each dawn i die" and "city… More
  as the studio shedded off the moral code which had been effeminating the flicks for a decade in 30s, james cagney rises up again to be the incorigible villainy man without converting to the heroic roles he had taken such as "g men", "each dawn i die" and "city of conquest"..etc. this time his sinisterness erupts as some volcanic force which detonates right in front your face when his cody jarret finally reach toward "the top of the world".... cagney plays cody jarret, a mobster leader with oedipus complex, morbidly fixed at ma, and his mystically legendary headache tears him into pieces then he besseches ma's bossom to soothe it. obsessed with absolute domineering power thru brutal violence that is the psychotic trait of homicidal inclination. he swears like machine gun and he slaughters mercilessly. except his affectionate adherence to ma, his human-ness is amputated then he's a thug machine bridling his gang mugs and his harpy wife. and director raoul walsh settles some scene even with the suspense horror to interpretate cody's intimidating evil momentum: in one scene, his murderous glare creeks thru the leak of doorgate on the eve when he's about to dispose of his rival, then cody cold-bloodedly grabs his mistress' arm to drop-kick the corpse downward the stairway complecently. here you witness a monster striking around with tricky chortle. as some misogynism expresses proudly in "public enemy" such as the notorious grapefruit-smashing scene, "white heat" also bears cagney role's misogynism in a more subdued way by enhancing cody's affinity with ma that explains his reluctant neglect to his wife, as one scene says it outloud: cody inquires his wife where ma goes, she replies with impatient smirk "don't you like strawberry?! she happens to go to buy some for her boy!!" then cody spurns her away from the chair while she stands upon it to wear her mink coat. as a mama's boy, cody has no concrete relationship with women excpet the amative lust. he treats her friendly only when he's in the urge of sex that suggests his compliment on her looking good in the shower curtain. genuinely cody's heart belongs to ma, the prison scene of him runing lunatic after acquiring the news of ma's demise is a great showcase for cagney. eventually cody ends up ruined without the discerning flair of ma, enmeshing into the scheme of doublecross. unlike the 30s gangster flicks which always enclosed with a moral lesson, our cody jarret simply doesn't give a damn! he would rather torches himself into the outburst of gasoline than submit to the police imprisonment, persisting untamed as his consistent revolt against society and morality. self-destructs before be destructed by others as he hollers "make it, ma! top of the world!!!" with his last inconformable flatulency.

• Ken S

  
  Absolutely one of the best movies I've seen in years. No Bullshit, a must see for ANY film fan.

• Cindy I

  
  Was Jimmy Cagney ever better than this, as the totally out of his gourd Cody Jarrett? The scenes where he's being pampered by his mother are really creepy, and I'm sure pretty shocking when it was made. An example of what can happen when you tell your kids they can do… More
  Was Jimmy Cagney ever better than this, as the totally out of his gourd Cody Jarrett? The scenes where he's being pampered by his mother are really creepy, and I'm sure pretty shocking when it was made. An example of what can happen when you tell your kids they can do anything. "Top of the world, Ma!"

• Michael G

  
  The death of the early gangster film went out with one hell of a bang.

• Mike T

  
  The exceptionally offbeat psychology of this film's protagonist is a huge factor that contributes to its status. However, it is James Cagney's iconic and fascinating performance that immortalizes the character. This is a riveting, lightning-fast gangster thriller fuelled by… More
  The exceptionally offbeat psychology of this film's protagonist is a huge factor that contributes to its status. However, it is James Cagney's iconic and fascinating performance that immortalizes the character. This is a riveting, lightning-fast gangster thriller fuelled by strong direction and a memorable screenplay. Although it admittedly may have some holes in the logic department and the character dynamics won't work for all viewers, I embraced the bizareness of Cagney's character and the film is so entertaining that I was happily blind to its flaws. A complete pleasure to watch.

• Brian R

  
  Filmmaker Raoul Walsh (actor who was known to play John Wilkes Booth in "A Birth Of A Nation") teams up with Cagney again in "White Heat". It is quite a picture and like most gangster pictures ruthless men sell each other out, making plans to either rob, shoot, or… More
  Filmmaker Raoul Walsh (actor who was known to play John Wilkes Booth in "A Birth Of A Nation") teams up with Cagney again in "White Heat". It is quite a picture and like most gangster pictures ruthless men sell each other out, making plans to either rob, shoot, or kill for a quick buck, earning trophies of women, the rise of the gangster life and ultimately the fall. In "White Heat" a cop who goes undercover becomes a mole for Cagney's organization, sends out signals to the police to capture Cagney's character and his organization. In a way, "White Heat" reminded me of the movie "The Departed" with undercover moles, gangs, cops, the rise and fall of these two organizations. WH sets a mark for future gangster pictures.

• Lee K

  
  Finally got a copy of this sent to me and man! I dont usually like old black and white films as thewy bore the hell outta me but this was really good. I have seen many impresiions of James Cagney and now that i actually got to see the man himself, i can see what the impressionists… More
  Finally got a copy of this sent to me and man! I dont usually like old black and white films as thewy bore the hell outta me but this was really good. I have seen many impresiions of James Cagney and now that i actually got to see the man himself, i can see what the impressionists were doing. Alot of them that i saw were dead on! Cagney delivers a riveting performance of gangster boss Cody Jarrett. Jarrett is a psychopathic mama's boy who while in the pen plans a heist of an oil refinery unbeknownst to him that his new cell mate is a plant by the police. A great film that if anyone knows of other classics i might enjoyt such as this please share!! Renewed my faith in the era of black and white film. ON TOP OF THE WORLD MA!!!

• Ivan D

  
  One of the cornerstones of the "crime" genre, featuring arguably its most recognizable face: That of James Cagney as Cody Jarrett, a criminal trying to shoot and rob his way from the vile bottom into the top of the world. But as one would watch the film, Jarret is indeed its… More
  One of the cornerstones of the "crime" genre, featuring arguably its most recognizable face: That of James Cagney as Cody Jarrett, a criminal trying to shoot and rob his way from the vile bottom into the top of the world. But as one would watch the film, Jarret is indeed its heart(or the absence thereof) and soul, but never was the straightforward focus of the film. "White Heat" gets its main tension and suspense from Vic Pardo's(played by Edmond O'Brien) undercover mission to evade Jarrett's circle. But it was indeed a great treatment for the film, as it has able to magnify Jarrett's psychosis by way of viewing him and his actions through the eyes of an outsider; it has heightened the effect of alienation and disgust to Jarrett's actions even more. Another great part of the film is its detailed portrayal of a police procedural at the time, with a primitive positioning system as the primary highlight of the film. "White Heat" is an unforgettable thematic journey into the "crime does not pay" territory of the gangster genre, with it heading into the explosive climax that may very well be the maxim's definitive companion image.

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