White Heat Movie Information

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Movie Information

Overall Rank: 997

Average Rating: 3/4

# of Ratings: 52

Theatrical Release Date: 09/02/1949

Language: English

Genre: Crime, Drama

MPAA Rating: NR

Director: Raoul Walsh

Actors: James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O'Brien, Margaret Wycherly, Steve Cochran, John Archer

Plot: A criminal, who escapes from prison, leads a gang to commit another robbery. But, his new friend is actually an undercover cop. -- sapien

Logan D. McCoy - wrote on 04/12/2024

Killings, back-stabbings, plans gone wrong, undercover agents, and gangster movie icon James Cagney in the lead. "White Heat" has it all.

Gabe - wrote on 11/20/2012

This was a good crime film with one of the most famous lines in movie history at the end. It feels like it should've been made in 1939 not '49, it did have some overacting. I'm okay with that in earlier films, but I feel that by '49 the movies were past that stage. A classic!

mitchellyoung - wrote on 07/28/2012

This impressive crime film is anchored by James Cagney's unhinged portrayal of Cody Jarrett. Before Goodfellas and The Departed, Jarrett was the original angry gangster - conniving, sporatic, violent, and sarcastic. Cagney owns every frame in a gangster film that pioneers the genre with a realistic prison breakout sequence and quotable line after quotable line. Cagney's tragic and fiery conclusion is one of the great scenes in movie history.

Daniel Corleone
Movie God

White Heat review

Daniel Corleone - wrote on 03/07/2013

Hank Fallon (Edmond O'Brien) plays undercover convict as Vic Pardo, who becomes close with a strategic gangster Cody Jarrett (James Cagney) . Plot was impressive as it plays different twists and turns. The score was very applicable and Cagney's performance astounding. Screenplay was exceptional with memorable lines: "Accidents will happen" "Made it, Ma! Top of the world!" - Cody 'I'm human you know, like everyone else." "He finally got to the top of the world... and it blew right up in his face." - Vic. Only minor flaws it had were the weak lead (which seems like a 40's version of Heat wherein Cagney overshadows the protagonists acting, De Niro more suave than Pacino). Other than that, White Heat is a fascinating crime flick that is highly influential (The Killing and Naked City …

Yojimbo
Movie God

"White Heat" by Yojimbo

Yojimbo - wrote on 02/23/2012

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 …