Written by James M. Tate / 1/18/2012 / No comments / action , classic gangster , edmund o'brien , forties , james cagney , virginia mayo
WHITE HEAT
year: 1949
cast: James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmund O'Brien
rating: ****1/2
Several stories here: and James Cagney stars in each as "Cody Jarrett," possibly the most sinister and at the same time, endearing gangsters to appear on the big screen One story centers on the leader of a group of thugs who rob a train and and hide out. One is about the demented son of a overbearing, meticulously wicked mother who will protect her boy till the bitter end. One is about the husband of a two-timing gun moll Virgina Mayo, holding out for a taller, handsome thug who wants Jarrett out of the way. One is about a prisoner slowly conned by an undercover cop in the big house. And that's the best story of all. Edmund O'Brien is the "narc" who eventually gains Cagney's trust. Their relationship, as the two bond behind bars, is the highlight. And although O'Brien, after a jailbreak, turns his back on Cody much too quickly during the famous "top of the world" climax, this perfectly solid classic gangster film... the peak of Cagney's tough guy career... is like reading a multilevel book you can't put down. Cagney performance is top-notch and not just when he's suffering from those horrible headaches, causing him to writhe on the ground like a poisoned viper. It's the subtle moments that count, because after all, it's his world we're in: and he's not going down without a fight. Thank God it's two hours in length, yet it could have been much longer.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
All Time Popular
-
Robyn Hilton enters into an eclectic exploitation comedy career in Wonder Women circa 1973 As mentioned a few posts ago, ROBYN HILTON, b... -
year: 1978 cast: Allen Garfield, Leif Garrett, Kathleen Lloyd, Tony Alva, Pam Kenneally rating: ***1/2 Although promoted as a Leif Garr... -
Kari Michaelsen in Saturday the 14th year: 1982 In LOVE AT FIRST BITE, a popular comedy that took the vampire genre by satire, Richard ... -
Cornelia Sharpe in BUSTING Year: 1974 Rating: **** Starring Elliott Gould and Robert Blake as determined vice cops BUSTING hookers, makin... -
Mary-Louise Weller in NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE ANIMAL HOUSE, directed by John Landis and produced by Ivan Reitman, stars John Be... -
Kerri Green and John Candy in SUMMER RENTAL Year: 1985 John Candy, in his first leading role, plays a burnt-out air traffic controller ... -
Robyn Hilton on STARSKY AND HUTCH Model/Actress ROBYN HILTON played Mel Brook's secretary in BLAZING SADDLES and turns up in an epis... -
Robyn Hilton in Video Vixens the same year as Blazing Saddles: 1974 The Anthology of Comedic Parodies, already done in several Woody All... -
CADDDYSHACK is best known for the iconic leading actors: Rodney Dangerfield, Chevy Chase, Ted Knight, and Bill Murray, but originally the ... -
Elizabeth James and Tom Laughlin on equal ground YEAR: 1967 THE BORN LOSERS wasn't supposed to happen but thank God it did since BIL...
Featured Post
RUSHING THROUGH JOHN SCHLESINGER'S 'HONKY TONK FREEWAY'
Title: HONKY TONK FREEWAY Year: 1981 Rating: **** John Schlesinger's HONKY TONK FREEWAY has two composers: Elmer Bernstein doing his usu...
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.