— The main thing is to have the money. I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor. Believe me, rich is better.

There’s barely a wasted moment in The Big Heat. The film starts with a literal bang and then cartwheels through an escalating series of tense moments that leads to an equally bombastic finale. Bolstered by a coterie of extremely well drawn performances, and Lang’s exciting (and unobtrusive) direction, The Big Heat has lost none of its impact in the years since its original release. This is a brutal, disturbing portrayal of rampant evil, evil which is just barely vanquished by an emotionally compromised hero. — Jeffrey Kauffman*