User Reviews

One of James Cagney's last gangster roles is also his most fondly remembered, not to mention his best. Spoiled with an outstanding supporting cast, he cuts loose as the remorseless, cackling villain Cody Jarrett, a flawed mastermind with enough emotional baggage to fill a warehouse. The film's plot alternates from simple to involved and back again; a pair of rudimentary heist tales drive the action, while a whole slew of gripping tentacles tie every footnote and aside into the big picture in time for the explosive finale. White Heat also shows no reluctance about killing off major cast members. Perhaps because there are so damn many of them. Outside of the very first scene (a train robbery that doesn't exactly go according to plan) the plot is essentially one long, bad idea that slowly grows and unfolds into the inevitable climactic shootout. Easy to follow and to enjoy, it accepts no excuses from any perspective.