The Big Heat – The Criterion Collection (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1953
Director: Fritz Lang
Writer: Sydney Boehm
Cast: Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, Jocelyn Brando, Alexander Scourby, Lee Marvin, Jeanette Nolan, Carolyn Jones

Release Date: July 1st, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 89 Minutes 46 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10 (4K UHD), 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Blu-ray)
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (UHD), Region A (Blu-Ray)
Retail Price: $49.95

"Noir doesn’t get any more hard-boiled than this scorching tale of vice and retribution, a film that finds director Fritz Lang working at the peak of his Hollywood style—stripped to the bone, simmering with outrage, and fatalistic to the core. A tightly wound Glenn Ford stars as a homicide detective whose investigation into a sprawling crime syndicate becomes a shockingly personal, hate-fueled quest for revenge. Costarring an iconic Gloria Grahame as the mink-coated gangster’s moll with her own axe to grind, and featuring a supporting cast led by a sensationally sleazy Lee Marvin, The Big Heat hits with raw, unstoppable force." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4k UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "This new 4K restoration was undertaken by Sony Pictures Entertainment and was created from the 35mm original camera negative and a 35mm fine-grain master positive."

The Big Heat comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 65.3 GB

Feature: 64.7 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic. That said, The Big Heat has never looked better on home media.

The Big Heat comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43.5 GB

Feature: 25.2 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio sounds clean, free of hiss or distortion; dialogue comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds are well represented. 

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an audio commentary with film-noir experts Alain Silver and James Ursini.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 44 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival extra titled Michael Mann on The Big Heat (10 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival extra titled Martin Scorsese on The Big Heat (5 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an audio interview with director Fritz Lang conducted by film historian Gideon Bachmann (16 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an audio interview with director Fritz Lang conducted by filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich (6 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a video essay by film critic Farran Smith Nehme titled The Women of “The Big Heat” (28 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Alain Silver and James Ursini.

Other extras include a 12-page leaflet with an essay titled Fate’s Network written by Jonathan Lethem, cast & crew information, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Fritz Lang directed The Big Heat. Notable films he directed include Der Müde Tod (Destiny), Metropolis, Spies, M, Scarlet Street, and The Woman in the Window.

A homicide detective decides to investigate a cop's suicide as a murder. And when he refuses to let the case die, he receives death threats. His life's turned upside down when he gets too close to the truth; his wife is murdered in a car bomb that was meant for him. The detective turns in his badge when it becomes clear someone powerful is standing in his way. Now more determined, he turns to vigilante justice in his quest for the truth.

Throughout his career, Fritz Lang was a filmmaker who was ahead of his time. His films consistently challenged the boundaries of on-screen content. Though there are bleak moments in Fritz Lang’s other Film noir’s, one would be hard-pressed to name a more in-your-face opening than that of The Big Heat. A man sits at his desk with a gun. He places it against his head and pulls the trigger as the camera pulls away. In films made in the 1950s, this opening sequence ventures to a dark place where few films from that era dared to go.

Film noir, like all genres, has its tropes and set of scenarios, which most of its films draw from. Despite having the core elements that are essential to Film noir cinema, what makes The Big Heat stand out is its scenario. Though things start off as a police procedural, it eventually transforms into a story about a vigilante cop, with the protagonist's wife's death being the driving force in his quest for vengeance.

Something that you can always count on when it comes to Film noir cinema is its solid casts. The Big Heat has a phenomenal cast who are all excellent in the roles, especially Glenn Ford’s (Gilda) portrayal of Dave Bannion, a former detective turned vigilante. He delivers a pitch-perfect performance of a man pushed to the edge. Other notable performances are Lee Marvin's (The Killers - 1964) portrayal of Vince Stone, a crime boss's right-hand man, and Gloria Grahame’s (Human Desire) portrayal of Vince’s girlfriend.

Besides the aforementioned opening sequence, there are a few memorable moments. One moment that stands out is a jarring car bomb sequence. When this scene begins, a father is calmly talking to his daughter, then the room shakes. There are also a few scenes that showcase Vince’s temper; in one of these he handles a woman at a bar, and in the other he throws hot coffee in his girlfriend's face, permanently scarring her.

From a production standpoint, The Big Heat is a film where Fritz Lang is at the top of his game; his direction is flawless. The narrative paces itself perfectly, builds momentum effectively, and is filled with tension. The visuals are striking and overflowing with atmosphere. Ultimately, for a filmmaker who made several undeniable film noir classics, The Big Heat is arguably Fritz Lang’s definitive contribution to the genre.

The Big Heat gets an excellent release from The Criterion Collection that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer