‘The Big Heat’ 4K Review: Careful of That Coffee
Glenn Ford stars in Fritz Lang’s sizzling noir, with Gloria Gaynor, Lee Marvin, and very hot coffee in Criterion’s superb 4K edition.
Thanks to a recent Barnes & Noble sale, film noir once again has invaded my safe and secure home in Dallas, Texas, where our criminals have the decency to speak slowly and always wipe the blood off their boots.
A scalding pot of coffee makes the acquaintance of a beautiful woman’s face in the most notorious scene in The Big Heat. It’s so notorious that it’s the one scene mentioned in four of the six special features on Criterion’s 4K + Blu-ray edition, released on July 1, 2025. Even after watching the scene seven times this week, it retains its power, and I flinched every time. (Full disclosure: I am sipping hot coffee as I write this. Evidently, I am a masochist.)
From previous viewings on television, I was familiar with the film’s power. Paying closer attention, thanks for the gorgeous black and white imagery render in 4K resolution, allowed me to savor the lighting and the shadows, the way that director Fritz Lang composed his shots, how the camera moved only as needed during each scene for the maximum dramatic impact, and how Glenn Ford’s face steadily tightened as the narrative progressed.
A wonderful 30-minute video essay by Farran Smith Nehme made me aware, too, of how the women in the film are treated differently than the men, how each actress brought something different to their role to make their characters come alive, and even how Gloria Grahame’s body language changed from the beginning of the film, through the ‘coffee burning’ scene,’ to the end, when it changed again.
The superb audio commentary by film noir experts Alain Silver and James Ursini skillfully wove together insights into the film business at the time with analysis of Fritz Lang’s shot selection and experience with past films in his long career, as well as identifying and placing into context the actors used in various roles, including Lee Marvin, who truly broke out in a monstrously evil role as the coffee scalder.
Criterion’s package is irresistible. It also includes two audio interviews with Fritz Lang conducted in the 1960s with (separately) film historian Gideon Bachmann and filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich; two videos from 2009, in which directors Martin Scorsese and Michael Mann speak warmly about the film and the vivid impression it left on them; and a lovely fold-out essay by novelist Jonathan Lethem.
Produced during March and April 1953, the film was released in November 1953. In Britain, it received an ‘X’ rating, and even today, it definitely is not a movie for children, though I imagine that mature teenagers may be able to handle the often-brutal violence.
The Big Heat is a chilling experience that is disquieting in its depiction of violence and how it can tear families apart. And how women usually get the raw end of the deal. [Available from Criterion.]