Noirvember: The Big Heat
About the film:
“Violence is a frequent characteristic of noir crime thrillers, and that’s certainly true of Fritz Lang’s The Big Heat, which contains one of the most famously shocking moments in all of noir. Glenn Ford stars as dogged cop Dave Bannion, who goes up against a crime syndicate controlled by Mike Lagana (Alexander Scourby) and his vicious second-in-command Vince Stone (Lee Marvin). Gloria Grahame had one of her most iconic roles as Stone’s girlfriend Debby Marsh, who agrees to help Bannion.”
About Noirvember:
Local film critic and podcaster Matthew Turner returns for a second mini season of film noir classics, which will run exclusively at Chiswick Cinema throughout November 2025.
Broadly speaking, the term film noir (coined by French film critics) refers to Hollywood thrillers and dramas from the 1940s and ’50s that were perceived to have a degree of darkness and cynicism, reflecting post-WII attitudes at the time. Film noir stories frequently revolve around crime, corruption, greed, illicit sex and murder, exposing the dark heart beating beneath the American Dream.
Join us for five film noir classics, all of which showcase key elements of the genre, from hard-boiled dialogue (derived from the detective novels that were often adapted into thrillers), voiceover narration and shadowy lighting to femme fatales, murder plots and decidely unhappy endings.
Like last year, each film will be introduced by Matthew Turner, a lifelong film noir enthusiast, who will also be around in the bar after each screening. In addition, audiences are invited to post about the films online, using the hashtag #Noirvember, a great source of other film noir recommendations.
“Violence is a frequent characteristic of noir crime thrillers, and that’s certainly true of Fritz Lang’s The Big Heat, which contains one of the most famously shocking moments in all of noir. Glenn Ford stars as dogged cop Dave Bannion, who goes up against a crime syndicate controlled by Mike Lagana (Alexander Scourby) and his vicious second-in-command Vince Stone (Lee Marvin). Gloria Grahame had one of her most iconic roles as Stone’s girlfriend Debby Marsh, who agrees to help Bannion.”
About Noirvember:
Local film critic and podcaster Matthew Turner returns for a second mini season of film noir classics, which will run exclusively at Chiswick Cinema throughout November 2025.
Broadly speaking, the term film noir (coined by French film critics) refers to Hollywood thrillers and dramas from the 1940s and ’50s that were perceived to have a degree of darkness and cynicism, reflecting post-WII attitudes at the time. Film noir stories frequently revolve around crime, corruption, greed, illicit sex and murder, exposing the dark heart beating beneath the American Dream.
Join us for five film noir classics, all of which showcase key elements of the genre, from hard-boiled dialogue (derived from the detective novels that were often adapted into thrillers), voiceover narration and shadowy lighting to femme fatales, murder plots and decidely unhappy endings.
Like last year, each film will be introduced by Matthew Turner, a lifelong film noir enthusiast, who will also be around in the bar after each screening. In addition, audiences are invited to post about the films online, using the hashtag #Noirvember, a great source of other film noir recommendations.
Cast
Jocelyn Brando • Lee Marvin • Glenn Ford • Gloria Grahame
Director
Fritz Lang
Running Time
87 minutes