I love this film in a special kind of way because Cody is so bananas. You get the adventure and suspense of the usual crime movie, but Cagney's performance adds an extra layer of entertainment. He makes you wonder what he's going to do next, and just how far he will go. Oh, the guy he locked in the trunk of his car wants a little air? Cody will give him air -- via the six bullet holes he shoots into the trunk. While casually eating a chicken leg. I often enjoy a little black comedy with my gangsters.
My favorite scene is one of the most famous: Cody is in the prison mess hall, and learns from the grapevine that his mother has been killed. Cue full-on, beserker freak-out. The best part is that none of the extras knew what was coming, so the looks to surprise on their faces are genuine. Edmund O'Brien, who plays Vic Pardo and is sitting directly across from Cagney, has the best "oh my God!" face of them all.
Cagney just told Raoul Walsh, the director, to put the two biggest extras on either side of him (so he could boost himself up on their shoulders) and to keep the cameras rolling, no matter what. When I hear about acting tricks like this, I usually think they're kind of gimmicky, yet with Cagney it seems like a brilliant idea, and he pulled it off beautifully.
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| Made it, Ma! Top of the world! |
2 comments:
It's funny, I appreciate this film as a classic, and I've seen it two or three times, but it's not one that demands my attention time after time anymore. I click through the channel guide, see White Heat, say to myself, "Oh, cool, White Heat is on," then watch something else. It's like, I'm glad it's on, but not for my benefit...
Cganey's performance still demands my attention, no matter how many times I see it. I usually don't stay with a movie I come upon in the middle, but this one I always do.
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