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White Heat

White Heat

Crime · Drama · Thriller · 1949

A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and then leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist. After the heist, events take a crazy turn.

Movie details

White Heat

“Pick up the pieces folks, Jimmy's in action again!”

1949 Crime · Drama · Thriller 1h 54m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.6 / 10

Community rating

A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and then leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist. After the heist, events take a crazy turn.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over White Heat?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

The Killing

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Bad Boys

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Crime · 1971

Violent crime caper set in 1930s Kansas in which a gang kidnap an heiress and attempt to recover a ransom. However, the scheme is jeopardised when the leader falls in love with their beautiful captive.

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Crime · 2017

A newly-released prison gangster is forced by the leaders of his gang to orchestrate a major crime with a brutal rival gang on the streets of Southern California.

Cape Fear

Cape Fear

Drama · 1991

Sam Bowden is a small-town corporate attorney. Max Cady is a tattooed, cigar-smoking, Bible-quoting, psychotic rapist. What do they have in common? 14 years ago, Sam was a public defender assigned to Max Cady's rape trial, and he made a serious error: he hid a document from his illiterate client that could have gotten him acquitted. Now, the cagey Cady has been released, and he intends to teach Sam Bowden and his family a thing or two about loss.

The Informer

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Drama · 2019

In New York, former convict Pete Koslow, related to the Polish mafia, must deal with both Klimek the General, his ruthless boss, and the twisted ambitions of two federal agents, as he tries to survive and protect the lives of his loved ones.

Butterfly on a Wheel

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A sociopathic kidnapper methodically pushes a desperate pair of parents to their absolute breaking point.

Violent Ends

Violent Ends

Thriller · 2025

Lucas Frost, an honest man brought up in a crime family whose only legacy is violence, tries to make his own life with his fiancée, Emma. He is suddenly pulled back into the family business he so despises when his cousin, Eli, perpetrates an armed robbery on a local scrap yard and an innocent life is caught in the crossfire.

Good Boy

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Thriller · 2026

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Raoul Walsh

Written by

Ivan Goff · Ben Roberts · Virginia Kellogg

James Cagney

James Cagney

Arthur 'Cody' Jarrett

Virginia Mayo

Virginia Mayo

Verna Jarrett

Edmond O'Brien

Edmond O'Brien

Vic Pardo

Margaret Wycherly

Margaret Wycherly

Ma Jarrett

Steve Cochran

Steve Cochran

'Big Ed' Somers

John Archer

John Archer

Philip Evans

Wally Cassell

Wally Cassell

'Cotton' Valletti

Court is in session

Put White Heat on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.