The Big Heat (1953)

During the investigation of a colleague's suicide, straight-arrow cop Bannion becomes convinced that a crime syndicate is to blame and that some of the force is on their payroll.

It's got a great vibe and Gloria Grahame, as the girlfriend of the mob's top enforcer, is at her best. But there's a squareness to the telling -- it's all very black and white. And the burn makeup near the end of the film is downright laughable: it was actually peeling off around the edges.

B-