“White Heat” is a Crime Drama, Screenplay by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts from a Story by Virginia Kellogg and Directed by Raoul Walsh.
The
central character of the story is Cody Jarrett (James Cagney) who is a sadistic
psychopathic criminal and leader of a ruthless gang of thieves.
Cody
is a volatile, violent, and eccentric leader, fiercely devoted to his ‘Ma’
(Margaret Wycherly) and afflicted with terrible headaches.
While
he is running the gang from in jail Cody's top henchman Big Ed Somers (Steve Cochran)
wants to lead the gang and, in cahoots with Cody’s two-faced wife Verna
(Virginia Mayo), plots with inmates for Cody to have an accident, but Cody is
saved by an undercover cop, Hank Fallon aka Vic Pardo (Edmond O'Brien) who
thereby befriends him and infiltrates the gang.
After
making a daring break from prison he leads his old gang back on the outside and
the stage is set for Cody's ultimate betrayal and downfall, during a big
payroll heist at a chemical plant.
The
final scene, with the line “Top of the World, Ma!” is one of the most famous in
all of film history.
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