10 Movie Heroes Who Made Everything Worse
1. Dave Bannion - The Big Heat
Fritz Lang's classic 1953 film noir follows homicide detective Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford) as he boldly takes on a powerful crime syndicate which leaves an increasing pile of bodies in its wake.
Though Bannion does ultimately succeed in cleaning up the city, his efforts result in the deaths of numerous people.
First and foremost, his wife Katie (Jocelyn Brando) ends up killed by a car bomb in retaliation for him standing up to the mob, while his daughter is also placed in mortal danger.
Furthermore, numerous people who speak with Bannion end up dead by the film's end, including femme fatale gangster's moll Debby Marsh (Gloria Grahame).
Then you have to consider that it's just a matter of time before this period of peace dissipates and violent crime seeps its way back into the city - such is human nature.
That Bannion ends the film returning to the police force, after initially resigning amid the corruption, makes it abundantly clear he's learned little about the personal cost of standing up to Big Crime and seems destined to repeat his reckless ways.