The Best Movie Of Each Year From 1925-2025

Honourable Mentions: Stalag 17, Tokyo Story, The Wages of Fear

Fritz Lang's association with noir cinema grew exponentially following his emigration from Nazi Germany to the United States, where he went on to direct several classics both during and after the Second World War, including Ministry of Fear, The Woman in the Window, and Scarlet Street.

But Lang's greatest genre contribution wasn't released until 1953 - a film that had real fire in its belly, and starred the shark-like Glenn Ford in the lead: The Big Heat.

A definitive vigilante movie all about a policeman's quest for vengeance against a criminal syndicate, The Big Heat is both pulpy and thoroughly blistering, featuring stunning cinematography, a smooth, affecting turn from Ford, and two formidable performances from Gloria Grahame and an early-in-his-career Lee Marvin.

Of the many indelible contributions Lang made to cinema, The Big Heat may not be the most influential, but it may just be his best.