White Heat

Although the film is old, this makes it a classic. I was interested by the close shots that the director used at the start of the film. This really brings in the audience to focus on the emotions of each character. The changes at every scene of tempo are quite conflicting, but keep the audience interested. Some parts of the film are slow and uninteresting but this only makes the parts that are action packed seemingly more important. I think it is interesting how the main character, Cody, gets these self induced migraines. At first it is not clear what they're from and it seems like a medical condition, but as the film progresses, the audience learns about his dependence on his mother. Since he is so attached to his mother, he would pretend to have headaches when he was little for attention. Now that he is older, it is almost like karma. He gets these migraines that impair his vision and his ability to walk or think as well. They seem to be induced when he is in a stressful situation, or without his mother. This could be a theme for his lifelong dependence on his mother since he cannot execute any plans without her. When he is in prison, he always feels the need to talk to her, and she takes over for him while he is gone.

I love how childish Cody was, even though his acts of murder disguise his inner-kid. In the scene where the prisoners are eating lunch, they pass a secret down the table, which is exactly what I used to do in elementary school. His reaction when he is told that his mother has died was very much like a child having a temper tantrum. His mother died without him knowing, which shows how life continues outside of prison. It doesn't just freeze until Cody escapes. He expects his wife to be waiting for him, but she too tried to move on. Nothing remains stagnant. Life goes on.

This film does not have a wasted moment; it starts out full blast with a robbery and does not let up. One part of the film that seemed to take off of another film was when Cody was nearly killed in prison by the large piece of machinery that nearly fell on his head. This scene was eerily similar to a scene on the docks in On the Waterfront. Also it seemed as if there were parallels between the characters of Cody Jarrett and Chiguhr of No Country For Old Men in their motivation for killing.

Cody is such an efficient worker, he does everything well. He is a great force of nature. No one can stop him, not even the government, he is untouchable. In the end, i think it is his ultimate humanity that eventually brings his downfall. I just think Cody is such an interesting character.