WHITE HEAT (1949) - Wow, I wonder if I am just blindly falling in love with every noir film because the genre is so enchanting or I am simply hitting all the gems. James Cagney at his absolute best as the epitome of the worst, most evil gang leader Cody Jarrett (though the film does hint that he may have some mental illness when he starts to hear voices and gets bad headaches). The opening sequence is almost like a western with a train robbery with violence that reminded me a bit of the Breaking Bad episode where they robbed a train. We also have flashed of THE DEPARTED with an undercover cop played by Edmund O'Brien, having to go in really deep to get close to Cody. We have a double crossing beautiful dame played by Virginia Mayo and a mother who would kill for her son, Ma Jarrett played by a delightfully vicious Margaret Wycherly. This movie has everything that was missing from NARROW MARGIN, solid fight scenes, car chases (old Ma Jarrett is better than any Baby Driver haha), violence, double crosses, and classic lines. Cagney steals the show, he's better than Pacino's Tony Montana or Nicholson's Frank Costello, he's more Brando's Godfather, but a caricature of violent men. He oozes evil, killing innocent people, kicking his girl off a chair, and disregards everyone and everything, except his darling mother. I saw shades of ANIMAL KINGDOM that pushed the Oedipal limits as mother and son ride together like an incestuous Bonnie and Clyde. It doesn't go that far, but you can see his deep connection to her particularly in one scene where he gets news about her fate in prison. The climatic ending is some of Cagney's best work, he is sniveling and almost crying angrily at the double cross, its brilliant. The supporting casts are also really great Mayo playing our sultry femme fatale who will do anything to save herself. The henchman all serve admirably, but they are easy to miss given the giant on screen. I want to continue to gush hyperbole about how much I loved this, but I doubt that would serve anything, I wish I could offer something more intellectual, but I think right now I am more in awe than anything. A masterpiece of the films I've seen so far.