White Heat: Top of the World (2005)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Documentary on the classic gangster picture WHITE HEAT features interviews with Martin Scorsese, Drew Casper, Alan Silver, Lincoln Hurst, Robert Sklar and Eric Lax. All of these men are experts in their field and each one gives good opinions and thoughts on this classic film that just keeps getting better with time. There are a lot of aspects covered in the 17-minutes but we start off about the constant battle between James Cagney and Warner Brothers. We see the three stages of these two mighty figures, which started with THE PUBLIC ENEMY and then the second started with ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES and the third segment started with this film. It's interesting to see how all three characters are related in one form and another interesting subject deals with all the changes in terms of the WHITE HEAT character being a complete maniac. Cagney's performance is discussed as is the trashy way the Virginia Mayo character is presented. We even get a couple quick outtakes, which are always good to see on a movie this old. Scorsese talks about the obvious film noir elements to the film and we even get a brief talk about the breakdown sequence in the prison cafeteria and how shocked the extras were as they weren't told what was about to happen. Fans of WHITE HEAT will find this to be a must-see.
