White Heat | James Cagney & Virginia Mayo

White Heat: DVD Film | Starring James Cagney

Academy Award winner James Cagney delivers a tour-de-force performance as a murderously psychotic criminal mastermind with an overpowering mother complex in the crime thriller White Heat.

While in prison, Cody Jarrett (Cagney) befriends an undercover cop (Edmund O'Brien) posing as a young thug—appearing to idolize the hard-bitten gangster who suffers from semi-epileptic seizures, outbursts of frightening violence, and an almost incestuous attachment to his mother.

Released from prison, Jarrett plots a seemingly perfect heist, unaware that his partners plan to kill him and his right-hand man is working for the police. Cornered, Jarrett chooses to go out in an explosive act of self-immolation rather than surrender in this classic of the gangster genre. Academy Award nomination for Best Writing, Motion Picture Story.

Key Features & Cinematic Legacy

• Cagney's Crowning Achievement: Widely considered one of the greatest and most intense performances in film history, bridging classic 1930s gangster swagger with dark, post-war psychological film noir depth.
• The Iconic Climax: Features one of the most celebrated movie endings of all time, culminating in the legendary, unscripted explosive shout: "Top of the world, Ma!"
• National Film Registry: Selected for preservation by the Library of Congress for its profound cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance to American cinema.

Film & Technical Specifications

Principal Cast & Credits