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Been watching a lot of James Cagney of late, thanks to the BiPolarBear.
Everything I've ever read about White Heat focusses on Tom's "obsessive" devotion to his mother, but watching it, I was struck more by his tragic (and kinda slashy) friendship with the guy who escapes from prison with him, who we know is actually an undercover cop sent to infiltrate his gang. In those scenes, Cagney managed to convey a humanity beneath the character's psychopathy - it's pretty clear this is the healthiest relationship he's had in his life, and it seems to normalize him a bit, but it's DOOMED.....
Everything I've ever read about White Heat focusses on Tom's "obsessive" devotion to his mother, but watching it, I was struck more by his tragic (and kinda slashy) friendship with the guy who escapes from prison with him, who we know is actually an undercover cop sent to infiltrate his gang. In those scenes, Cagney managed to convey a humanity beneath the character's psychopathy - it's pretty clear this is the healthiest relationship he's had in his life, and it seems to normalize him a bit, but it's DOOMED.....
