James Cagney as Cody Jarrett in 'White Heat'

The 1949 film White Heat has been credited as one of the best gangster films of all time with the Library of Congress chose it for preservation by the National Film Registry.

Cagney's unhinged performance of Cody Jarrett and his complexities have been credited as the best of his career, amidst a wide range of gangster performances such as Rocky Sullivan in Angels with Dirty Faces. The film and Cagney's character have been constantly referenced in other forms of media across the decades.

The American Film Institute ranked Cody Jarrett among the top of AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains List. His final quote "Made it, Ma! Top of the world!" was included in AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes.

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