NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

jacobs-greenwood Directed by William Keighley with a screenplay by Seton I. Miller from a story by future Academy Award winning producer Darryl F. Zanuck (who earned his first Academy recognition with a Best Writing, Original Story Oscar nomination), this above average crime drama features James Cagney as a client-less lawyer turned 'G' (for government) man, an employee of the Department of Justice's bureau of investigation (to become the F.B.I.), for the purposes of helping to capture those responsible for killing his friend.Regis Toomey appears briefly as agent Eddie Buchanan, 'Brick' Davis's (Cagney) college friend who had tried to convince Davis to join the bureau before he was gunned down by (as it turns out) Brad Collins (Barton MacLane). Brick is acquainted with the culprit because he'd grown up in a rough New York neighborhood with Collins, and some other hooligans, before crime boss 'Mac' McKay (William Harrigan) had taken Brick under his wing and paid for his college education to give him opportunities he'd never had, which allows Brick to go straight.Unwilling to become a mouthpiece for other gangsters, when Buchanan is murdered, Brick signs up with the Dept. of Justice and is assigned to work for Jeff McCord (Robert Armstrong), a tough taskmaster who refuses to admit that Brick has what it takes to succeed in the bureau, and is suspicious of the lawyer's earlier associations. Margaret Lindsay plays Jeff's sister Kay, who catches Brick's eye and interest. Lloyd Nolan plays agent Hugh Farrell, who helps Brick learn jujitsu and other self defense tactics. Mary Treen appears uncredited as a secretary.Because Brick grew up with Collins and the others, and knows (for instance) that Danny Leggett (Edward Pawley) has a penchant for fresh daily gardenias, he's soon involved in trying to capture Buchanan's killers. After Farrell is killed (Ward Bond appears uncredited as one of the culprits), Brick wins over McCord, and more slowly his sister, by helping to catch Leggett.Collins's wife Jean Morgan (Ann Dvorak), who Brick also used to know (they had a 'thing' for one another), inadvertently spills the beans that her husband and the rest of the wanted criminals are holed up in McKay's mid-Western lodge. This leads to a shootout during which the whole gang, save Collins, is shot dead or captured; McKay, who'd been their prisoner, is killed and Brick is injured.It takes a little longer to get Collins, who catches up with Jean while he hides out at Venke's (Harold Huber) garage, inexplicably long. But you know Cagney's character is going to get his man, finally earn McCord's respect, and win the girl in the end.The film was re-released in 1949 with a prologue and introduction (by an actor pretending to be an F.B.I. agent) that talks about the 25th anniversary of the bureau and the difficulties they had fighting crime during the gangster era because initially their agents couldn't carry guns, didn't have adequate firepower (e.g. machine guns) relative to the hoods, and couldn't even cross state lines to chase their quarry, having to work with local authorities in every state to apprehend them.

utgard14 In the 1930s Warner Bros was the unrivaled home of the gangster picture. These films were so much fun, filled with action and drama with a heaping dose of social commentary on the side. Despite the criminals usually dying in the end of these movies, WB was accused by some of glorifying hoodlums. So, in answer to that, they made this little gem that was designed to glorify the "good guys" instead. How did they do that? They took their main tough guy star, James Cagney, and made him a fed (or G-Man). In this movie, Cagney plays a lawyer who joins the Department of Justice after his federal agent friend is killed.This is a first-rate gangster picture, directed by William Keighley and written by Seton I. Miller. No matter which side of the law he's on, Cagney is his usual charismatic self, not too far removed from his other gangster roles. He's still the tough runt who would sooner break your jaw or plug you with his gat before he would place you under arrest, but he's got a badge this time and he does follow the rules...for the most part. Fantastic cast backing Cagney up. William Harrigan is a scene stealer as the soft-hearted gangster who helps Jimmy out and pays for it in the end. Perennial heavy Barton MacLane gets plenty of scenery to chew as the main villain. Robert Armstrong is the agent that rides Cagney hard but eventually decides he's a good egg. Margaret Lindsay is Armstrong's sister and one of two dames that fall for Jimmy in this picture. The other being the lovely Ann Dvorak, who shines as she almost always did. She is really one of the more underrated actresses of her time. Despite her appealing performance, though, her first scene is a bit cringeworthy as she's badly lip-syncing and awkwardly dancing around like a wounded chicken. She was a fine dramatic actress but not a great singer or dancer. Others rounding out the cast include Lloyd Nolan, Regis Toomey, Harold Huber, Jonathan Hale, and Edward Pawley as a vicious hood named Leggett.It's a beautiful-looking picture, courtesy of cinematographer Sol Polito. The big shootout between the feds and the gangsters is one of the film's highlights. The scene where Cagney gets a jujitsu lesson is also a real treat. There's an amusing FBI 'crime does not pay' type of prologue that was tacked on for the 1949 re-release that is present on most prints today. Definitely a must-see for fans of Cagney and WB gangster movies. If you aren't one of those already, you should be.

charlywiles That's what tough, gritty Warner Brothers was in the 1930's and'40's. Nobody made better gangster films and this is one of their best. It is a fast-paced, crisply-paced entry in the genre with lots of gun-play and action. Cagney plays a good guy in this one and he is at the top of his game. He is ably supported by a good supporting cast that includes good work from Robert Armstrong, Barton MacLane and Lloyd Nolan in an early role. Ward Bond can also be briefly seen as a trigger-man. One can see how this film influenced such later crime films like "The Cotton Club" and "The Departed." For anyone who likes gangster films, this is a must-see.

Diego_rjc Recently, I've watched a lot of James Cagney's gangster movies. Usually, he plays the gangster. He is always the mafia leader. But in this one Cagney is a FBI agent. That's right. This time, James Cagney is fighting against the gangsters. At first, it sounded weird, but it works quite well.The movie tells the story of Brick Davis, a lawyer related to the mafia that decides to join the FBI force, known as 'G-Men' after his friend, also a 'G-Men', is killed.As usual, James Cagney gives a fine performance as Brick Davis, regardless his better works, like in 'White Heat' and 'Public Enemy'. The other members of the cast do a normal job, just like William Keighley's direction. A supporting member of the cast that did a great job was Barton MacLane, as the villain.The movie sounds more like a propaganda to the FBI force, but this isn't a bad thing. For 1935's, the movie has great action scenes, with car chases, shooting, kidnapping, robbery, etc, and they are all very well filmed for its period. Even though I prefer the action sequences in 'Scarface', they are great here also.In resume, another great gangster movie from the 1930's.8 out of 10.