Review of Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) by Richard D — 19 Jun 2014
Cagney and Pat O'Brien are childhood friends who end up taking separate paths when Cagney gets nabbed by the police and O'Brien gets away. Cagney becomes a career criminal while O'Brien becomes the parish priest.
Cagney gets out of jail and moves back to the old neighborhood where he meets and befriends the Dead End Kids. They look up to him as a tough guy, while O'Brien tries to steer them away from the life of crime.
Meanwhile, Cagney clashes with his former lawyer Humphrey Bogart who is trying to renege on a deal they made when Cagney when into prison. This is kind of the ultimate 30's gangster film where everyone plays the part they've been rehearsing for throughout the 30's and all the standard plot mechanics fall into place.
It hasn't got the amazing energy that pre-code gangster films had, but it's a beautiful bit of Hollywood craftsmanship with Michael Curtiz at the helm and Cagney, O'Brien and Bogart all shining in their typical roles.
This review of Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) was written by Richard D on 19 Jun 2014.
Angels with Dirty Faces has generally received very positive reviews.
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