Review of Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) by Jack G — 25 Feb 2009

It's over 70 years old but it's barely aged a day. Cagney's such a bad-ass here that one almost forgets that Bogart is in a *supporting role* here (as he was in the 30s). The Dead End Kids are also great, very natural, can imagine them being as rough as they apparently were on the set (Cagney had to actually "straighten" them out from acting like wiseasses).

I really, really liked the ending too. Not because of what Cagney's character does, but because it reveals another layer underneath the obvious. He does the "right thing" for the kids, but all as a guise for whaty is really going on: a Priest lying to get his way. That O'Brien is such a bland actor actually helps with the performance; nobody ever really thinks that the "good guy" is the one to root for. It's Cagney as Rocky Sullivan, shooting out against the coppers at the nightclub. He's ruthless, but he's true to his word... until the end, anyway. A classic.