Visitors Review

itsmits (2012-05-22 20:53)

Much more than run of the mill

The popularity of this film is evidenced obviously by the abundance ofcomments elicited. Considering the passage of time since it was firstintroduced to the public, this is a tribute to its durability throughat least three generations. This octogenarian never ceases to be amazedat the whimsy of fate; the vagaries of chance which can play havoc withone's life or raise it to unbelievable heights. Maybe that is why themost memorable line from the film was from the advertising department.The billboard campaign mounted by Warner Bros. proclaimed to one andall, ' Last one over the fence goes to the electric chair !! 'As it did in "Manhattan Melodrama" some four years before, chums ofboyhood remain friends for life despite the divergent paths decreed byfate. And the fact that the viewers comments are not overwhelmingly ofone persuasion is a good indication that the final production is a workof art. The artist wants the viewer to form his own opinion of thefinal scene. Miss viewing this at your own loss.

jaboscariol (2012-05-22 07:21)

Simplistic but fun

This movie is a throwback and yet in some ways fresh if one looks attodays society. Not much has really changed but the black and whitecinematography certainly parallels the plot in many ways. Only thenames and places ( well maybe just the names) have changed over theyears. It is very simplistic and almost depressingly obvious in it'smoral message to the audience. However, this glamorized tour of prewarAmerican urban crime and punishment can be a fun filled way of simplybeing entertained without having to be subject to todays all to commonpretentionist attitudes. This is definitely a beer and popcorn , stokethe fire, sit back and relax movie .... nothing more and certainlynothing less. Enjoy!

(2012-05-21 14:17)

Great Nostalgia!

This review is from: Angels With Dirty Faces (DVD) I purchased this movie for my husband, who collects antique radios. We merely wanted to see the bar-radio. We enjoy all things Art Deco and vintage, particularly 20-40's. We realized that we were really enjoying the movie! It's a bit sappy, but weren't all movies from the era?

George Tetsel (2012-05-21 06:58)

Solid

This is a solid gangster flick out of the gritty 1930's. James Cagney ofcourse is brilliant, and a poignant ending makes up for a bit ofheavy-handedness in the part of 'Father Jeremy'. It's funny to see Bogartnot in control. All-in-all a classic.

ccthemovieman-1 (2012-05-19 23:44)

Cagney Heads Impressive Cast

This film certainly has an attractive cast with three Hall-Of-Fameactors and the very pretty Ann Sheridan.James Cagney, my favorite actor of classic films, once again stealsmost of the scenes. He just dominates the screen and gets you veryinvolved with his character, especially at the end. Pat O'Brien playshis normal somewhat-liberal and likable priest role and Humphrey Bogartis convincing as the crooked lawyer. Bogart was the bad guy in mostfilms until he became a big star a couple years after this film. The "Dead End Kids" are a pretty tough bunch. Seeing them playbasketball is quite a sight - more like rugby. It must be one of thehighlights of this entertaining film because I remember it sowell....it was so different from any other basketball game I've everseen!The shootout-and-chase scene near the end was well-done with some greatfilm-noir photography and the ending of the movie is quite memorable.Frankly, the first time I saw this I thought it was overrated but afterthe second viewing - and then seeing a nice transfer on DVD - I changedmy mind. It is anything but overrated.

JOHN_REID (2012-05-19 17:28)

A step below The Roaring Twenties but Cagney is superb

I was a little disappointed with Angels with Dirty Faces having expectedsomething to equal The Roaring Twenties. Unfortunately this is not in thesame league as the Raoul Walsh classic. Despite its flaws, Cagney ismagnificent as always, the quintessential tough but lovable gangster with anunderlying heart of gold. Whilst Cagney's performance as Rocky Sullivan isfaultless, The Dead End Kids appeared to me as overstated, hammy caricaturesand their performances bordered on annoying with a manufactured script thatconvinced me that the writer may have heard of, but never experienced, thetough side of Hells Kitchen. Nevertheless, there are some great moments andthe climax is indeed memorable as Cagney is led the "the chair". The Fathermakes a final request to Rocky to fake cowardice so that the kids mightreconsider their hero worship of him. There is some ambiguity about whetherRocky really was "yellow" in his final moments but to me there was no doubtthat he was acting for the sake of the kids. The scene certainly has greatimpact first with the chilling image of Cagney's face, and then in shadowsthe sounds of his feigned terror in his last moments. I would question theplausibility of the Father asking for such an act of cowardice as Rocky isled to his death and I also wonder whether such a grand gesture at the pointof death would have had its desired result. Ultimately, without thebrilliance of Cagney, Angels with Dirty Faces may well have been dismissedas another typical and unremarkable gangster film.

juice2305 (2012-05-19 14:54)

One of the best Ever!!!

I will never forget the first time i saw this movie with my father. I must have been 9 or 10 yrs old and i absolutly loved it. Well i'm almost 48 now and i still absolutly love it. It is number 2 on my all time favorites list, 2nd only to The Towering Inferno. It's about 2 childhood friends, one who grows up to be a priest and the other grows up to be a big time Gangster. And they are played excellently by James Cagney and Pat O'Brien. This movie made me love the Gangster flicks. There is not a whole lot of shooting and killing in it, it's mostly about the charactors and the story (with one good shoot out near the end) both of which are superb. I don't care what nobody thinks, i would love to have a friend like Rocky Sullivan. Humphrey Bogart,Ann Sheridian and the Dead End Kids are also very good. Excellent movie and i would love to see it remade in today's society, with the right actors and the right director it could be really good. Wcp!

Theo Robertson (2012-05-19 03:09)

Classic Melodrama That's Not For Cynics

If you ever take a film class about gangster films you'll soon learnthat it's a genre " Catholic " in outlook in much the same way as thewestern is " Protestant " . Once you analysis the gangster genre you'llfind that there's almost a formulaic lay out of themes of a fatherlessoutsider trying to become part of the American dream via illegal means. ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES is slightly different in that the charactersare Amercan born and it's the street gang of juvenile delinquents whoare in need of the father figure and the film rests on whether FatherJerry Connolly or Rocky Sullivan becomes that father figure I'm feeling slightly ashamed of myself for saying this but I liked thismovie a lot , and the reasons I liked it is down to the reasons that Ishouldn't . There's hardly a single scene that rings of any type ofrealism . Cagney was a Hollywood star but he was never an actor . Thereis something compelling about his performances however and he dominatesevery scene he is in . I can certainly understand why some people don'tlike his acting style but it's a style that suits the film perfectlythat lacks any type of verisimilitude . None of it rings true butthere's something that keeps you watching even though there's a voiceinside your head saying " What a load of melodramatic Hollywood tosh "Your opinion of the film lies with what you thought about the goldenage of Hollywood . This was a period of American film making whereproducers were under heavy censure via The Hays Code where any type ofimmorality must be seen to be punished on screen and this suits a filmlike ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES wonderfully . Rocky is a bad man but ahero to the teenage street gang , he must not be allowed to be a heroto criminal youth and so must face death as a coward . On paper thisappears to be the cheesiest ending ever seen in a movie but as it playsout on screen it's one the most beautiful and memorable endingsHollywood has ever produced . Michael Curtiz directs this scene viasuggestion and is all the better for it If you're a fan of Old Hollywood then you'll enjoy this . Even a selfconfessed cynic like myself found this movie compelling . You have tobe slightly forgiving for some of the more melodramatic aspects but insome ways that's part of the movie's appeal

madjc7 (2012-05-16 22:00)

A glimpse into gangster behavior and its causes

The film is a great example of another age in movie-making. It's anaction movie, with plenty of violence, including gunfights, killings,explosions, and near slapstick fisticuffs, but there is also plenty oflingering moments to go with the wise-cracking and tough-guy posing,not to mention the moralizing that appears more than once. Cagney is athis best as a tough-guy gangster, and Pat O'Brien plays thestereotypical Irish priest with a heart of gold. You'll want to forgetthat Bogart plays a weasel of a lawyer who dies a coward.My favorites are the young men who play the gangster wanna-be's. Theirvoices, accents, and lines of dialog make them a memorable part of afilm that most people remember for Cagney as Rocky Sullivan and O'Brienas Jerry Connelly. The physical humor too makes them stand out,slap-happy characters as much like the Little Rascals or the ThreeStooges as they are hoodlums. Cagney too is excellent in his antics.It's in an early scene that Sullivan's and Connelly's lives divergefrom the small-time crooks they appear on their way to be. The two arerunning from the cops and one leaps over the fence and gets away whilethe other is caught and sent to reform school. It's worth askingyourself what that moral in the film seems to be.It's a great old action film, but be sure to note the story as whatHollywood offered in 1938 as a look into the status of crime and thecelebrity of criminals (Cagney was the same age as Al Capone, andBonnie and Clyde had only recently been killed). The film attempts toexplore the root causes of crime, poverty among them, and offers upsome ideas about reformation.Later movies might glorify criminals. This one doesn't.

pderocco (2012-05-16 07:39)

Archetypes without cliches

It's awfully hard to tell a story of archetypal characters withoutdescending into stock cliches, but this movie does it deftly. In fact, itisn't just the characters that embody symbols deeply embedded in ourpsyches, but the surroundings too: the tenement, the church, the poolhall,the speakeasy, the jail, the electric chair. In this case, the starknessofthe symbols actually heightens the power of the story. This is definitelyinmy all-time top ten.

(2012-05-14 20:10)

Rocky the Gangster and Jerry the Priest

Cagney is the charming gangster Rocky who returns after 3 years in prison to challenge other gangsters and political figures who may have put him there. Rocky is a charismatic figure which enthralls the neighborhood. Jerry is played by Patrick O'Brien, a priest who tries to develop character in the neighborhood children and steer them away from trouble. Jerry can't compete with Rocky's charm and seems to fight a losing battle for the hearts of his parishioners. The finale is very moving and turns the tables on the struggle of course with Rocky in full control.

Gino-10 (2012-05-14 01:31)

Masterpiece

This movie is simply a masterpiece, a classic story of two kids who growup on different sides of the law. Cagney, as Rocky, gave his bestperformance, only to outdo himself a decade later in the 1949 film noirclassic "White Heat". The execution scene at the end is classic, thesecondbest movie ending of all time. Of course the best ending was from, onceagain, "White Heat" where he blows himself up,along with an oil refinery."I'm on top of the world,Ma!!!!"

MartynGryphon (2012-05-10 11:39)

Cagney: A True Craftsman At Work

One of James Cagney's most memorable roles sees him play gangster RockySullivan who returns to his old slum neighbourhood after a spell in 'dabig house'.We are first introduced to Rocky as a teenager with his pal JerryConnolly whom roam the streets of the neighbourhood looking for ways tomake a quick dollar. On one fateful occasion they rob a freight carfull of fountain pens but are discovered by rail workers, in adesperate bid to escape, they make a run for it. Jerry gets away butRocky is caught and sent to the reformatory. A montage sequence thenshows the intervening years in Rocky's life and as his age increases sodoes the severity of his Crimes.When finally released from Prison, he returns to his old neighbourhoodand it is here we find that Jerry's life has taken different turnaltogether. He's now a priest, (played by Pat O'Brien), with everyintention of keeping the street kids of the present, (played by theDead End Kids), on the straight and Narrow.Rocky, in his sharp suit and with a billfold so thick it could choke ahorse, becomes a figure of hero worship to these kids as he is atangible example of what they see as a local kid making good and thatcrime DOES pay after all.Sadly, Rocky hasn't learnt any lessons as he's still very much involvedwith his old crooked Lawyer, Frazier, (Humphrey Bogart) and mob bossKeefer, (George Bancroft), but away from the rackets he finds romancewith local girl and butt of his old childhood jokes, Laury Ferguson,(Ann Sheridan).With Rocky once again descending back into to a life of crime, and thekids ever further under his spell, Father Jerry goes public with acampaign to wipe organised crime from the streets and personallysingle's out his friend Rocky as a target. which ultimately ends withRocky's last mile walk to the death house.Moments before Rocky is to executed in the Electric Chair, Father Jerryimplores Rocky to die 'yella' to show the kids that there has beennothing honourable in either his life or his death. Rocky refuses andis led away to his death with a look of firm defiance etched on hisface, until......Angels With Dirty Faces is a triumph in movie making and that's notsurprising as it was a film that had the brilliant Michael Curtiz atthe helm, who directed more movies now considered to be classics thanany other director before or since.In my view, Angels With Dirty Faces is not really a crime movie, it's afilm about three relationships. The relationship between Rocky andFather Jerry, the relationship between Father Jerry and the Kids andthe relationship between the Kids and Rocky, with even the 'crime'subplot only really needed in order to get Rocky where he ultimatelyneeds to be, in the death house.For years after, people always used to ask James Cagney as to whetherRocky really did die yella or was faking it for the sake of the kids.His answer was always the same. He played it with 'deliberateambiguity' in order for the audience to arrive at such a decision forthemselves as to what were the final motives of Rocky Sullivan. In thatone scene and with that one action, the world was shown that JamesCagney was a master at his craft, a genius in the art of screen acting.Enjoy!!!

(2012-05-10 02:44)

SENTIMENTAL GANGSTER CLASSIC

Off-screen pals James Cagney and Pat O'Brien team up for the sixth time in ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (1938). Nominated for three Oscars", this classic stars Cagney as a kid from New York's Hell's Kitchen whose underworld rise makes him a hero to a gang of slum punks. O'Brien is the boyhood pal-turned-priest who vows to end Rocky's influence. Extras: a 1938 newsreel, "Where the Stars Begin" musical short and "Porky and Daffy" cartoon. Also, the new featurette "Whaddya Hear? Whaddya Say?" The interesting commentary's by Dana Polan and there's a terrific audio bonus of the original radio broadcast starring Cagney and O'Brien.

RF456 (2012-05-06 21:06)

Classic Cagney, Classic Cinema.

I'd always heard about how great an actor James Cagney was, but hadnever seen any of his films. So I decided to rent this one from thelocal video store. After watching it I was astounded at how great anactor he is. This has to be his defining movie. Cagney plays a verybelievable gangster named Rocky Sullivan and I think his performancealone could have made this movie good. He had a screen presence thatvery few actors, other than say John Wayne or Clint Eastwood have had.His performance combined with an excellent script, superb direction andgreat supporting performances, make for a movie that defines excellencein film-making from the golden age of cinema. If you want to see aJames Cagney movie or just want to watch an old black and whiteclassic, then this is the one to get!

gary renfield (2012-05-06 08:03)

WILL THE CIRCLE REMAIN UNBROKEN???

This film is included on my personal top 10 list. The old-time ethnicslums(?) of New York City in the 20's and 30's are a picaresque window toanothertime. One where gangsters were heroes (to some) and filled newspaperswiththeir exploits. Tales of crime and riches are like candy to the gangs ofkids living in poverty, while seeking their own escape to somethingbetter.They could only learn from experience, what Rocky Sullivan (Cagney)alreadyknew, there is no honor among thieves. No honor, and no road back forRocky. But, sometimes, for someone else, fate gets a push.A very interesting, fast-paced story, I recommend this highly. Thetransition from Rocky's childhood to his adult years is especially welldoneand cast. In 'spirited' discussions with friends, we STILL don't agree onRocky's thoughts and motivations at the end of the film. WAS HE GIVEN AN'OUT' ? WAS HE HERO OR COWARD? WAS IT WHAT HE WANTED? WAS IT IMPOSED ONHIM? WAS IT CALCULATED OR DID IT POUR OUT UNCONTROLLABLY? Judge foryourself. After a few viewings, it's not as simple as itappears......

Mcfly-30 (2012-05-05 05:26)

What A Great Way To Discover Cagney's Genius

I've only seen little snippets of Cagney stuff in the past, usually inrandom film montages, but I finally decided to rent one of his flicks. Thiswas a great film. The setup hooked me into the story instantly and Icouldn't help, but marvel at Cagney's presence onscreen, which isintimidating, evil, hilarious and very very dangerous.I thought the relationship between Cagney and his old girlfriend was alittle hard to swallow, but other than that I was mystified, especially by atough ending that I don't think I'll ever forget. What a great cast too,the young ones were surprisingly realistic and all held their own. Definately worth a rental, purchase-whatever. I'll be checking out moreCagney stuff in the future.

kenandraf (2012-05-04 10:19)

Classic Spiritual Gangster Film

Very good action drama film about i930's New York gangsters and thephilosophical battles that go along with that lifestyle.Good all aroundproduction but it is the great script and incredible performance of actionstar James Cagney that makes this one special.Could have been amasterpieceif it had a better screenplay.Only for 1930's gangster action drama fansandof big fans of the lead actors.....

slymusic (2012-05-04 00:33)

What do *I* hear, what do *I* say?

From director Michael Curtiz comes a brilliant Warner Bros. gangsterpicture, "Angels with Dirty Faces", featuring a superlative cast ofthespians: James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Ann Sheridan, Humphrey Bogart,George Bancroft, and the "Dead End" Kids. Cagney plays William "Rocky"Sullivan, a notorious gangster with a "kiss my ass" attitude, aroundwhom trouble always swirls and over whose eyes the wool can never bepulled. In short, Rocky has the town in the palm of his corrupt hand,thus influencing probably hundreds of other younger thugs, six of whomare played by the Dead Ends. Amazingly, one of Rocky's best friends isFather Jerome "Jerry" Connelly (Pat O'Brien), who as a youngster fought& stole with Rocky but has now taken the straight & narrow path intopriesthood. Realizing that Rocky hasn't changed over the years, FatherJerry strongly urges Rocky not to encourage the younger generation toadmire him. Rocky's lawyer is James "Jim" Frazier (Humphrey Bogart), aseverely dishonest man with a gang of his own, trying to delay as longas he can the exchanging of $100,000 to Rocky.My favorite scenes from this impressive feature film include thefollowing. When showing Rocky to his room, Laury Martin (Ann Sheridan)slaps him and pulls down his hat, something she waited fifteen years todo, after which Rocky's bed collapses. I love the basketball sequencewith the Dead End Kids, during which the cheating never stops,especially when Rocky takes over as the ref. I also like the poolroomsequence with its atmospheric piano music, as well as Father Connelly'sact of slugging a patron (Dick Wessel). Rocky briefly shoots it outwith some of Frazier's hoodlums on the rooftop of the El Toro, withgreat musical accompaniment by Max Steiner. In probably the mostemotionally effective sequence in the picture, Father Connelly is intears when Rocky feigns being scared stiff going to the electric chair(Jerry had persuaded Rocky to discourage the Dead End Kids by actingscared, so that the kids no longer worship Rocky in their memories;Rocky flatly refuses to perform this act until the very last fewseconds of his life). And finally, I can recall once having a tear inmy own eye upon listening to the St. Brendan's Church Boys Choir at thevery end of the picture, when Father Jerry persuades the Dead End Kidsto join him in a prayer for a boy who couldn't run as fast as Jerrycould.The various urchins played by the Dead End Kids in "Angels with DirtyFaces" are completely unlikable thugs, devoid of any vestige of properconduct. I'm not convinced that reformation is right around the cornerfor these youngsters at the closing of this film. One can only hope soafter the end credits.

angry127 (2012-05-03 17:59)

Crime and Punishment

After seeing more modern movies (Scarface, Goodfellas) we see that theygot a lot of their inspirations from Studio Era crime movies. Morespecifically, Angels with Dirty Faces sticks out.We are treated to Cagney playing a criminal in and out of jail. Heseems almost born for this role which is probably which he plays it inmany movies. The film moves very quickly and uses a lot of slidingcamera shots to engage the audience. It almost looks as though it wasfilmed today with some of the sweeping shots through the city.The main message we get from the story is that crime does not pay. Wefollow Cagney and not the priest throughout the movie, so we empathizewith him. This makes the blow at the end more harsh. The end of themovie does send a sparkle of possible good to come from the followinggenerations, so we are somewhat at piece.Highly recommended for anyone with a taste in American cinema.