Angels With Dirty Faces [1938]

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Primary Contributor : James Cagney
Primary Contributor : Pat O'Brien

Product Details

Director : Michael Curtiz
Actor : James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sheridan, George Bancroft
Format : Black & White, PAL
Binding : VHS Tape
EAN : 5014789931528
Number of Discs : 1
Product Group : Video
Release Date : 2000-03-06
Running Time : 94minutes
Studio : Warner Home Video

ASIN : B00004CI42

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

Gangster Rocky Sullivan (James Cagney) returns from prison to make a name for himself in the crime world. He's soon discovered by the Dead End Kids, who idolise him, and childhood pal Father Jerry Connolly (Pat O'Brien), who has taken a different turn from Rocky and is struggling to bring the Kids around. While still friends with Rocky, the good Father tries to persuade him to steer clear of the gang of urchins. Rocky runs foul of the law, however, when he guns down his former partners Frazier (Humphrey Bogart) and Keefer (George Bancroft) after they betray him over a cut of crime-related profits. Seen as a whole, Angels with Dirty Faces may seem dated to many viewers, but its ending is still enough to bring chills. Director Michael Curtiz infused this gritty l938 effort with an amazing amount of energy and pacing; the Dead End Kids, in their screen debut, supply a fair amount of comic relief along with their dramatic roles. It's also worth noting that at the time, the notion of a criminal being a product of his environment was a controversial one. The swaggering bantam-rooster role played by Cagney, one of the screen's greats, helped define how he would be perceived (and parodied) for years to come. This movie easily stands along with The Roaring Twenties and Little Caesar as one of the most important, archetypal gangster films of the 1930s. --Jerry Renshaw, Amazon.com

Customer Reviews

Cagney at his very best (2006-01-04)

James Cagney stars in one of the most memorable films of all time.Bringing his criminal character to life with fine acting.Pat O'Brien and the Dead End kids provide the perfect foil for Cagney.You couldn't watch this film without wanting to watch it again.Buy it and enjoy!

One of the best - a part of the 20th century (2001-01-25)

Cagney and O'Brien grow up together, rob a train - Cagney is caught, O'Brien escapes. Years later they meet up again, with Cagney now a hardened criminal, O'Brien a catholic priest. The priest aims to keep the local youths - the "dead end kids" out of trouble, but they worship Cagney's character "Rocky Sullivan". Eventually the father leads a press campaign against Sullivan, climaxing in a gunfight. Sullivan prepares to go to the electric chair when he old friend asks him to pretend to be afraid, so as to break the hero-worship of the kids, before they to end up like him.

Brilliant - superb scenes, classic Cagney. The end sequence is eternal and unforgettable. The recent "Sleepers" tried a similar theme but didn't even come close.

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