angelsdirty

Nobody played a gangster better than James Cagney. His scrappy yet dangerous physique,
smirky face, and trademark vocal cadence made him the big shot to be reckoned with in the cinema
of the seedy underworld. Cagney’s shockingly effective performance in “The Public Enemy” was
almost outdone in “Angels With Dirty Faces.” Cagney plays Rocky Sullivan, a young punk who
gets caught stealing out of boxcars and sent to juvenile reform school. His friend and partner,
Jerry Connelly, who wasn’t caught by the coppers, shaped up and became a priest who invests his
time at the church trying to keep young boys off the street.

Rocky makes a life of crime for himself and one day he’s sent up to the big house. His partner, Jim
Frazier, played by Humphrey Bogart, promises to sit on the stolen loot until Rocky gets out. When
Rocky is released, Jim is running a swanky club and hesitating on letting Rocky in on the profits.
He promises to deliver the cash in a week. While Rocky waits for the dough, he returns to his old
neighborhood to see Jerry again.

Enter the Dead End Kids, a group of young street boys that were made famous in the William Wyler
movie, “Dead End.” These kids went on to star in a handful of movies in the late 1930s due to their
popularity with audiences, including “They Made Me a Criminal.” Anyway, they worship Rocky and
want to be like him, a criminal tough guy. Jerry begs Rocky to go straight with them and the law,
and not be a bad influence, but can Rocky really go straight?

This story is a telling look at a guy who grew up constantly on the wrong side of the law. The
conflict between his adult persona and the foil persona of his childhood buddy, Jerry, is the crux of
the story and the dramatic chemistry between Cagney and Pat O’Brien in these roles is electric.
Cagney’s encounters with Bogart are also effective plot points that create a tense environment in
which Rocky plays dual roles between Jerry’s world and Jim’s world. Which will he ultimately
choose?

The Dead End Kids grate on the nerves at times. They’re not bad actors in the slightest, but
sometimes their voices and gestures are a little exaggerated. However, this minor inconvenience is
trivial as their inclusion contributes to the shocking climactic dramatic payoff. Rarely in films are
endings this powerful and Cagney’s performance will have you gritting your teeth with suspense. I
recommend viewers have a wooden dowel or sock ready to bite down on to avoid damaging teeth.

Gangster films and noir mysteries were coming into abundance then just as action films are now,
and just like today more were forgettable than unforgettable. “Angels With Dirty Faces” is easily
one of the most important and for good reason. The film neither glorifies crime or sympathizes with
its instigators, yet director Michael Curtiz still manages to make Rocky a likable guy for the
audience.

After seeing this film, I have determined that Curtiz was the most versatile filmmaker in Hollywood.
He defined swashbuckling with “The Adventures of Robin Hood.” He crafted one of the greatest
dramatic romance films of all time with “Casablanca.” He filmed what is easily one of the most
disturbing and powerful film noirs, “Mildred Pierce,” and in “Angels With Dirty Faces,” he took the
gangster film to a new level of significance and simultaneously crafted a movie that pulls no
punches on those who commit crime and those who romanticize it. A striking motion picture.