Review 2009-02-16T20:46:19-08:00 39 A movie review of Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), a gangster film, starring James Cagney movie,film,review,Angels,Dirty,Faces,1938,gangster,Cagney 2009-02-17T00:00:00-08:00 Before there was film noir, there were gangster films, and [i]Angels with Dirty Faces[/i] is one of the classics. It even features Humphrey Bogart, who's 1941 [i]Maltese Falcon[/i] would set the film noir standard for years to come. [i]Angels[/i] stars a tough, brash James Cagney as Rocky Sullivan, a career criminal. Sullivan's childhood friend, Jerry Connolly (Pat O'Brien) grows up to become a priest - and Rocky's moral counterpoint.[img size="250x191"]/images/articles/reviews/angels_with_dirty_faces.jpg[/img][capt]James Cagney and Pat O'Brien in [i]Angels with Dirty Faces[/i][/capt] Cagney's role is iconic, and is even featured on TV within the movie [i]Home Alone[/i]. His tough-guy "Whadda ya hear! Whadda ya say!" line was mimicked for decades. The film begins with teen-aged Rocky and Jerry establishing their characters, and then trying to rob a train. Jerry is the faster runner. Rocky gets caught, goes to juvie, and the two take their separate paths. Later when Rocky returns to the old neighborhood after multiple prison sentences, he and Jerry serve as alternate role models to a group of youths. Father Connolly offers the moral path, but Rocky easily trumps his friend with street smarts, tough talk, and even tougher actions. The plot revolves around $100,000 that Rocky's lawyer, Frazier (Bogart) was to keep for Rocky in return for not being implicated in a crime. Three years later, when Rocky is released from prison, the lawyer has become the number two man for Mac Keefer (George Bancroft.) Frazier decides to keep the cash by rubbing Rocky out of the picture. Rocky survives, gets the $100k, and is able to gain a top position in the organization by blackmailing Keefer with the possession of incriminating books. The story comes to a head when Father Connolly decides that the only way to save the boys is to take down the corruption around them, launching an anti-crime mission on radio and in the newspapers. When Keefer and Frazier decide to kill Father Connolly, Rocky gets wise, kills the two kingpins and survives a gunfight with the cops. Rocky is sentenced to the electric chair - the death row scene providing a perfect and satisfying ending to this classic film. This film has numerous film noir elements. There is crime, murder, and the dark side of urban 20th century America. There is also insight into the human condition. Missing are a femme fatale (Ann Sheridan's Laury Ferguson never really figures into the plot or the story) and is no overall sense of mystery or suspense. The antics of the youths and the moral example of the priest give a softer feel than we come to expect in later film noir. Overall, I give the film a nine out of ten. Technically, the film is flawless. The character story is handled well and provides the perfect ending. The only thing it lacks is the darker, mysterious feel that draws me to true film noir. 2009-02-16T21:34:43-08:00 1