Michael Curtiz

*****
5/5

This is the definitive Warner Bros gangster movie, starring James Cagney in his image-defining role. It's a fast-paced, gritty melodrama, which, though much copied and even parodied, has never been bettered. The tale of two men - one good, one bad - is given extra weight by the casting of the Dead End Kids, headed by Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall, as Cagney's would-be disciples, and the moral of the story is still valid today. Michael Curtiz directs with great élan, and the ending, as Cagney walks the famous last "mile" to his execution, is particularly well acted and directed.


(1938)
US   B/W   93 mins