Angels With Dirty Faces [VHS] [1938]

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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, IAngels with Dirty Faces/I 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 IThe Roaring Twenties/I and ILittle Caesar/I as one of the most important, archetypal gangster films of the 1930s. --IJerry Renshaw, Amazon.com/I

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Customer reviews

review by: sm date: 2006-01-04 rating:
Cagney at his very best
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!


review by: date: 2001-01-25 rating:
One of the best - a part of the 20th century
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. pBrilliant - 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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Similar categories

Video . DVD Blu-ray . Categories . Classics . Drama
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Categories . Drama
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Categories . Crime, Thrillers Mystery . All Crime, Thrillers Mystery
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Refinements . Format (binding_browse-bin) . VHS
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Refinements . BBFC Rating (intended_use_browse-bin) . PG
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Refinements . Editions (feature_two_browse-bin) . Standard Edition
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Refinements . Release Date (feature_three_browse-bin) . 1939 and earlier
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Refinements . Language (theme_browse-bin) . English
Video . VHS . Categories . Classic Films . Actors . Bogart, Humphrey
Video . VHS . Categories . Classic Films . Actors . Cagney, James
Video . VHS . Categories . Classic Films . Drama . 1930s
Video . VHS . Categories . Drama . General
Video . VHS . Refinements . Condition (condition-type)

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