Angels with Dirty Faces

MOVIE REVIEW OF Angels with Dirty Faces (1939)

Cast
Director	Michael Curtiz	Runtime: 1hrs 37min ( 97min)
rocky sullivan	.....	james cagney
jerry connelly	.....	pat o' brien
james frazier	.....	humphrey bogart
laury ferguson	.....	ann sheridan
mac keefer	.....	george bancroft
soapy	.....	billy halop
swing	.....	bobby jordan
bim	.....	leo gorcey
pasty	.....	gabriel dell
crab	.....	huntz hall
hunky	.....	bernard punsley
steve	.....	joe downing
edwards	.....	edward pawley
blackie	.....	adrian morris
young rocky	.....	frankie burke
young jerry	.....	william tracey
young laurie	.....	marilyn knowlden
church choir	.....	st. brenden's church choir (the robert mitchell boy choir)

PLOT SUMMARY

William Sullivan, a.k.a. Rocky (James Cagney) lives a life of crime, starting with petty crimes committed with his childhood pal Jerry Connelly (Pat O'Brien). When he gets put away for a heist involving a million dollars, there's not much his lawyer, Jim Frazier (Humphrey Bogart) can do for him. Rocky says he'll take his own rap again, as he's always done, but makes Frazier promise to hold his cut of the money for him until he gets out of jail.

Rocky gets out and returns to the old neighborhood to seek out Frazier and get his cash. He meets up again with Jerry, now 15 years older, who has turned over a different leaf by becoming a priest. He also finds, by accident, and old girl rival, Laury (Anne Sheridan).

The town, and the old gang, are all run by a syndicate. When it's decided that Rocky needs to be eliminated, Rocky doesn't agree, and things start to get hairy on the crime front.

In the meantime, Rocky meets up with the new rising group of future miscreants (The Dead End Kids), and although he sees himself in them and vice versa, he tries to show them that a life of crime isn't for the weak of heart or mind.

TECH INSPECTION

The actor playing Rocky as a kid (Frankie Burke) is a dead ringer for James Cagney. And he plays the part as well as if he really were a young James Cagney.

This movie utilizes the typical 30s movie technique of using newspaper headlines to move the story along. It is a relatively less violent gangster movie. Still don't think it's a merry-go-round film. There's still a fair share of violence and gunplay. You'll certainly get your 30s gangster fix, all dolled up with James Cagney at the wheel. There aren't enough meows available for an accurate rating of this terrific gunflick.

If there is anything negative about this movie, it would be cruel to mention it. It would be nothing but an undeserved cheap shot at a fantastic movie. If you'll notice almost all quotes come from Rocky Sullivan. What did you expect...it's a James Cagney movie!

QUOTES
Finally, a short list of quotes I think are worth repeating. You may recognize some, but these are my own picks, not ones that are particularly famous:

• Waddya hear? Waddya say? ~ Rocky Sullivan
• Ya' know, you turned out to be a snappy lookin' dish. ~ Rocky Sullivan
• There ain't no future in playin' basketball. ~ Bim
• Empty ~ Cop #1 So is your thick skull, copper. ~ Rocky Sullivan
• Well, if you didn't do nothin', don't do it again ~ Rocky Sullivan
• Like sittin' in a barber chair. Gonna ask me, 'Got anything to say?' And I say, 'Sure. A haircut, a shave, and a massage. One of those nice new electric massages.' ~ Rocky Sullivan
• Promise you won't let me hear you pray. ~ Rocky Sullivan
• Let's go say a prayer for a boy who couldn't run as fast as I could. ~ Jerry Connelly

Here is my personal rating of this movie. This rating is out of ten meows.
¹⁰/₁₀

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