James Cagney plays gangster Cody Jarrett, a killer with a mother fixation. After he and his gang rob a train of $350,000, he gives himself up for a lesser crime he didn't commit, knowing he'll only have to serve a year or two in the slammer before going free. (That he gets away with this is a bit far-fetched, but it finally doesn't matter.)
While in prison an undercover cop (Edmond O'Brien) is placed in his cell, hopefully to find out where the money is hidden. Also while in prison his mother dies, and Cagney performs a mad scene (apparently made up by Cagney on the spot) in the cafeteria that is a brilliant acting performance (and often parodied).
Cagney eventually breaks out of prison, plans another big heist, but it's foiled. In the final, most famous scene, Cagney is on top of an oil storage tank which explodes, sending him into oblivion just after he shouts, "Made it, Ma. Top of the world!" (also frequently parodied). The story is pretty involved (more than you'd expect to find in a gangster movie like this at the time), but never bogs down. It's one of the best gangster movies ever made, and Cagney is at the peak of his form. The story is based on real-life characters Doc and Ma Barker.
5 star movie, 2 star commentary
This is one of the great gangster movies ever. That alone makes it worth owning. The transfer is good. Watching it on a giant screen TV is a pleasure.
However, the commentary on this disc is not so much bad as it isn't really about the movie itself. Film historian Dr. Drew Casper spends the entire opening scene, not analyzing the cinematography or the editing or the acting. Instead, he gives a rather pedestrian rundown of Cagney's career up to 1949. That's fine but, what about the movie.
White Heat
Raoul Walsh's dynamite gangster picture is so much more than a re-tread of the early thirties gangster classics that made Cagney a star. Here we are less concerned with the cat-and-mouse aspects of the story (though they are plenty diverting), more focused on the progressive mental disintegration of the central character. Cagney is outstanding as Jarrett, a man whose own demons may consume him before the police finish the job. Electrifying stuff, and a Cagney peak.
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 idolize him, and childhood pal Father Jerry Connolly (Pat O'Brien). The good Father has taken a different turn from Rocky and is struggling to bring the Kids around; while still friends with Rocky, he tries to persuade him to steer clear of the gang of urchins. Rocky runs afoul 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, Angels with Dirty Faces may seem dated to many viewers, but its ending is still enough to bring chills. Director Michael Curtiz infused this gritty 1938 effort with an... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): James Cagney - Pat O'Brien - Humphrey Bogart - Ann Sheridan Director(s): Michael Curtiz DVD Release Date: Released the 25 January 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Director William Wellman (Wings), a World War I veteran who turned his experiences in battle into an insistence on unpretentious violence in his films, made Public Enemy a particularly brutal account of the rise and fall of a monstrous gangster (James Cagney). Cagney delivers one of the most famous performances in film history as the snarling crook who--in one of the film's most famous scenes--smashes a grapefruit into the face of Mae Clarke. The film's a bit dated, but its action scenes still pack an unusual wallop. --Tom KeoghMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): James Cagney - Jean Harlow Director(s): William A. Wellman DVD Release Date: Released the 25 January 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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This silky smooth film noir pits gruff police detective Dana Andrews, stiff and blunt in his street-bred manners, against a cultured columnist and acidic wit (Clifton Webb at his prissiest) in a battle of wits during a murder investigation. The cop is a romantic hiding under a hard-boiled exterior who falls in love with the beautiful victim through the portrait that hangs in her apartment. Gene Tierney, whose heart-shaped face mixes the exotic with the girl next door, brings the poise and calm of a model to her role as the object of every man's gaze and the target of a killer. Laura, handsomely shot in dreamy black and white, is the first and best of Otto Preminger's cool, controlled murder mysteries. In the gritty world of film noir it remains the most refined and elegant example... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Gene Tierney - Dana Andrews Director(s): Rouben Mamoulian - Otto Preminger DVD Release Date: Released the 15 March 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Edward G. Robinson had a star-making vehicle in this 1930 film by Mervyn LeRoy (Random Harvest), about a small-time gangster who becomes a top boss in the underworld. As Rico Bandello, Robinson's portrayal is that of a certain kind of American success, when a successful rise to the top somehow throws open the doors on every neurotic element in one's personality and magnifies them. The film is creaky as early sound films were wont to be, but the actor's multidimensional role and ugly charisma keep everything interesting. --Tom KeoghMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): Edward G. Robinson - Douglas Fairbanks Jr. - Glenda Farrell Director(s): Mervyn LeRoy DVD Release Date: Released the 25 January 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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