Angels with Dirty Faces

Once childhood friends, a gangster (James Cagney) and a priest (Pat O’Brien) now vie for control of a gang of kids.

Angels with Dirty Faces is a rare early youth-crime films that doesn’t come off as too preachy or forced. Instead, the movie zips along, propelled largely by one of Cagney’s signature performances.

The formidable supporting cast surrounding Cagney doesn’t hurt either. Pat O’Brien is believable as a former hood turned priest, Ann Sheridan looks great as she avoids overplaying her part, and Humphrey Bogart shines as Cagney’s gangster rival. Even the Dead End Kids work, largely because Cagney is there to keep them in line and prevent them from running over the picture.

Take this cast, toss in a tight script packed with great dialog, and a director that knows how to keep things rolling and the result is a pretty good movie. Sure it stumbles at times (the Dead End Kids could learn a thing or two from their co-stars), but never for very long, and the ambiguous ending is a thing of beauty.