Release Date: November 26, 1938
Running Time: 97 minutes
Starring: James Cagney, Pat O’Brien, Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sheridan, The Bowery Boys
Directed By: Michael Curtiz
This film is widely considered to be one of the best films of all time thanks in large part to the dedication of its lead actor, James Cagney, who was first choice to play the lead role of “Rocky” Sullivan, the man whose life was forever changed by being just a little bit slower than his lifelong friend, Jerry (Pat O’Brien). Rocky’s sacrifice in the films first act, refusing to rat on his friend in childhood, even manages to save Jerry from a similar fate, something that will be echoed in the film’s final act. There is a beautiful symmetry to those two scenes that help elevate this above other gangster films of the time to really make this one stand above its contemporaries and gain the distinction of being one of the greatest films of all time.
The film opens in 1920 when youths Rocky and Jerry attempt to steal from a railway car. They are overheard and flee the scene. But Jerry is the faster runner and escapes while Rocky is captured and sentenced to several years in juvenile detention. Rocky refuses to give up his friend and takes the sentence all to himself. His time in juvie leads to further criminal acts and more time behind bars until eventually, eighteen years later he is paroled and back on the streets. He had been sentenced to three years in jail for armed robbery and took the rap in exchange for a $100,000 payout from the robbery by his partner and lawyer Jim Frazier (Humphrey Bogart).
Upon release from prison, Rocky visits the old neighborhood and discovers Jerry is still there, now a priest who oversees many of the youths in the area, determined to help them avoid criminal activities and grow up to live productive lives. The two are genuinely glad to see each other and Jerry helps Rocky secure a place to stay, renting from a young woman the two knew growing up, Laury (Ann Sheridan). When Rocky visits his old partner, Jim, he is promised the $100,000 by the end of the week and is given some spending money to tide him over, money that is soon after stolen from him from a group of young hoodlums played by the Bowery Boys. Rocky tracks them down easily enough taking his money back and earning their adoration. Meanwhile, Jim has no intent on paying Rocky the money and is intent instead on killing him. Jerry is also justified in his concern that Rocky’s influence on the young boys will lead them to idolize the gangster way of life and want to emulate it.
The real power in this film is its message of how adoration can lead people astray and how a man, even one as bad as Rocky, can do the right thing from time to time to save those he truly cares about. He himself may be beyond saving but the generation behind him may still stand a chance if steered in the right direction. The Bowery Boys were the perfect choice to depict that here having gained a reputation themselves for mischievous behavior both in front of and behind the scenes. They never fail to hit the right notes as both aggressive bad boys as well as sympathetic characters in need of a good role model. We see both sides of that coin throughout this film.
If you haven’t seen this film I will not spoil the final scene. I will say, however, that it is a powerful moment in cinematic history that never fails to bring with it a degree of emotional response rarely felt when watching fiction. It strikes the perfect note to end the film on and both Cagney and O’Brien are perfect in it. There is a level of sadness to it but it is also steeped heavily in triumph and gladness that never fails to move me no matter how many times I’ve seen it.
The acting is top notch and the moral of the story is spot on. This movie is leaps and bounds above any gangster film of any era. The only real weak spot would have to be the generic casting of Humphrey Bogart who was, at this point in his career, coasting on roles of this sort. He’s not bad here but the part is poorly underwritten in an otherwise well written script. But this movie isn’t really about Jim and his attempt to kill Rocky rather than pay him. It is about Rocky, Jerry and the Bowery Boys and that’s where it hits it out of the park. Everything else is just background noise.
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