Movies Favorite

Kristopher Haines:

What did audiences see in these kids? They are painful to watch. Poor Bogie, I wouldn’t be surprised if being forced to share the screen with this kind of lackluster talent was one of the reasons actors became free agents. Aside from the cringe-inducing “Kids” it’s a serviceable gangster yarn. I’m honestly shocked it has attained “classic status” I also didn’t like the ending, and here’s why: It very well could have been poignant, a tough-guy sacrificing his dignity for the good of the youth, but it is done so heavy-handedly as to lose all of its “punch.” Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of classic films, if I weren’t I wouldn’t have bothered to rent this. Rent “The Big Combo” instead. In my opinion it is the best gangster film to come out of this era that I have seen so far. Also, Bogie gives a much better performance as a gangster in “High Sierra” and neither one includes “The Dead End Kids.”
Rating: 2 / 5
Angels With Dirty Faces

B. K. Stepp:

If watched with an unsentimental eye, this is a preachy and somewhat creaky crime flick. Cagney is great as usual as the tough as nails, street-smart Rocky. Bogart and Sheridan give good support, but are underutilized. What ultimately sinks this film, though, is O’Brien’s sermonizing and the hammy performances of the Dead End Kids. Maybe this was timely in 1938, but it simply doesn’t stand the test of time. For Cagney diehards only.
Rating: 3 / 5
Angels With Dirty Faces

Nix Pix:

A couple of Hell’s Kitchen hell raisers – Rocky Sullivan (James Cagney) and Jerry Connolly (Pat O’Brien) part company after being sent to reform school in Michael Curtiz’s classic “Angels With Dirty Faces” (1938). For Rocky, the years of meditation transform him into a first class criminal with a bitter grudge and destiny to fulfill. For Jerry, the prospect of becoming a career criminal is enough to scare him straight into the priesthood.

The years pass and Rocky and Jerry are once more reunited; this time in their old neighborhood but on opposite sides of the law. In a sort of Father Flannigan twist, Jerry desires to have a positive impact on the lives of children who, like his former self, are on the fast track to nowhere. Rocky resurfaces as a ghetto gangster, exploiting Jerry’s acquired goodness to suit his own end. Ann Sheridan surfaces thrillingly and to great effect as Rocky’s wickedly playful girl Friday, Laury Ferguson.

The Dead End Kids, a troop of street urchins who became model citizens through celluloid worship and pop culture are in this one to – playing themselves for either saintly salvation or sinful self-destruction. Rapid and gunfire results. Director, Curtiz is in top form with this meshing of the light and the terrorized, inserting a winning combination of action and comedy that is engaging throughout.

Warner’s DVD is not as successful. The gray scale is often dark or seemingly underexposed. Though it is, at times, nicely balanced, the image quality is rather inconsistent. Film grain and age related artifacts are spread throughout the print material which shows signs of various source materials being incorporated. Fine details are often lost in darker scenes. Whites are generally not clean, though at times they can be. Flickering and shimmering occurs during several key scenes. The audio is adequately balanced in mono. A featurette, commentary by historian Dana Polan and Leonard Maltin’s hosting of “Warner’s A Night At The Movies” are the extras you’ll find. Polan’s audio is a bit flat and disengaged from the material. Maltin’s segment seems somewhat more rushed than on other Warner discs. This film comes highly recommended for content. The video presentation is better than average but far from perfect.

Rating: 3 / 5
Angels With Dirty Faces