Angels With Dirty Faces

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Angels With Dirty Faces

1938,

1h 37m,

Crime/

Drama

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Watchlist

100%

24 Reviews

Tomatometer

92%

5,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

24 Reviews

92%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Rocky Sullivan (James Cagney) and Jerry Connolly (Pat O'Brien) were brought up in one of New York's toughest neighborhoods, Hell's Kitchen. While his buddy Rocky gets caught up in racketeering in reform school, Jerry decides to become a priest. Years later, Rocky is released from prison and returns to Hell's Kitchen, where Jerry works with at-risk children. Rocky wants a temporary safe haven with his old friend before resuming his life of crime, but Jerry hesitates, testing their relationship.

Critics Consensus

James Cagney's explosive charisma and Pat O'Brien's steadfast decency are a match made in heaven in this touching battle for a community's soul.

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Jeremiah Kipp

Slant Magazine

Feb 2, 2005

4/4

Angels With Dirty Faces benefits from the Production Code because it forces the gangster film to acknowledge its nihilism.

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Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

May 8, 2002

B

Rocky Sullivan is riveting. His movements are quick and vital, his speech like machine-gun fire, his demeanor sharp and confident. He is all attitude and style.

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Tony Sloman

Radio Times

May 30, 2024

5/5

It's a fast-paced, gritty melodrama, which, though much copied and even parodied, has never been bettered.

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Ellie Lucas

From the Front Row

Jan 6, 2022

4/4

An atonement for & a deconstruction of Cagney's bad boy persona in films like The Public Enemy that made him a star, emulating the essence of the Production Code with more grace & emotional weight than anyone actually involved with the code ever managed.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Dec 11, 2021

4/4

The weighty closing line triggers haunting reflections on chance, destiny, and the capricious nature of the universe.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Jul 24, 2020

6/10

If the Dead End Kids - complete with their Three Stooges routines and slaphappy slapstick - weren't involved, the movie could have moved more smoothly and featured a more focused message.

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Rey R

Feb 9, 2019

Entertaining old classic about two friends who take two different paths in life. One turns to crime, while the other becomes a priest. Well directed and well acted. Still holds up to this day.

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Jan 26, 2019

The best gangster movie ever made!

Han G

Aug 24, 2018

I would have preferred more Humphrey Bogart instead of those necessary, but annoying Dead End kids as Bogie surely is ridiculously underused, but other than that gripe, Angels with Dirty Faces is a major classic in the crime genre with absolutely fantastic script from Rowland Brown, a strong turn from Pat O'Brien and an amazing, career-best performance from James Cagney who shamefully lost an Oscar for this great role. The film works so well largely owing to a more sophisticated, emotional take on the genre with a moving ending and well explored themes of morality, loyalty and the dangers of bad influence on children.

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Kylo S

Jun 27, 2018

A fantastic movie featuring an amazing performance from James Cagney. Great atmosphere and a true classic of early cinema.

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Poe R

Apr 13, 2018

A brilliant gangster movie masterpiece! With assured direction and outstanding acting. It was surprising for once to behold Humphrey Bogart not as a tough guy as he would always be later in his career, brilliant performance. And James Cagney is a gem of this movie, no wonder Marlon Brando himself was of high opinion of this actor, his Rocky Sullivan is truly believable. The film itself is awesome; that moral conflict at the end of the movie was played out beautifully and without over the top melodrama too; a classic.

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Luke W

Nov 2, 2017

Standard 1930's crime film: neither fascinating nor particularly original and a bit too preachy on top of it but not without its charms. The cast is good, there's a handful of strong scenes and I really liked the ambiguity of the finale.

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Michael Curtiz

Director

James Cagney

William "Rocky" Sullivan

Pat O'Brien

Rev. Jerry Connolly

Humphrey Bogart

James Frazier

Ann Sheridan

Laury Ferguson

George Bancroft

Mac Keefer

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Synopsis

Rocky Sullivan (James Cagney) and Jerry Connolly (Pat O'Brien) were brought up in one of New York's toughest neighborhoods, Hell's Kitchen. While his buddy Rocky gets caught up in racketeering in reform school, Jerry decides to become a priest. Years later, Rocky is released from prison and returns to Hell's Kitchen, where Jerry works with at-risk children. Rocky wants a temporary safe haven with his old friend before resuming his life of crime, but Jerry hesitates, testing their relationship.

Director: Michael Curtiz
Producer: Samuel Bischoff
Screenwriter: Rowland Brown, John Wexley, Warren Duff
Distributor: CBS/Fox, Warner Bros., MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: First National Pictures
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 26, 1938, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 5, 2018
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: Mono, Vitaphone

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