Click here to copy URL

Angels With Dirty Faces

Rating
7.5
4,168
Ratings
Plugin not supported.
Original title
Angels With Dirty Faces
Year
Running time
93 min.
Country
United States United States
Director
Screenwriter
Cast
Music
Cinematography
Producer
Genre
Film noir. Thriller | Mafia
Synopsis
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 amazing amount of energy and pacing; the Dead End Kids, in their screen debut, supply a fair amount of comic relief along with their dramatic roles. It's also worth noting that at the time, the notion of a criminal being a product of his environment was a controversial one. The swaggering bantam-rooster role played by Cagney, one of the screen's greats, helped define how he would be perceived (and parodied) for years to come. This movie easily stands along with The Roaring Twenties and Little Caesar as one of the most important, archetypal gangster films of the '30s.
Rankings Position
Awards
1938: 3 Nominations for Oscar: Best Actor (James Cagney), Director (Curtiz), Screenplay
1938: New York Film Critics Circle: Best Actor (James Cagney)
Critics' reviews
Movie Soulmates' ratings
Register so you can access movie recommendations tailored to your movie taste.
Friends' ratings
Register so you can check out ratings by your friends, family members, and like-minded members of the FA community.
Ranking Lists Position
Is the synopsis/plot summary missing? Do you want to report a spoiler, error or omission? Please send us a message.
If you are not a registered user please send us an email to [email protected]

All copyrighted material (movie posters, DVD covers, stills, trailers) and trademarks belong to their respective producers and/or distributors.

For US ratings information please visit: www.mpaa.org www.filmratings.com www.parentalguide.org

User history
Angels With Dirty Faces
1938
Michael Curtiz
7.5
(4,168)
arrow
Welcome to the new FA search engine: it allows you to search even with misspellings
do multiple searches (De Niro Pacino) and colloquial searches (Ex: Tom Holland's Spìderman).
Search Suggest
Not results found