Midweek Mention... Angels With Dirty Faces

This week on Bad Dads Film Review, we head back to 1938 for Angels with Dirty Faces, Michael Curtiz’s classic gangster drama starring James Cagney, Pat O’Brien, Humphrey Bogart and Ann Sheridan.It is very much an old-school Hollywood crime picture — street kids, reform school, crooked lawyers, corrupt city rackets, priests, gangsters, ledgers, shootouts and plenty of “what do you say, what do you know?” patter — but the dads are surprised by how modern and effective parts of it still feel.We start with young Rocky Sullivan and Jerry Connolly, two poor kids stealing from freight cars in the hope of making a few dollars. Jerry makes it over the fence. Rocky gets caught. That one moment sends their lives in opposite directions: Jerry becomes Father Connolly, a priest trying to help the local boys; Rocky becomes a famous gangster whose name alone is enough to make those same boys look at him like a hero.The film’s central question is simple and still uncomfortable: what happens when the person the kids admire most is exactly the person they should not become?Rocky returns to the old neighbourhood after prison looking for the $100,000 he is owed by Frazier, played by Humphrey Bogart in full slippery villain mode. Instead of paying up, Frazier and his partners try to have Rocky killed, while Rocky’s presence in the neighbourhood starts pulling the Dead End Kids away from Father Jerry’s attempts to give them discipline, sport and a better path.Along the way we discuss:James Cagney’s magnetic gangster energyHumphrey Bogart before he became top-billed BogartPat O’Brien as Rocky’s childhood friend turned priestAnn Sheridan as Laury, the grown-up “pigtails” from Rocky’s youththe Dead End Kids as younger versions of Rocky and Jerrythe basketball scene and Jerry’s attempt to teach rules and teamworkcorrupt rackets, hidden ledgers and gangster bookkeepingRocky’s refusal to let Frazier and Mac kill Jerrythe rooftop/tenement shootout that seals Rocky’s fatethe electric-chair ending and whether Rocky’s fear is real or performedwhy that final walk is the thing everyone remembersthe film’s influence on Angels with Filthy Souls in Home AloneSidey had not seen the film before and comes away genuinely impressed, especially by how strong the filmmaking feels for 1938. The camera moves more than expected, the street scenes have real life in them, and the moral ending still lands. Dan highlights Cagney’s star power and the way his gangster roles sit alongside his broader musical and performance talents.So does it still work? Absolutely. The language and rhythms are unmistakably of their time, but the story of poverty, idol worship, bad choices and one final attempt at redemption still has weight.Strong recommend, see?You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at [email protected] or on our website baddadsfilm.com. Until next time, we remain... Bad Dads