A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and then leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist. After the heist, events take a crazy turn.
Nominated for 1 Oscar. 1 win & 2 nominations total
Top Critics Reviews
fresh:
Despite chronology (deranged by the censor's influence on the studios), this is really the fitting climax of the '30s gangster movie.
– ,
Time Out,
26 Jan 2006
fresh:
Brilliantly directed by Raoul Walsh, an old master of cinema hoodlumism, it returns a more subtle James Cagney to the kind of thug role that made him famous.
– ,
TIME Magazine,
27 Apr 2009
fresh:
The simple fact is that Mr. Cagney has made his return to a gangster role in one of the most explosive pictures that he or anyone has ever played.
– Bosley Crowther,
New York Times,
20 May 2003
fresh:
Raoul Walsh's heroes had a knack for going too far, but none went further than James Cagney in this roaring 1949 gangster piece.