Starting out, I'd have to say that you'd be hard pressed to come up with a more attractive screen couple than the young James Cagney and Loretta Young. What got them there however, and what ensues is a somewhat haphazard mess of a story, though memorable for a lot of great scenes and characterizations, not the least of which is a quick appearance by George Raft during a dance contest!
As always, Cagney lights up the screen with his commanding presence; here he's an independent taxi cab driver about to get embroiled in a dispute against a rival cab company that threatens the livelihood of the independents. Young's character, Sue Riley, is the daughter of a cab driver who dies in Sing Sing after killing a Consolidated goon who wrecked his vehicle. Uncharacteristically, Sue pleads for restraint at a meeting of the independent drivers, embarrassing Matt Nolan (Cagney) who wants more aggressive action. The first 'huh?' moment of the story occurs when Nolan and Sue are seen getting lovey dovey on line at a movie theater, when in the moment earlier scene she slapped his face, prompting the Cagney quote in my summary line above. But say, wasn't that the slickest wedding proposal ever when Cagney slipped the ring on Young's finger? - very smooth!
The film gets some good mileage out of secondary characters as well, with George E. Stone as Nolan's pal Skeets, and Sue's girlfriend Ruby, played by Leila Bennett. Ruby is comically annoying with her ceaseless chatter about nothing in particular, though conversations about fish dying an unnatural death and her own matrimonial prospects are noteworthy. It was probably convenient for her to be dating Skeets whenever the couples went out, but how would you like to be on the receiving end of "Come on, I feel like being bored and you can do the job better than anybody I know." You know, it didn't surprise me when she told Skeets her favorite actor was Joe E. Brown - who would have guessed?
Still, if you examine the film with any sense of credibility, you'll be left wondering about a whole host of questions. Like what did Marie (Doroth Burgess) ever see in Buck Gerard (David Landau)? What would make ANYONE think they could get financial help for the killer of one's own brother-in law? How could Sue rat out her husband when the cops came calling on the Gerard apartment (quite convenient timing I might add)? And why, oh why, didn't Nolan, or anyone, ever reveal to Sue Riley that it was Buck Gerard who set up her father's 'incident' that sent him away to prison?
Which makes the ending just a little TOO tidy for my taste, not that Matt and Sue couldn't live happily ever after, but geez, she pulled a gun on him just a few scenes earlier. BUT, if you're a James Cagney fan, this is a pretty good showcase for his talent, including some snappy Yiddish dialog, a fox trot that should have beaten Raft, and a quick tap dance at Sue's apartment. I'll watch it again!
As always, Cagney lights up the screen with his commanding presence; here he's an independent taxi cab driver about to get embroiled in a dispute against a rival cab company that threatens the livelihood of the independents. Young's character, Sue Riley, is the daughter of a cab driver who dies in Sing Sing after killing a Consolidated goon who wrecked his vehicle. Uncharacteristically, Sue pleads for restraint at a meeting of the independent drivers, embarrassing Matt Nolan (Cagney) who wants more aggressive action. The first 'huh?' moment of the story occurs when Nolan and Sue are seen getting lovey dovey on line at a movie theater, when in the moment earlier scene she slapped his face, prompting the Cagney quote in my summary line above. But say, wasn't that the slickest wedding proposal ever when Cagney slipped the ring on Young's finger? - very smooth!
The film gets some good mileage out of secondary characters as well, with George E. Stone as Nolan's pal Skeets, and Sue's girlfriend Ruby, played by Leila Bennett. Ruby is comically annoying with her ceaseless chatter about nothing in particular, though conversations about fish dying an unnatural death and her own matrimonial prospects are noteworthy. It was probably convenient for her to be dating Skeets whenever the couples went out, but how would you like to be on the receiving end of "Come on, I feel like being bored and you can do the job better than anybody I know." You know, it didn't surprise me when she told Skeets her favorite actor was Joe E. Brown - who would have guessed?
Still, if you examine the film with any sense of credibility, you'll be left wondering about a whole host of questions. Like what did Marie (Doroth Burgess) ever see in Buck Gerard (David Landau)? What would make ANYONE think they could get financial help for the killer of one's own brother-in law? How could Sue rat out her husband when the cops came calling on the Gerard apartment (quite convenient timing I might add)? And why, oh why, didn't Nolan, or anyone, ever reveal to Sue Riley that it was Buck Gerard who set up her father's 'incident' that sent him away to prison?
Which makes the ending just a little TOO tidy for my taste, not that Matt and Sue couldn't live happily ever after, but geez, she pulled a gun on him just a few scenes earlier. BUT, if you're a James Cagney fan, this is a pretty good showcase for his talent, including some snappy Yiddish dialog, a fox trot that should have beaten Raft, and a quick tap dance at Sue's apartment. I'll watch it again!