The Roaring Twenties (1939)

A roaring success

Finding that his old job has been given away, returning World War I vet Eddie Bartlett (James Cagney) takes work as a taxi driver to make ends meet, and soon rises from delivering bootleg liquor to leading his own criminal empire in the days of Prohibition. The corruption of his good nature and the alienation of his war buddies, the slimy George Hally (Humphrey Bogart, still playing heavies at this point) and the stalwart Lloyd Hart (Jeffrey Lynn), pave the way to his eventual downfall. This thrilling crime picture from the heyday of Warner Bros. gangster films is thoroughly entertaining and features a great Cagney death scene. August 16, 2008

Still a Big Shot:

Who is there today to match these personalities ? No modern actor comes even close to Cagney and Bogart, and those girls aren't far behind. Sparkling, crackling dialogue, compelling script: a wonderful mix of toughness and sentimentality. Straight, unrelenting direction. None of this fancy "ain't I being clever" from masterly Raoul Walsh. He just moves it along, and nails you to your seat. These films stand up, and will stand for many decades to come. Cagney didn't used to be: he still is. April 8, 2008

The Roaring Twenties

A breakthrough for director Walsh, this classic boasts electric performances from both Cagney and Bogie. Consistent with most Bogart portrayals from the thirties, his George Hally is a low double-crosser who puts the screws to honorable (in his way) Eddie. Consistent with most Cagney roles, Eddie gets his revenge. "Twenties" is a worthy swan song to the glory days of the gangster picture--and just wait for that immortal closing line of dialogue. June 21, 2007

Ain't no lull in this joint

Saw this for the first time and it's a crackerjack. Right from Cagney's opening line in the fox hole--"whaddya want me to do, knock?"--the movie blasts along. Nearly every scene with Cagney and Bogart is a gem, with the two quintessential screen tough guys sizing each other up and down and sideways. Bogie's great as the bad apple--gets to speak some brilliant lines which he delivers with that trademark malicious twinkle of his. Cagney is great in a different way--everything about Eddie Bartlett is interesting, from the way he walks and talks to the frequent glimpses you get of something a little more heartfelt. Gladys George is magnificent too as Panama Smith and her mostly unspoken allegiance to Cagney hits an astonishing range of notes. And what about the stunning Paul Kelly as Nick Brown? There's a hefty role filled out to hoodlum perfection. I've seen a bunch of Cagneys now and this is hands-down my favourite. Looks, sounds and feels like the real deal to me--a Goodfellas from 1939. Boy that Raoul Walsh made good movies! March 14, 2007

In this movie, Bogart proves to be the sneering, sadistic gangster...

After nearly a decade of concentrating on the gangster period of the twenties, it appeared that Warner Brothers had decided to make one, final glorified kiss-off to the genre in the spectacularly staged "The Roaring Twenties."

Director Raoul Walch was an odd choice for what turned out to be a first-rate action film, for Walsh was not normally a crime-film director... The film contained every possible cliché connected with the era...

Bogart's portrayal was interesting as we watched him coldly murder an ex-army sergeant who had given him a rough time in the service, and then set put to get rid of Jeffrey Lynn, now a successful lawyer working for the district attorney and intent on crushing Bogart's empire...

Cagney, whose energy gave him a panerotic sexual magnetism, was evident with his two relationships which both tend to increase our valuation of Cagney as a person as are the two ladies involved: Priscilla Lane, the innocent whom Cagney helps and loves, and the experienced Gladys George who is evidently devoted to him but never expresses her feelings to him...

This basic relationship between Cagney and the two female characters does not take away the great merit of "The Roaring Twenties"--much more it proves the skill of Raoul Walsh and the writers in deploying conventional elements in an effective and meaningful way...

January 12, 2007

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