G Men (1935)

"Only six states. We've got them cornered!"

When the production code came around, movies got cleaned up, and that included gangster movies. In consequence, gangsters could not be glorified, so James Cagney went from hoodlum to the side of the law in G-Men. This is the story of the beginning of the FBI. Cagney plays Brick Davis, a former lawyer who turns to police work after his friend (Lloyd Nolan) is murdered in the line of duty. Brick grew up in the slums and was given his break by a gangster so he knows how the underworld works. That makes him a great cop. It is up to him to round up the top ten most wanted men in America and with the help of menotor Jeff McCord (Robert Armstrong), he can do it.

An entertaining movie, G-Men is nothing too significant. It seems more like a Warners programmer than anything with plenty of stock actors. Ann Dvorak appears as a gangster's wife, Margaret Lindsay as Cagney's love interest, and Barton MacLane as the most elusive gangster Collins. June 22, 2008

This is such a good movie.Cagney at his best

This movie not only shows how gangsters were in the 1930s but,it also shows how government law enforcement came together.Cagney was perfect for this part October 20, 2007

G-Men

After solidifying his reputation as Hollywood's number-one bad guy, Cagney played a straight-edge lawman in this gangland drama, a huge hit for Warners and great publicity for J. Edgar Hoover's fledgling department, which had only recently granted officers the right to bear arms (a big plot point in the film). Cagney is mesmerizing as Brick, prudent and principled but also tough as nails and willing to throw his weight around. His two love interests, a bar-girl-gone-wrong (Ann Dvorak) and hospital nurse (Margaret Lindsay), land him in a tangle and also help amplify the theme of divided loyalties. Cagney is at his riveting, entertaining best in "G Men." June 20, 2007

No fidelity is forever!

Although he was raised by an underworld important personage., James Cagney will join F.B.I., when a pal is killed by gangsters ., and he will put all his first hand experience to be useful.

Another little gem of William Keighley of the middle thirties.
December 4, 2006

Another entertaining Warner's film from the production line

"G Men" made in 1935 was a clever response by Warner Brothers to the new Hays Code finally enforced in 1934 and which applied strict censorship on the Hollywood product. The challenge was to maintain the excitement of the gangster genre at the same time as honouring the new code which, among other things, insisted that the gangster not be glamourised.

The solution was to switch the magnetic Jimmy Cagney to the other side of the law and make the gangsters headed by the less than magnetic Barton Maclane much less attractive. The film has a slight documentary feel as Cagney enlists as a G Man when he is unable to make a living as a lawyer. The first section of the film follows his training and it is fairly tedious. Cagney is put through his paces by Robert Armstrong in the cliched role which Pat O'Brien usually played, Cagney's sparring superior officer. Having honoured the Code by expounding the work of the law protectors, Cagney is assigned to a case and the film switches to the gangsters and finally takes off. There are re-enactments of recorded gangland murders and the shootout in a cabin in the mountains has all the violence and excitement of the earlier pre-code films.

Ann Dvorak plays a good hearted night club performer who has a yen for Cagney but marries vicious Barton McLane. She is superb as always and performs a rather untidy but enthusiastic song and dance early in the film. Margaret Lindsay plays the leading lady to Cagney in her usual colourless way. Lloyd Nolan plays Cagney's pal who is murdered in the course of duty. The film was a box office sensation in 1935, endorsed enthusiastically by the FBI and the Hays Office for informing the public about the prevention of crime. Cagney also was delighted to be playing on the right side for once.

The DVD print is excellent and captures the excellent lighting which gets darker as the film's plot does. It is also packed with good extras. There is an informative documentary about the enforcement of the Production Code. The commentary, best when speaking of how the film satisfied the censors and worst when telling us what we can see clearly on the screen or the motivation of the characters, is hampered by the nasal drawl of the commentator's voice - unfortunate! There is an hilarious short film with the young Bob Hope which is a rare gem and the Looney Tune cartoon included has that great combination of music and drawings which is so entertaining. Also there is a short film, one of a series on golf, with Cagney appearing without makeup. He looks completely different, freckle faced and tow headed. Finally, a blooper reel is included from Warners films of 1935 with some politcally incorrect cue cards and a preview of "Devil Dogs of the Air", a Pat O'Brien/Cagney teaming in cliched roles which were repeated a number of times throughout the decade.

Whether as part of the Warner's Tough Guys set or on its own, the DVD is great value. August 10, 2006

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