Asad Almond A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Gary The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

jacobs-greenwood Directed by Anatole Litvak, this above average boxing drama features an all-star cast that includes James Cagney, Ann Sheridan, Frank Craven, Donald Crisp, Frank McHugh, Arthur Kennedy, George Tobias, Jerome Cowan, Elia Kazan, Anthony Quinn, Lee Patrick, and the list goes on, including lesser knowns who were uncredited like Edward Gargan. John Wexley's screenplay was based on Aben Kandel's novel. Its ending should leave a tear in your eye.Cagney plays a truck driver who was also a Golden Gloves boxing champ in his youth; Sheridan plays his girlfriend. Kennedy plays Cagney's younger brother, a composer-pianist whose classical work isn't appreciated by anyone but his older brother. McHugh plays Cagney's friend and co-worker, Tobias another who also runs the gym where Cagney still boxes to stay in shape. Kazan plays another former kid from the neighborhood that Cagney & McHugh run into right after he's gotten out of jail, so they help him a little. Craven only has a small cameo, as a street bum. When Kennedy's scholarship is cut in half, Cagney enters the ring for the first time in 5 years to make up the difference. He wins and impresses (an honest!) boxing manager Crisp, but Cagney believes that all boxers end up punchy old men, and declines Crisp's offer to make a career of it.Out on the town celebrating his win, Cagney and friends go to a nightclub where Quinn is the dance master. Since Cagney doesn't dance, he lets Sheridan go with Quinn and the two win a dancing competition. With stars in her eyes, Sheridan pursues her dream to become famous dancing with Quinn, after she's told Cagney he has no ambition 'cause he's happy just being a truck driver. To impress and provide better for Sheridan, Cagney visits Crisp who insists he can make Cagney champ if he'll let him call the shots. Cagney agrees, and makes progress steadily rising through the ranks, until he's within a fight or two of a title fight. He then insists that Crisp get him a chance to fight the champ so that he can win back Sheridan from her now famous dancing duo with Quinn. Though Crisp would rather wait, he does what Cagney asks. Kazan, now a big success as a gangster, bets Cowan $50,000 that his old pal Cagney will beat Cowan's champ. Cagney loses the fight, and his sight, through dirty tricks by the champ and his manager in the ring. Kazan gets even with Cowan, but then gets the surprise of his life.That's really just the film's first half, even though it makes a pretty good movie (if somewhat incomplete) by itself. The second half is comprised of Cagney's struggle to be useful again, which inspires his brother Kennedy to strive for his dream of one day playing at Carnegie Hall. Sheridan is made to feel responsible for Cagney's condition by Crisp, and then ends up rooming with Patrick when she leaves Quinn's employ.The film's sentimental endings (there are two, really) are both tearjerking and satisfying.

AaronCapenBanner Anatole Litvak directed this drama that begins with actor Frank Craven talking directly to the audience, saying how there are lots of stories in New York City, and he presents one of them: James Cagney plays Danny Kenny, a truck driver who is also a prize fighter, though has little interest in it. His brother Eddie(played by Arthur Kennedy) has dreams of being a concert pianist, which lead Danny to enter the fight racket to pay for his brother's tuition, though there will be tragic consequences...Ann Sheridan plays Peggy Nash, Danny's girlfriend who has dreams of becoming a professional dancer, but must put up with her lecherous male partner(played by Anthony Quinn). All three of them will have their fates intertwine in this interesting and well-acted film, especially Cagney, who does a fine job convincing the viewer he is blind... New Yorkers in particular will like this.

nomoons11 Jimmy Cagney was the king of cinema for quite a few years and with this one, you can see why.The basic premise of this film is that Cagney is a good prize fighter but he doesn't like to fight so he just keeps his job as a truck driver...i.e...he has no ambition. His life-long girlfriend, who does love him, doesn't care for that so she goes out of her way to further her dancing career and leaves him behind for her life and not theirs together. What you get from the Ann Sheridan character is that she's too ambitious but what she really is is naive.Jimmy Cagney ends up taking up fighting so he can try and keep the attention of his girl but ends up almost blind when another fighter cheats and uses a substance on his glove to blind him while they fight.Throughout the entire film he's just a super positive guy. He lets his girl do whatever and he says.."I'm not worried". He's almost blinded and he says..."It'll get better..just takes time". At the end you'll have a tear in your eye but most of that will be from the positive outlook has regardless of the circumstance he's in.One nice little surprise you'll see in this one is a very young Anthony Quinn. His role is in the first half of the film but does a good job with it.If your feeling down and need a pick-me-up...see this one. It'll brighten you day.

chuckbloom2003 A piece of trivia for all you movie and TV buffs: The symphony created by legendary Warners Bros. Max Steiner for the Arthur Kennedy character (Edward Kenny) did find fame beyond the film's release. It became the main theme for the 1950s television series, "Naked City," where there were a million stories and each week featured one of them. This is one of Cagney's six best movie roles (along with "White Heat." "Angels with Dirty Faces," "Yankee Doodle Dandy," "The Roaring 20s" and "The Public Enemy") and earned him an Oscar nomination. Also, not named in the music credits here is "42nd Street," which is played by the orchestra at the street dance. And unlike other boxing movies where the star looked out of place in the rung (size-wise), Cagney's character was listed as a featherweight because, in his halcyon days, that was all Cagney was - a rather short, slight former dancer with the perfect New York Irish attitude.