While the money shot in this William Wellman-directed film is the (rather tame) citrus-in-the-kisser assault delivered to poor Mae Clarke, it is the eerie closing scene that lingers unpleasantly in one's mind. Not wanting to spoil a macabre surprise, I'll say no more (although there can't be many who haven't seen this classic film). Already being groomed by Warner Brothers as a central-casting gangster, James Cagney sealed the deal here and launched a career that culminated with Raoul Walsh's masterpiece "White Heat" in 1949. (Along with "Little Caesar," released the same year, and "Scarface," released the next, "The Public Enemy" firmly established the American gangster film as an enduring studio genre.) In typically didactic terms the film depicts the criminal career of Cagney's Tom Powers, who begins as a petty-crime urchin on Chicago's mean streets and grows into a very scary tough guy, an object of his Irish mother's concern and his self-righteous brother's scorn. We see the social conditions that created Powers and his criminal associates--Prohibition is shown to be implicated--and of course we see, as the edifying object lesson, his inevitable comeuppance. ("I ain't so tough," he famously mutters.) This is a fine film with crisp direction and clever camera work, but it is Cagney's performance that lifts it into the upper echelons of crime films. With a lethal smile and leer Cagney can be terrifying. At the same time he adds layers of complexity to Tom Powers and lends some poignance to his pre-ordained downfall.

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Very good story. James Cagney gives a fantastic performance as a troubled kid turning into a very serious mobster. This is one you must see. My son couldn't believe it when the girl got the grapefruit for breakfast! Richard

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For it's time (1931), this film was certainly unusual, honest, brutal and bold. I believe it holds up very well 80 years later. There's a matter of fact, almost documentary approach to film making here. The opening titles properly describe the intended reasons of making such a film as this. The fact this film has a message, does not lessen it's impact. Two prohibition era children in an unnamed American city, slowly move into a life of crime. I was surprised by the brutal, tough nature of the film and of James Cagney's acting performance. The acts of violence are never directly seen, instead they are suggested, which adds to their power. The shock and terror is greater when it's not visually direct, when imagination needs to be used. This film made James Cagney a star and he portrays a convincing, almost socio-pathic criminal of the prohibition era. Contains the infamous grapefruit in the face scene. This was an influential early classic of the gangster/crime drama genre. The realistic ending fits perfectly with the tough and honest tone of the film. Also starring Jean Harlowe, who is used to good effect, in this, her second feature length film.

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