'G' Men (1935)

That's what tough, gritty Warner Brothers was in the 1930's and'40's. Nobody made better gangster films and this is one of their best. It is a fast-paced, crisply-paced entry in the genre with lots of gun-play and action. Cagney plays a good guy in this one and he is at the top of his game. He is ably supported by a good supporting cast that includes good work from Robert Armstrong, Barton MacLane and Lloyd Nolan in an early role. Ward Bond can also be briefly seen as a trigger-man. One can see how this film influenced such later crime films like "The Cotton Club" and "The Departed." For anyone who likes gangster films, this is a must-see.

. . . James Cagney says at the end of G MEN. A self-described "street rat," Cagney's "Brick Davis" character has just succeeded in liquidating the final remnant of his two-dozen-member original extended family. Heap his college roommate "Ed" and his jujitsu training partner "Farrell" onto the pile, and you've got a funeral pyre stacked up halfway to Heaven. So it's no wonder Brick wants to jump on his chance to jump Nurse Kay, as he's become a walking magnet for high velocity lead, now that he's decided to stay with the soon-to-be FBI. G MEN hearkens back to the days of yesteryear, when Real Life criminals such as Clyde Barrow and John Dillinger had the Common Decency to die on the streets, rather than wasting U.S. taxpayer resources on trials, prisons, and costly executions. G MEN's story spans New York, Washington D.C., Missouri, Wisconsin, and Chicago. It features loads of antique music and cars. A penchant for strawberries may have done in Cagney in WHITE HEAT (as it did in Bogart in THE CAINE MUTINY), but gardenias get the bad guys here.

Recently, I've watched a lot of James Cagney's gangster movies. Usually, he plays the gangster. He is always the mafia leader. But in this one Cagney is a FBI agent. That's right. This time, James Cagney is fighting against the gangsters. At first, it sounded weird, but it works quite well.The movie tells the story of Brick Davis, a lawyer related to the mafia that decides to join the FBI force, known as 'G-Men' after his friend, also a 'G-Men', is killed.As usual, James Cagney gives a fine performance as Brick Davis, regardless his better works, like in 'White Heat' and 'Public Enemy'. The other members of the cast do a normal job, just like William Keighley's direction. A supporting member of the cast that did a great job was Barton MacLane, as the villain.The movie sounds more like a propaganda to the FBI force, but this isn't a bad thing. For 1935's, the movie has great action scenes, with car chases, shooting, kidnapping, robbery, etc, and they are all very well filmed for its period. Even though I prefer the action sequences in 'Scarface', they are great here also.In resume, another great gangster movie from the 1930's.8 out of 10.

Ever since G MEN was sold to commercial TV, all prints to this 1935 theatrical release were taken from the 1949 reissue commemorating the FBI's 25th anniversary with a tag-on three minute prologue featuring am F.B.I. Chief (David Brian) addressing his classroom of rookies on what they are about to see, something he labels as "the grand-daddy of all FBI pictures." Following his brief profile about the FBI's history, including the fact that the agents weren't allowed to carry guns to protect themselves against mobsters, a rule that has since changed, Brian starts the projector to play the motion picture ....'G' MEN (Warner Brothers, 1935), directed by William Keighley, starring movie tough guy James Cagney in Hollywood's first of its kind film tribute to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, better known as the F.B.I., "special agents," government men, or "G" Men as the title implies, who risk their lives bringing dangerous criminals to justice. Instead of placing Cagney as a public enemy, he gets the opportunity working on the side of the law rather than against it. Unlike latter imitations produced in the 1940s or television's popular series, THE UNTOUCHABLES, 'G' MEN does not detail its story though flashback(s), off screen narration not documentary style, though quite a novel idea for 1935, but provides an exciting story with scenes suggested on actual occurrences (namely the famous Wisconsin lodge massacre), car chases, kidnappings and giving audiences the run for their money with Cagney along with the G Men violently shooting it out with many (Hollywood) gangster types.The story introduces James "Brick" Davis (James Cagney) as an honest lawyer with no prospects of ever getting clients. He proves his honesty by refusing a bribe from the corrupt Joseph Krantz (Edwin Maxwell) to defend a guilty client. As for his background, the script reveals Brick as a tough street kid guided to the right direction by a father figure named McKay (William Harrigan), a crime boss who not only gave him a decent upbringing but put him through law school. Because Eddie Buchanan (Regis Toomey), his college pal now working for the Department of Justice, had been gunned down by mobster Brad Collins (Barton MacLane - in excellent portrayal) during an arrest of notorious gangster Danny Leggett (Edward Pawley), Brick avenges his friend's death by closing his office and join forces against crime as a "G" Man for the F.B.I, in Washington, D.C. While going through the training process along fellow rookie Hugh Farrell (Lloyd Nolan, in film debut), Brick nearly loses his chance with the bureau when Jeff McCord (Robert Armstrong), his superior, who never liked Brick very much, receives a report disclosing his association with McKay and other mobsters, but through his knowledge and effort to give out their identities, Brick shows how much of an asset he could be to the bureau.For his female co-stars, Cagney is supported by capable Warners stock players, Margaret Lindsay and Ann Dvorak. Lindsay plays Kay, a night nurse by profession. As with her brother, Jeff, she takes an immediate dislike towards Brick because of his wiseacre personality. Ann Dvorak appears as Jean Morgan, singer and dancer at McKay's night club. Although a very close friend of Brick's, her association with the underworld thickens with her marriage to the homicidal Brad Collins. Although her part is actually small, she's most beneficial to the story highlighted by her noteworthy telephone booth scene.Aside from the usual plot development process leading to an exciting second half of the story, G-MEN includes musical numbers in a night club with Ann Dvorak vocalizing "You Bother Me An Awful Lot" (by Sammy and Irving Kahl); followed by popular tunes of the day originally introduced in other Warner Brothers productions as Al Dubin and Harry Warren's "Lullaby of Broadway" (vocalist unknown), instrumental background score of "I'm Going Shipping With You" from GOLD DIGGERS OF 1935; and instrumental dance number, "Go Into Your Dance" (with Ann Dvorak and chorus girls)lifted from GO INTO YOUR DANCE (1935).G MEN is one for the time capsule and worth looking back at the use of many outdated technology/ machinery used in capturing criminals, especially the fingerprinting lab process for example, indicating how the technology has prospered over the years. In spite of its age, G MEN, occasionally presented on Turner Classic Movies and available either on video or DVD formats, still delivers as great entertainment, especially during its second half. While G MEN was generally responsible for starting a cycle of FBI films, followed by SPECIAL AGENT (1935) with George Brent; BULLETS OR BALLOTS (1936) with Edward G. Robinson, and much later THE FBI STORY (1959) with James Stewart, G MEN is packs a wallop as "the grand-daddy of all F.B.I. films," thanks to the know-how performance of the legendary James Cagney. "Don't tell him I said so." (****)