Jimmy Cagney directs a movie! ...and proves that he should stay in front of the camera. Here he remakes the respected though troubled hybrid (half noir, half thirties) This Gun for Hire. Why would he do that? Beats me. The cast is second-rate, and it looks like Cagney didn't have the patience for any complicated set-up. The anti-hero and his quarry mount a ladder in one shot and in the next shot, they've exchanged positions. How do you do that on a ladder? Lazy. Cagney settles for very lousy takes, and he hasn't any interest in logic. The bad guy lets his girl don his hat and jacket, and act as a decoy; to be shot at by police. Yeah, that's a great ruse.
The female lead is some doughy-faced nobody who would captivate no one. You've seen better acting at your local high school. There might be one good shot in the whole movie. A gratuitous intro by Cagney is tacked on to persuade you you're seeing something of merit. But it's a B picture from start to finish.
The female lead is some doughy-faced nobody who would captivate no one. You've seen better acting at your local high school. There might be one good shot in the whole movie. A gratuitous intro by Cagney is tacked on to persuade you you're seeing something of merit. But it's a B picture from start to finish.