An engrossing crime film. In it Cagney plays a small time hood, who, along with his best friend (Woods), moves up to the big leagues during the Prohibition days of the 1920's. He achieves this through bootlegging gin and murder. His brother (Cook), a World War I veteran, tries to get him to go straight, but it is to no avail. A strong film showing the results of crime and the bad impulses of an era. Cagney puts in a great performance in the role that made him a star. The movie is best remembered for the grapefruit scene between Cagney and Mae Clark.
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