Powerhouse Warners prison drama, with James Cagney as a framed muckraking reporter & George Raft as a racketeer with principles, has enough pace & action to sail over some third-act improbabilities thanks to William Keighley’s equally improbable strong megging. Perhaps Keighley got jolted by lenser Arthur Edeson whose tracking and lighting are at a career peak. Even with minimal scoring the pic churns along as if Michael Curtiz was running the show. This was Raft’s career restart at Warners & Cagney let his old hoofing pal grab their scenes together knowing he’d get his licks in later on. (And he does, he does.) Raft never did amything better and there’s good support from a motley group of inmates (especially Maxie Rosenbloom). Jane Bryan barely registers as Cagney's loyal girl, but the way the film is structured, it doesn't much matter.
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