Warners ’ second round of gangster pics were made under the full force of the Production Code and had to put the tough guys on the "right" side of the law, with a consequential diminution in dramatic edge. But even without the role swap, William Keighley ’s standard megging has lost the rough street patina that made those early ‘Talkies’ so raw & compelling. Every character seems to get their own meet-cute here and the film doesn’t get into gear until the second half when lenser Sol Polito gets to darken up his palette for some effective gangland plotting. There’s always that reliable Burbank stock company (who knew Lloyd Nolan was once young and buff?) while James Cagney shows great rapport with sad-eyed Ann Dvorak. Too bad he has to settle for the less than thrilling Margaret Lindsay.
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