The portrayal of Rocky Sullivan, a "10-minute egg whose mind is as quick as his trigger finger" (New York Post), is Cagney at his best. 

The plot tells the familiar tale of two childhood friends leaving the slums of New York and going their separate ways -- Rocky Sullivan, the criminal, eventually making the ultimate sacrifice for Jerry Connelly(Pat O'Brien), the priest.  Ann Sheridan as the sympathetic girlfriend and Humphrey Bogart as the wishy-washy lawyer co-star, as well as the 'Dead End' Kids.

Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) is fast moving, with vigorous action and crisp dialogue, and Cagney's performance is electric.

"Vivid, convincing, and provocative" (NY Herald Tribune)  "A rousing, bloody, brutal melodrama" (Daily Mirror)  "A grand melodrama and one to remember" (New York Sun)  No argument there.