“Angels With Dirty Faces” is a gangster movie classic that needs to be seen. This fantastic picture from 1938 perfectly captures everything I love about crime movies. The movie is also notable for inspiring the “Angels With Filthy Souls” sequences in the first two “Home Alone” movies.

In “Angels With Dirty Faces”, two kids commit a petty crime. One is caught and while the other escapes. It’s something that changes their lives. Now, Rocky Sullivan (James Cagney “The Roaring Twenties”, “Yankee Doodle Dandy”) is a gangster, who has just come out of prison, while Jerry Connolly (Pat O’Brien “Some Like It Hot”) is a priest. Connolly hopes his old friend has reformed but soon fears that Sullivan maybe helping to lead a group of unruly youths on the wrong path in life.

Cagney is great as Sullivan. O’Brien is also brilliant as Connolly. I love how something that happens in their adolescent years leads them to become very different adults; it’s fascinating. Ann Sheridan (“Shine On Harvest Moon”) is entertaining as Laury Martin, a young woman that falls for Sullivan in the hopes that he’s no longer a menace to society. Humphrey Bogart (“Casablanca”) has a small role here as James Frazier and he’s good. The young boys are all great and I love the way they all talk.

This is a movie about crime, morality and faith. It’s a powerful movie with strong performances. I really enjoyed some of the shootouts too. They’re actually pretty violent for a film from the 30s. If you like gangster movies then don’t forget about this one. I hear so much about “The Godfather” and “Goodfellas” but more people need to talk about “Angels With Dirty Faces”. If you’re also wanting to show gangster films to your kids, you mind find that this is a good introduction as it doesn’t have all the drugs, sex and bloodthirsty violence associated with more recent crime flicks.