Cast: Lew Ayres, James Cagney, Dwight Frye, Dorothy Matthews, Leon Janney, Robert Elliot, Jerry Mandy, Noel Madison, Tom Wilson
Reviewing another Dwight Frye movie today! Sorry, I couldn't help myself. The man is just SO sexy...excuse me for a minute.
.........................................
Ok, I'm back! Sorry, I had a minor (?) Dwightgasm there. On to the movie!
I love classic gangster movies. There's just something about them that is so cool and makes you want to lead that type of life (not that I ever would, of course). In fact, Jimmy Cagney, known as the silver screen's quintessential "tough guy," who stars in this film as Lew Ayres' right-hand man, went on to star in Public Enemy (1931), the film that made him a star and the archetypal gangster (on screen, of course. The archetypal gangster in real life is Al Capone).
Well, the film circles around Louie Ricarno (Lew Ayres, who is also quite attractive), a gangster and his right-hand man, Steve Mileaway (Jimmy Cagney). Louie decides to give up the life of crime but first organizes the Chicago gangs so that they won't kill each other during his absence. He retires to Florida, marries his moll, Doris (Dorothy Matthews), and plays golf. However, he must return to Chicago when his younger brother Jackie (Leon Janney) is killed by gangsters. The gang war worsens and he is forced to return again.
Dwight Frye's Monk doesn't steal the show like his Renfield does (but he does put Tony Shalhoub to shame. Get it? Monk? hahaha. No really, he does), but I love the opening scene. Monk is playing pool with some gangster buddies when a guy comes up and whispers something to him. Monk comes with the boys and fires the shots that kill Whitey Eckhart (John Kelly). Damn, it feels good to be a gangsta, especially if you're Dwight Frye. Damn, he looks HOT in this movie!
...................................................
Sorry, another minor Dwightgasm there.
Another thing that impresses me is the remarkable acting by then 22-year-old Lew Ayres. I mean, I thought Jimmy Cagney and Dwight Frye were impressive for 31, but boy, can this kid ACT. I mean, he was just terrific.
Just for his, Cagney's and Frye's performance, this film gets a 5 out of 5. Quite a fun little romp through Gangland Chicago, and it had the two best things in a movie: gangsters and Dwight Frye.
Trailer
Note: the trailer contains extra dialogue for Dwight Frye that was not contained in the film.
No comments:
Post a Comment