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Angels with Dirty Faces

Angels with Dirty Faces

Crime · Drama · 1938

Childhood chums Rocky Sullivan and Jerry Connelly grow up on opposite sides of the fence: Rocky matures into a prominent gangster, while Jerry becomes a priest, tending to the needs of his old tenement neighborhood.

Movie details

Angels with Dirty Faces

“The saga of America’s dirty faced kids... and the breaks that life won’t give them!”

1938 Crime · Drama 1h 37m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.5 / 10

Community rating

Childhood chums Rocky Sullivan and Jerry Connelly grow up on opposite sides of the fence: Rocky matures into a prominent gangster, while Jerry becomes a priest, tending to the needs of his old tenement neighborhood.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Angels with Dirty Faces?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Public Enemy

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The Wrong Man

Crime · 1956

In 1953, an innocent man named Christopher Emmanuel "Manny" Balestrero is arrested after being mistaken for an armed robber.

The Damned Don't Cry

The Damned Don't Cry

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Fed up with her small-town marriage, a woman goes after the big time and gets mixed up with the mob.

Dead End

Dead End

Crime · 1937

The lives of a young man and woman, an infamous gangster and a group of street kids converge one day in a volatile New York City slum.

Plunder Road

Plunder Road

Crime · 1957

A spectacular heist starts to unravel as the crooks take it on the lam.

Force of Evil

Force of Evil

Crime · 1950

Lawyer Joe Morse wants to consolidate all the small-time numbers racket operators into one big powerful operation. But his elder brother Leo is one of these small-time operators who wants to stay that way, preferring not to deal with the gangsters who dominate the big-time.

I Walk Alone

I Walk Alone

Drama · 1947

Bootleggers on the lam Frankie and Noll split up to evade capture by the police. Frankie is caught and jailed, but Noll manages to escape and open a posh New York City nightclub. 14 years later, Frankie is released from the clink and visits Noll with the intention of collecting his half of the nightclub's profits. But Noll, who has no intention of being so equitable, uses his ex-girlfriend Kay to divert Frankie from his intended goal.

Johnny O'Clock

Johnny O'Clock

Crime · 1947

When an employee at an illegal gambling den dies suspiciously, her sister, Nancy, looks into the situation and falls for Johnny O'Clock, a suave partner in the underground casino. Selfish and non-committal by nature, Johnny slowly begins to return Nancy's affection and decides to run away with her, but conflict within his business threatens their plans. As Johnny tries to distance himself from the casino, his shady past comes back to haunt him.

Ride the Pink Horse

Ride the Pink Horse

Drama · 1947

A con man tries to blackmail a Mexican gangster.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Michael Curtiz

Written by

John Wexley · Warren Duff · Rowland Brown · Charles MacArthur

James Cagney

James Cagney

Rocky Sullivan

Pat O'Brien

Pat O'Brien

Jerry Connolly

Humphrey Bogart

Humphrey Bogart

James Frazier

Ann Sheridan

Ann Sheridan

Laury Ferguson

George Bancroft

George Bancroft

Mac Keefer

Billy Halop

Billy Halop

Soapy

Bobby Jordan

Bobby Jordan

Swing

Court is in session

Put Angels with Dirty Faces on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.