Great Guy

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Georgan G Odd crime film noir plot but pretty good as it had twists & turns. James Cagney plays a good guy, which is fun for a change. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/25 Full Review Audience Member It's good to see Jimmy Cagney, from time to time, as the good guy. Nevertheless, the role doesn't allow him to perform at his full potential, the movie needed a little bit more of direction, and the editing is clunky. But anyway, it lasts only one hour and you can see it only as a curiosity in Cagney's career. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member with cagney u can't lose this fight! Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member A Public Service/Mental Hygiene masquerading as a comedy/drama. Well worth watching if only to see Cagney as a Good Guy for a change. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Up to the abrupt ending the film is intriguing, though mostly thanks to Cagney's charisma. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Just a grand, captivating movie. While it may seem the plot strange having it center around crime in a city's Weights & Measures, it doesn't matter. This is all about pressure and big city crime. Great Guy (1936) is a crime film starring James Cagney and Mae Clarke. An honest inspector for the New York Department of Weights and Measures takes on corrupt merchants and politicians. The bribes, the infuriating crap that goes on behind closed doors. Cagney gives a great performance as a little guy (as Director of a city department of Weights and Measures) fighting everyone, including his fiancee. The ending shows what we all want to see... we get to see Cagney beat the living crap out of his long time opponent even as the man is arrested. Its about time and we relish every second seeing Cagney take the guy apart. Cagney IS the movie. Make no mistake about it. He's tough, but not infallible. He gets kidnapped and framed. He gets roughed up and loses. But in the end, the police come to his aid to settle this monstrous tale of corruption in a city gone mad with thievery, bribes, blackmail, threats. The title, however, tells us little of the film. It tells us nothing of the corruption in city politics that the film exposes. It tells us nothing of the romance Cagney almost loses due to his stubborn determination to root out evil. This is a film that all crime films should measure up to. NOTES about the film: 1 This was James Cagney's first film in more than 11 months because of litigation following the termination of his contract at Warner Bros. 2 When James Cagney swung at Joe Sawyer in the party scene, Sawyer jerked back his head, which hit actor Jack Perry ,who was one of the party guests, and broke his nose. 3 Writes RT reviewers: 1 "Great movie. James Cagney plays a hard-ass inspector for the Department of Weights and Measures, and he's not taking sh*t from anybody...." 2 "Solid little "B" film, James Cagney shines, and the supporting cast is great." 3 "The interesting role for James Cagney is probably the main reason to watch "Great Guy". The role in itself is a fairly uncommon one for a leading role, and Cagney gives it his own distinctive style. The movie overall is a solid if rather predictable crime drama, with a couple of interesting details." See the entire film at: http://www.archive.org/details/Great_Guy.avi Cast James Cagney as Johnny Cave Mae Clarke as Janet Henry James Burke as Patrick James Aloysius Haley Edward Brophy as Pete Reilly Henry Kolker as Abel Canning Bernadene Hayes as Hazel Scott Edward McNamara as Captain Pat Hanlon Robert Gleckler as Marty Cavanaugh Joe Sullivan as Joe Burton Directed by John G. Blystone Produced by Douglas MacLean Written by James Edward Grant (story) Henry McCarty Henry Johnson Harry Ruskin (addl. dialogue) Distributed by Grand National Pictures Release date(s) December 1936 Running time 75 minutes Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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