The Roaring Twenties

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Leaburn O This was the last of the great 1940s films capturing 1920s prohibition gangsterism and to my mind it’s the best of the lot. The characters are believable and excellently acted. Cagney at his best here. Watched on DVD. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/05/24 Full Review David F This tale of WWI veterans examines the gangster life, particularly through the character played by James Cagney who can’t get his old mechanic job back after the war and ends up embroiled in the gangster lifestyle as a result. This is a canonical Warner Bros. gangster film, not one of the best, but one of them nonetheless. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/05/24 Full Review Angelo C Cagney and Humphrey at their best. The only problem is the ending…..sorry Cagney! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/13/24 Full Review Steve D The problem with these films is that you have no reason to care about any of the characters. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/16/24 Full Review Harry N A sweeping panorama of the lives of three WWI vets. It has two key observations which are largely ignored but I think bear significance. One is when Cagney spends a night in jail with an accused robber. The robber tells Cagney his only wish is for a gun. To either commit another crime or kill himself. Cagney asks him if he was a WWI vet. and he replies yes. Cagney counsels him not to do anything rash. Such scene examines what we call PTSD now. A later scene reunites Cagney with his younger attorney friend. The friend offers to help Cagney and indicates Cagney can work his way up and be back on his feet after some effort and time. Cagney declines indicating "I always took a short cut to the top." Again a very perceptive scene which demonstrates the criminal mindset of those who reject societies values. The writers understood their material. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/28/23 Full Review Luca D I don't know if another film will capture prohibition so well. The acting, setting, music, and wardrobe really made it seem like the roaring twenties. Plus, you gotta love the shootout/explosion scenes. I thought the action scenes were surprisingly violent for a 1930s movie, but that just adds to the realism of the scenes of mob violence. This is my first James Cagney film and I will be watching more. I feel like the Cagney Bogart bond in the film wasn't held onto long enough though. Overall a really fun film about the 1920s prohibition mob scene. I would mostly recommend this to men, not really much that's relatable to women in this film. Will be watching again. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/23/21 Full Review Read all reviews

The Roaring Twenties

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