Two young Chicago hoodlums, Tom Powers and Matt Doyle, rise up from their poverty-stricken slum life to become petty thieves, bootleggers and cold-blooded killers. But with street notoriety and newfound wealth, the duo feels the heat from the cops and rival gangsters both. Despite his ruthless criminal reputation, Tom tries to remain connected to his family, however, gang warfare and the need for revenge eventually pull him away.
Acting
Cagney's explosive charisma redefined the movie villain.
Direction
Wellman's brutal efficiency before the censors arrived.
Director
William A. Wellman
James Cagney
Tom Powers
Jean Harlow
Gwen Allen
Edward Woods
Matt Doyle
Joan Blondell
Mamie
Donald Cook
Mike Powers
Leslie Fenton
Samuel 'Nails' Nathan
Beryl Mercer
Ma Powers
Robert Emmett O'Connor
Paddy Ryan
Murray Kinnell
Putty Nose
Mae Clarke
Kitty (uncredited)
Frank Coghlan Jr.
Tom as a Boy (uncredited)
Frankie Darro
Matt as a Boy (uncredited)
Snitz Edwards
Miller (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The grapefruit was real and unscripted — Mae Clarke's genuine shock made the cut. She later joked she lost fans because 'they felt Cagney shouldn't have done it.'
Released before the Hays Code enforcement, this film's casual violence and sexual aggression created the template for every gangster movie since, from Goodfellas to The Sopranos.
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