Great Guy

What does this movie have in common with The Godfather, the Wild West or even Superman? Well, it comes right down to truth and justice - whether they really are the American Way or whether corruption and violence have gnawed to the core of democratic society and made it rotten. Second only to sex, institutionalized corruption has been just about the biggest issue for Hollywood right through its history. And rightly so as, the battle to resist it is seemingly never finished.

That's a big build up for a small movie. Great Guy is just a simple story about one man who tries to make a difference and who takes a lot of personal risks in doing so. And let's face it, the Bureau of Weights and Measures is hardly the most glamorous place for a story. But James Cagney's character Johnny Cave uses his brains, his fists and a lot of Attitude to try setting things straight and I for one am grateful to him and others like him.

Interesting B movie from Grand National that reunites James Cagney with his Public Enemy co-star Mae Clarke. This was one of the movies Cagney made during his contract dispute with Warner Bros. The plot has tough guy Cagney taking over the position of Chief Deputy of the Departments of Weights and Measures, where he fights corruption with a good right cross. It never ceases to amaze me how bureaucrats were held in high esteem in 1930s movies. Name just about any government official and there was at least one movie with him as a crusading hero. More naive about government back then, I guess. Anyway this is not a bad movie but nothing exceptional. It moves along quickly. Cagney elevates the film above its Poverty Row backdrop. It's nice seeing him with Clarke again. The two have a playful chemistry. James Burke is a little annoying as Cagney's "Lucky Charms" sidekick. Worth a look for all Cagney fans, if for no other reason than to see him doing mundane things like shopping for groceries and putting gas in his car. All in the name of justice, of course.

When James Cagney walked out of his contract with Warner Brothers in 1935 it was because of the roles he was getting. He objected to the type casting. So he signs with this B picture studio called Grand National and this is one of the two films he did for that studio.

He could have made the same picture at Warner Brothers. It sure isn't anything original for him. He makes it at Grand National and does his usual Cagney urban tough guy part and doesn't get the benefit of the production values of an A Studio.

It's a B picture and it shows. But it's not a bad film at all. I think that it was butchered in the editing, the picture seems to start in the middle of the story. But what remains is a good fast paced Cagney film (is there any other pace for him?). He gets good support from among others, Joe Sawyer, Edward Brophy and most of all from James Burke who in his role as Cagney's trainee sidekick almost steals the picture from him.

Ironically in 1937 he went back to Warner Brothers and what is the first film Cagney does? Angels With Dirty Faces. No new ground for him there, but he gets his first Oscar nomination. It's like he gave up on typecasting. But he certainly did expand his range and got a lot of good roles, both from Warner Brothers and from other studios.

Just saw this movie for the first time last night and I really enjoyed it. It's not every day you see a film about the Weights and Measures investigator. I got to tell ya, even watching Cagney in this B movie was completely enjoyable. These movies are a lot different when the lead actor shows up to act the walls off the place. He is 100% believable from start to finish and it really ups the value and watch-ability of the film.

My favorite scenes are his Investigation scenes. The film has several twists which are nice and some fun action scenes. Pretty intense fight scene at the end between Cagney and one of the bad guys. The two stuntmen were really duking it out.

Two-fisted, crusading Deputy Chief of the Department of Weights and Measures Johnny Cave is out to smash short-weighting delicatessens, markets, and grocery delivery services and to expose the crooked businessmen who are behind the short-weighting racket and who pay off the aldermen and mayor who are on the take. The plot sounds like a parody of all the tough-guy G-Men and T-Men movies of the thirties, but it is played straight and it works.

The pleasures of the movie, aside from Cagney as Cagney, are that this is the third and final movie to pair Cagney with Mae Clarke and that several great character actors in the supporting cast, particularly Edward Brophy, James Burke, and Henry Kolker, are given plenty of opportunities to show off their characteristic acts.