Antonius Block Made just one year after 'The Public Enemy', James Cagney had truly made it in Hollywood when this film was made, and here he's engaging as always. However, while it's wonderful to see him dance a couple times (and to see George Raft dance as well), it's less than wonderful to see his character's pugnaciousness extending to threatening to hit his girlfriend (Loretta Young) several times. If you're sensitive to that, you may want to skip this one. Even at age 19, Young was practically an industry veteran given her filmography, and she turns in a good performance, both standing up to Cagney (at least to some extent) and falling for him. She also confessed to falling for him in real life, and maybe some of that chemistry shows. It's a tight script and story-telling from director Roy Del Ruth, but it is a little silly how much Young's character helps Cagney's enemy (David Landau). I loved the stock city shots in New York that are used in transitions, and the film zips along in its 69 minutes. The scene in the nightclub, with music by the Cotton Club Orchestra and some sexy dancing, is also a nice little bit of pre-code fun, as is Young briefly in her lingerie in a typical pre-code dressing scene. The main reason to watch the film, though, is to see Cagney's range. He's playful, romantic, speaks Yiddish, dances, and of course gets tough, busting off lines like "Come out and take it, you dirty yellow-bellied rat, or I'll give it to you through the door!" Despite its flaws, it's entertaining, and worth seeing.

dougdoepke It's Cagney at his most energetic. He better be because he's trying to survive New York's cut-throat taxi competition. It's the big fish, like Consolidated Cab Co., trying to eat smaller ones, like Cagney's Matt Nolan, while the Depression era jungle festers outside. Consolidated's already killed old Pop Riley (Kibbee) and left his daughter (Young) vulnerable, that is, until Cagney steps in. But when they kill Cagney's brother, he swears a vendetta, and we know what happens when the Irishman gets angry. Now it's mano-y-mano with Consolidated's brutal Buck Gerard (Landau).Fortunately, Young's unforced sweetness manages to hold its own amidst Cagney's human dynamo that sweeps up the rest of the film. Needed comic relief is supplied by sarcastic waitress Ruby (Bennett) with a voice like a squeaky tire and an accent right off Brooklyn's streets, which leaves poor Skeets (Stone) with little to do but meekly follow the dynamo around.It's noteworthy that Cagney's Matt Nolan is not particularly likable. He's belligerent, aggressive and completely self-assured, not exactly qualities that invite affection. But then, the actor always seemed more interested in being persuasive rather than likable, a rare quality for a star. Nonetheless, there is that compelling Cagney charismaAll in all, the two leads are the whole show since the plot is typical hard-boiled Warner's fare of the period. But then, for Cagney fans, that's more than enough.

George Wright The early 1930's in New York City is the scene for this movie where men fight one another for advantage in the taxi business. The women in their lives get embroiled in the crime wave that breaks out. Jimmy Cagney is Matt Nolan, the pugnacious rabble rouser and the little guy with a chip on his shoulder in a role that defines his mannerisms and style as the lovable tough guy. Loretta Young is Sue Riley, the daughter of a driver who gets killed in the working class warfare, who Cagney falls in love with. She is every bit as spunky in her effort to stop the vicious rivalry that took the life of her father. Young became one of the most loved actresses of her time. She made this movie in her late teens and is brilliant. Leila Bennett is Ruby, Sue's close friend, who delivers a large measure of humor and her New York twang gives it that extra zing. The movie takes us through the streets and into the ballrooms and apartments of depression era New York. Judging by the names, the characters are mostly Irish, with Irish cops and priest to complete the picture. However, it is Cagney and Young who shine. When he falls for Sue, Matt is putty in her hands but when his temper gets the better of him, the romance wanes. Sue is every bit as lovestruck when Matt kisses and flirts with her. This is a crime movie with lots of fun and a great slice of New York City life but most of all, I liked the match-up of the two stars, who are at their best.

Bolesroor This of course is not the classic sitcom Taxi (Tankyouveddymuch) or the Jimmy Fallon turkey-burger of 2004 but an early Warner Bros crime-romance-action-drama, the kind of sprawling but contained movie that packs a ton into a short period. James Cagney is a cabdriver on the streets of New York during the taxi wars, a real-life battle for business that led to almost as much violence and strong-arming as shown in the picture.First I have to take a moment to praise Cagney... he was a screen star in every sense of the word, and held a physicality that has never been matched since... whether fighting, dancing, or romancing, (all three of which he does in the movie) he's got a presence like no other. It becomes almost comically enjoyable in this movie to see him lose his temper and beat the living daylights out of anyone who looks at him funny. Not even Loretta Young- as his love interest and later wife- is spared the big fist.This movie was made in the years before Hollywood had such strict rules about language and implications, and not only is violence a way of life but sex is openly and repeatedly referenced. It's not perfect... Loretta Young's character of Sue crosses the line about two-thirds into the movie and goes too far in preventing her husband from becoming a murderer. (She's willing to rat him out and have him locked up for attempted murder while protecting the man who killed his brother AND her father?) My only other question about the film was why Cagney's character Nolan never told Sue that Buck Gerard was the man who set up her father and had his cab destroyed... it would seem an obvious revelation in explaining his motivations and might have made her back off just a bit in her efforts to stop him.Otherwise the movie is great... Young's monotone friend- whiny and horse-faced- is hilarious, and I'm amazed at the real New York vibe they got in a movie obviously made in Hollywood. Cagney and Young share a great chemistry, and the movie is definitely worth a look as an early-era Hollywood lost classic.