utgard14 Pretty much a shot-for-shot remake of Public Hero #1. Because of this and the fact that it's more polished than the earlier film, this one's not as good. It's watchable but ultimately forgettable. The only thing noteworthy about it is that it's the film debut of Donna Reed. She's beautiful and the best part of the movie. Dan Dailey and Robert Sterling are bland. Charles Winninger and Henry O'Neill are enjoyable in supporting roles. If you haven't seen the original, you're likely to enjoy this one far more. I would caution you against reading too much about either film because there's a twist in the plot that is best left unspoiled. Chances are you've already been spoiled since all plot summaries, including TCM's, give it away. Still, I've left the plot out of my review just in case.

howardeisman Wow! A preternaturally cute,just past teenage, Donna Reed in her first movie, emoting with all she had. Dan Daily-of all people-playing the heavy. A real menace. In an uncredited role, the immortal Veda Ann Borg.The story is old. It had been done before and even more afterward, but who cares. It's a b-movie, but with MGM high production values. A dance hall scene seems to have hundreds of extras. So suspend critical judgment (and even basic intelligence) and sit back and have fun.My favorite scene is when Dan Daily, hiding out and in disguise so that he would not be recognized, approaches Veda Ann Borg in a dance hall and asks to dance with her. What better way to deflect any attention to yourself than to dance with the showiest blond in Hollywood history?

edwagreen You know something is up when the usually mild-mannered Robert Sterling comes out as if he is James Cagney. Thrown in jail, unknown to all, the "tough" Sterling is actually an FBI agent who has been placed there to get information on gang leader Dan Dailey.The movie is a very good one due to the excellent plot twists. Donna Reed shows up and Sterling takes a liking to her. Go know that she is the sister of Dailey. Her efforts to reform him have failed throughout their lives.In the scenes that he appears, Charles Winninger is a standout as an alcoholic doctor who treats the gun shot wounds of the crooks.This gangster film of 1941 has it all; an excellent story line with romance blossoming between Sterling and Reed. Sterling must do his duty, no matter what the cost.The ending again proves that love conquers all.

Alex da Silva Robert Sterling (Jeff) is a loud-mouthed, brash prisoner who gets the treatment that he deserves whilst staying in prison. He engineers an escape with Dan Dailey (Dinkie) who is part of an organized gang that the police have been trying to smash for a while. However, Sterling isn't who he seems to be and he is put into a difficult situation with the arrival of Donna Reed (Maria). She is looking for her brother - guess who - yep, it's psycho-man Dailey - and she finds out the truth about her brother and Sterling. During all of this, the police have only one mission - to stop Dailey's gang.This is an entertaining fast-paced film with the best performances coming from Dailey and Reed. Sterling is way over-the-top at the beginning of the film and quite annoying. Similarly, Charles Winninger is annoying as he provides needless comedy as a drunk doctor. The film never drags and so must be given credit although the love affair between Reed and Sterling is somewhat unconvincing, especially at the end of the film when she would HATE him. As it is, we get some cuddly stuff.The ending is quite tense as we follow Dailey into a dancehall and we realize that his time is up. It's obviously influenced by Dillinger's last moments as he was staked out and then shot down as he left a cinema. They even give Dailey a dolly-bird escort as he leaves the venue, just as Dillinger left with his dolly-bird, although in Dillinger's case she was implicated in his betrayal. Nothing of that sort here but we do get a shoot-out.