alexanderdavies-99382 "Torrid Zone" was the final film with real life friends, James Cagney and Pat O' Brien. They made several memorable films together for the studio, "Angels With Dirty Faces" being the best. The above is a light-hearted and amusing film about the various struggles on a Mexican plantation. The script is fairly standard but the cast really a lot to the screenplay by giving good performances and demonstrating a flair for light comedy. Ann Sheridan is a very good leading lady for James Cagney. She plays a card shark and nightclub singer who is on the run. They and O' Brien play off each other to amusing effect. The gunfight scenes add a bit to the proceedings as well.Released in 1940, "Torrid Zone" probably did respectable business at the box office.

Hot 888 Mama . . . and forgot to cast Bob? It might look a lot like TORRID ZONE. Only the steam engines are hot in this picture. James Cagney and Pat O'Brien try to get their staccato patter up to gangster film Tommy gun speed, but instead they go bananas. They probably don't know Who's on First, what with wondering who's on Gloria. Set in a so-called "banana republic," but filmed on Warner Bros.' back lot, there's not much to see, and even less to think about. Executions are more frequently threatened than the implausibly absent tropical rains, but it's all tongue-in-cheek. Ugly Americans may rule the roost, but why not, since the bananas are being grown for U.S. consumption? Perhaps the best time to view TORRID ZONE is when you're slicing up the yellow boomerangs into Jello or atop a bowl of cereal. But James Cagney is not yet a YANKEE DOODLE DANDY here, and his comic timing seems way off. Though there's one topical joke about FDR running for a third term, you'd never know the world as at war watching this twilight--Er, TORRID ZONE.

vincentlynch-moonoi This film is a very good example of the difference between which is more important you -- reality or an entertaining film? This is an entertaining film. No question about it. And yet, as I sat there watching it, I logically felt it included so much that I didn't like. Let's start with Pat O'Brien. Was he a really good actor? For me, the answer is no. He talked too fast and seemed to think that good acting was nothing more than raising his voice. Yet most people -- including me -- usually enjoyed him on the screen. Even James Cagney can't be considered a good actor. I remember watching a Cagney film once with an Asian friend, and he kept asking me why Americans enjoyed someone who was so clearly overacting. And Cagney certainly was often guilty of that...although in this film he is more restrained, and as a result it is a better performance. But, the answer is that we enjoyed Cagney on the screen. Andy Devine...is that good acting? No, but there was something endearing about his buffoonery. I have to admit that George Tobias (who we usually see as a Bronx or Queens type) did well in playing a stereotypical Latin revolutionary. Stereotypes here galore, particularly in how the Latinos are depicted...lazy...stupid. And how Cagney, and particularly O'Brien treat the locals in downright disgraceful.Yet, this is an entertaining film.Is there any really good acting here? I'd single out Ann Sheridan, who has some pretty snappy dialog in a role that highlights her acting style. Although this is more a drama, her performance reminds a lot of her performance in "I Was A Male War Bridge" with Cary Grant, although that was a comedy. No doubt, she's enjoyable on screen.Although the part isn't very substantial, also watch for George Reeves (television's Superman) as a Latino.Considering that this film was made in Hollywood, I have to admit that Warner Brothers did a pretty decent job of making it look like Central America.So, despite the many things in this film that I generally dislike, it's an interesting flick. For fun...recommended.

Karen Green (klg19) This film is basically "The Front Page" set on a banana plantation, with the "Oomph Girl" thrown in for a love interest, but somehow it manages to transcend that sort of genre-typing.Everyone from Jimmy Cagney and Pat O'Brien (in one of the best of their 10 films together) to George Tobias shines in this snappy action-romance, sprinkled with the kind of dialogue that made the movies of the '30s and early-'40s the most fun ever. My favorite exchange in the history of film is in this movie...Helen Vinson (Gloria) is kissing Jimmy Cagney (Nick), and her cigarette has slipped from her fingers to the floor. The camera follows the cigarette down, and then a hand reaches in from out-of-frame to pick it up...the camera pulls back to reveal Ann Sheridan (Lee):Lee: This is how the Chicago Fire got started.Gloria: The Chicago Fire was started by a *cow*.Lee: History repeats itself.Now, how can you not love a film like that? Ann Sheridan singing! Pat O'Brien conniving! George Tobias as a Latin American bandit! Jimmy Cagney with a mustache!Sadly, Torrid Zone is not yet available on video, but it shows up on TV from time to time. Don't miss it!