G Men (DVD), Warner Archives, Mystery & Suspense

In 1931, James Cagney helped jump-start the gangster genre as The Public Enemy. In 1935, he waged on-screen war against the nation's public enemies. Outcries against movies that glorified underworld criminals put Cagney on the side of the law in G Men. Emphasis may have changed, but the elements are the same. G Men builds to a fury of bold escapes, siren-wailing pursuits and frenzied shoot-outs. Anything worth newspaper space is worth a movie, Warner Bros. Executive Lou Edel man declared. Here, a punchy hot-off-the-presses account of the pursuit and capture of John Dillinger provides the story inspiration while tough-guy Cagney gives it to 'em good in a movie that's fast, gutsy, as simplistic and powerful as a tabloid headline (Geoff Andrew, Time Out Film Guide).