G Men

For other uses, see G-Man (disambiguation).
G Men

Theatrical release poster
Directed by William Keighley
Produced by Louis F. Edelman
Hal B. Wallis
Written by Darryl F. Zanuck
(story, uncredited)
Seton I. Miller
Starring James Cagney
Ann Dvorak
Margaret Lindsay
Robert Armstrong
Music by David Buttolph
Bernhard Kaun
(both uncredited)
Cinematography Sol Polito
Edited by Jack Killifer
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates
 April 18, 1935
Running time
 85 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Box office $626,000[1]

G Men is a 1935 Warner Bros. crime film starring James Cagney, Ann Dvorak, and Margaret Lindsay, and presenting Lloyd Nolan's film debut. According to Variety Magazine, the movie was one of the top-grossing films of 1935.[2] The supporting cast features Robert Armstrong and Barton MacLane.

G Men was made as part of a deliberate attempt by the Warners to counteract what many conservative political and business leaders claimed was a disturbing trend of glorifying criminals in the early 1930s gangster film genre. Although the gangster films were typically presented as moral indictments of organized crime where the criminal protagonist inevitably died, they nevertheless depicted a life of freedom, power and luxury enjoyed by gangsters in the midst of a real-life economic crisis. Foremost of these films were Little Caesar, the original Scarface, and perhaps the most memorable, The Public Enemy, in which Cagney portrayed street tough Tom Powers, the role that catapulted him to stardom. What was deemed most objectionable about these films was that law enforcement was typically portrayed as either impotent in the face of crime, or, as with Public Enemy, akin to a derelict and largely absentee father shirking his duty. Based on this interpretation, G Men supplanted the criminal protagonist with the heroic federal police officer.

Most prints of this film include a brief prologue added at the beginning for the 1949 re-release (on the FBI's 25th anniversary). This scene depicts a senior agent (played by David Brian) introducing a screening of the film to a group of FBI recruits so that they may learn about the Bureau's history.


Plot

Newspaper ad for G Men making a connection between the film and real-life G Men in the FBI, who were tracking kidnappers in the Pacific Northwest.

One year after graduation, New York City lawyer James "Brick" Davis (James Cagney) has no clients because he refuses to compromise with his ideals and integrity. His friend Eddie Buchanan (Regis Toomey) tries to recruit him as a federal agent or "G Man" (government man), but Davis is unsure. However, when Buchanan is killed while trying to arrest a gangster, Davis changes his mind, determined to bring the killer to justice. He bids farewell to his mentor, "Mac" MacKay (William Harrigan), a mob boss who financed his education to keep Davis on the right side of the law. He bids farewell to Jean Morgan (Ann Dvorak), the star of MacKay's nightclub who has feelings for Davis.

Davis travels to Washington, D.C. to begin his training. A mutual dislike forms immediately between him and his instructor, Jeff McCord (Robert Armstrong) which eventually subsides as time passes, but not before McCord openly mocks and derides Davis' attempts at training -something the Tom Powers Cagney would have never stood for. The scenes give Cagney's Davis a maturity seldom seen before in his roles, while portraying Armstrong as a bully and excessively childish. In addition, Davis is attracted to McCord's sister Kay (Margaret Lindsay) which strengthens his determination to remain passive despite McCord's efforts to rile him.

Meanwhile, MacKay retires and buys a resort lodge out in the woods of Wisconsin. His men, free of his restraint, embark on a crime spree. Hamstrung by existing laws (federal agents have to get local warrants and are not even allowed to carry guns), the head of the G-Men pleads for new laws to empower his beleaguered men. They are enacted with great speed.

Davis identifies one of the perpetrators, Danny Leggett (Edward Pawley), by his superstition of always wearing a gardenia. Not having completed his training, he can only give agent Hugh Farrell (Lloyd Nolan) tips on Leggett's habits. Farrell tracks down and arrests his quarry, but he and some of his men are gunned down, and Leggett escapes.

McCord is put in charge of the manhunt and given his choice of five agents. He picks Davis, a decision that later pays dividends when Jean is brought in for questioning, Davis learns she is now married to Collins (Barton MacLane), one of the crooks. She inadvertently lets slip that the gang is hiding out at MacKay's lodge (against MacKay's will). In the ensuing wild shootout, Davis kills MacKay, who was being used as a human shield. Before he dies, MacKay forgives his distraught friend. Davis then tries to resign from the department but McCord talks him out of it by reminding him that McKay's death wasn't his fault and asks him to stay on.

Only Collins gets away. McCord and Davis go to Jean's apartment to warn her, but Collins is already there and shoots at them. Davis pushes McCord out of the way and takes a bullet meant for him. Davis ends up in the hospital (where Kay is a nurse) for his shoulder wound. Collins kidnaps Kay to use as a hostage. Jean finds out where he is hiding and telephones Davis, only to be killed in cold blood by her husband. Davis sneaks inside the garage and rescues Kay. Collins is shot to death by McCord as he tries to drive away. Kay escorts the still-bandaged Davis back to the hospital, vowing to personally take care of his recovery.

Cast

James Cagney in G Men

Reception

In 2008, the American Film Institute nominated this film for its Top 10 Gangster Films list.[3]

References

Notes

  1. ↑ "The Film Business in the United States and Britain during the 1930s" by John Sedgwick and Michael Pokorny, The Economic History ReviewNew Series, Vol. 58, No. 1 (Feb., 2005), pp.79-112
  2. ↑ Canning, Gregory A. (1999). ""The Moral Importance of Entertainment": Hollywood, Censorship, and Depression America, 1933-1941" (PDF). p. 135. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
  3. ↑ "AFI's 10 Top 10 Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-19.

Bibliography

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