'G' Men (1935)

It's the early days of the F.B.I. - federal agents working for the Department of Justice. Though they've got limited powers - they don't carry weapons and have to get local police approval ... See full summary »

Director:

William Keighley

Writer:

Seton I. Miller (story)

Stars:

James Cagney, Margaret Lindsay, Ann Dvorak

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Cagney	...	'Brick' Davis
Margaret Lindsay	...	Kay McCord
Ann Dvorak	...	Jean Morgan
Robert Armstrong	...	Jeff McCord
Barton MacLane	...	Collins
Lloyd Nolan	...	Hugh Farrell
William Harrigan	...	'Mac' McKay
Russell Hopton	...	Gerard
Edward Pawley	...	Danny Leggett
Noel Madison	...	Durfee
Monte Blue	...	Fingerprint Expert
Regis Toomey	...	Eddie Buchanan
Addison Richards	...	Bruce J. Gregory
Harold Huber	...	Venke
Raymond Hatton	...	Gangsters' Messenger with Warning

Storyline

It's the early days of the F.B.I. - federal agents working for the Department of Justice. Though they've got limited powers - they don't carry weapons and have to get local police approval for arrests - that doesn't stop fresh Law School grad Eddie Buchanan from joining up, and he encourages his former roommate James "Brick" Davis (James Cagney) to do so as well. But Davis wants to be an honest lawyer, not a shyster, despite his ties to mobster boss McKay, and he's intent on doing so, until Buchanan is gunned down trying to arrest career criminal Danny Leggett. Davis soon joins the "G-Men" as they hunt down Leggett (soon-to-be Public Enemy Number One) and his cronies Collins and Durfee, who are engaged in a crime and murder spree from New York to the midwest.

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Plot Keywords:

g man | lawyer | hotel | fbi | murder | 

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Taglines:

Hollywood's Most Famous Bad Man Joins the "G-MEN" and Halts the March of Crime!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 May 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der FBI-Agent

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$450,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

An opening scene was added in 1948, 13 years after the film was made, depicting new FBI recruits about to view "G Men". Douglas Kennedy who played "Detective Kennedy" in the Humphrey Bogart classic, "Dark Passage" (1947), plays one of the recruits.

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Goofs

When Robert Armstrong is riding in a car driven by a uniformed policeman towards the end of the movie, a crewman is reflected off the small passenger window. He shows up in three scenes and may be rocking the car to simulate a bumpy road.

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Quotes

Jeff McCord: A very funny remark.

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Connections

Featured in James Cagney: Top of the World (1992)

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Soundtracks

"Lullaby of Broadway"
(1935) (uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics by Al Dubin
Sung by uncredited blonde singer

User Reviews

Cagney's Film

This is definitely Jimmy Cagney's film all the way. He is superb in it and his acting actually makes the rest of the cast better in support. Cagney was such a great actor he would always help elevate others performances in his films and he does so very much in this one. This film is well done for it's time though it looks a little flawed with age now.

The story is actually based upon a real FBI case in the early 30's. It stretches the truth after a while in order to fit the task. The gun fight sequence towards the end is amazingly violent yet most of the what seems to be thousands of shots fired seem to miss everything.

This is one of many films that established Warner Brothers as :Gangster Films Inc" during the 30's & 40's. It is a strong entry which was well produced for a 1935 (early) film. It treats it's subject pretty well. If you like Cagney, this is a film you must see to understand how far he had already developed his acting skills in 1935.