Sort by IMDb Rating - Highest Rated Feature Films With James Cagney
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1. White Heat (1949)
Not Rated | 114 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist.
Director: Raoul Walsh | Stars: James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O'Brien, Margaret Wycherly
Votes: 35,836
2. One, Two, Three (1961)
Not Rated | 104 min | Comedy
In West Berlin during the Cold War, a Coca-Cola executive is given the task of taking care of his boss' socialite daughter.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: James Cagney, Horst Buchholz, Pamela Tiffin, Arlene Francis
Votes: 23,017
3. The Roaring Twenties (1939)
Passed | 106 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Three men attempt to make a living in Prohibitionist America after returning home from fighting together in World War I.
Director: Raoul Walsh | Stars: James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Priscilla Lane, Gladys George
Votes: 15,555
4. Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
Passed | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A priest tries to stop a gangster from corrupting a group of street kids.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sheridan
Votes: 23,232
5. Mister Roberts (1955)
Passed | 123 min | Comedy, Drama, War
In the waning days of World War II, the cargo officer of a Navy supply ship chafes at its role far from the action in the Pacific's backwater areas, his frustration rising when its captain denies the crew liberty over petty irritations.
Directors: John Ford, Mervyn LeRoy, Joshua Logan | Stars: Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell, Jack Lemmon
Votes: 18,264 | Gross: $21.20M
6. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Passed | 132 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
First mate Fletcher Christian leads a revolt against his sadistic commander, Captain Bligh, in this classic seafaring adventure, based on the real-life 1789 mutiny.
Director: Frank Lloyd | Stars: Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone, Herbert Mundin
Votes: 24,875
7. The Public Enemy (1931)
Passed | 83 min | Crime, Drama
An Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime.
Director: William A. Wellman | Stars: James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods, Joan Blondell
Votes: 23,046 | Gross: $1.01M
8. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
Passed | 126 min | Biography, Drama, Family
The life of the renowned musical composer, playwright, actor, dancer, and singer George M. Cohan.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, Richard Whorf
Votes: 16,877 | Gross: $11.80M
9. Footlight Parade (1933)
Passed | 104 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Chester Kent struggles against time, romance, and a rival's spy to produce spectacular live "prologues" for movie houses.
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell
Votes: 6,100 | Gross: $3.49M
10. Ragtime (1981)
PG | 155 min | Drama
A young black pianist becomes embroiled in the lives of an upper-class white family set among the racial tensions, infidelity, violence and other nostalgic events in early 1900s New York City.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: James Cagney, Elizabeth McGovern, Howard E. Rollins Jr., Brad Dourif
Votes: 10,567 | Gross: $21.02M
11. The Strawberry Blonde (1941)
Passed | 99 min | Comedy, Romance
Quick-tempered yet likable Biff Grimes falls for the beautiful Virginia Brush, but he is not the only young man in the neighborhood who is smitten with her.
Director: Raoul Walsh | Stars: James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, Rita Hayworth, Alan Hale
Votes: 4,273
12. Each Dawn I Die (1939)
Approved | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A corrupt D.A. (Thurston Hall) with political ambitions is angered by news stories implicating him in criminal activity and decides to frame the reporter (James Cagney) for manslaughter in order to silence him.
Director: William Keighley | Stars: James Cagney, George Raft, Jane Bryan, George Bancroft
Votes: 3,736
13. City for Conquest (1940)
Passed | 104 min | Drama, Sport
Danny is a content truck driver, but his girl Peggy shows potential as a dancer and hopes he too can show ambition. Danny acquiesces and pursues boxing to please her, but the two begin to spend more time working than time together.
Directors: Anatole Litvak, Jean Negulesco | Stars: James Cagney, Ann Sheridan, Arthur Kennedy, Donald Crisp
Votes: 2,712
14. The Millionaire (1931)
Passed | 80 min | Drama, Comedy
A millionaire automaker retires upon the advice of his doctor, but becomes so bored he buys half interest in a gas station and works it on the sly.
Director: John G. Adolfi | Stars: George Arliss, Florence Arliss, David Manners, Evalyn Knapp
Votes: 591
15. Love Me or Leave Me (1955)
Passed | 122 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A fictionalized account of the career of jazz singer Ruth Etting and her tempestuous marriage to gangster Marty Snyder, who helped propel her to stardom.
Director: Charles Vidor | Stars: Doris Day, James Cagney, Cameron Mitchell, Robert Keith
Votes: 4,749
16. 'G' Men (1935)
Approved | 85 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
James Cagney helped jump-start the gangster genre as The Public Enemy. Outcries against movies that glorified underworld criminals put Cagney on the side of the law in 'G' Men.
Director: William Keighley | Stars: James Cagney, Margaret Lindsay, Ann Dvorak, Robert Armstrong
Votes: 4,378
17. The Gallant Hours (1960)
Approved | 115 min | Biography, Drama, War
A semi-documentary dramatization of five weeks in the life of Vice Admiral William F. "Bull" Halsey, Jr., from his assignment to command the U.S. naval operations in the South Pacific to the Allied victory at Guadalcanal.
Director: Robert Montgomery | Stars: James Cagney, Dennis Weaver, Ward Costello, Vaughn Taylor
Votes: 1,897
18. Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950)
Approved | 102 min | Crime, Film-Noir, Thriller
Starting with a violent prison break, clever, ruthless Ralph Cotter corrupts everyone around him.
Director: Gordon Douglas | Stars: James Cagney, Barbara Payton, Helena Carter, Ward Bond
Votes: 2,465
19. Man of a Thousand Faces (1957)
Approved | 122 min | Biography, Drama
The life and career of vaudevillian and silent-screen horror star Lon Chaney, including his contentious relationship with his neurotic wife and his premature death.
Director: Joseph Pevney | Stars: James Cagney, Dorothy Malone, Jane Greer, Marjorie Rambeau
Votes: 2,963
20. Blonde Crazy (1931)
TV-G | 79 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
The adventures of an egoistic con man and his glamorous accomplice.
Director: Roy Del Ruth | Stars: James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Louis Calhern, Noel Francis
Votes: 2,328
21. Shake Hands with the Devil (1959)
Approved | 111 min | Action, Drama, History
In 1920s Ireland, I.R.A. members are being led by the war mongering Dr. Sean Lenihan (James Cagney), as they fight oppressive British forces.
Director: Michael Anderson | Stars: James Cagney, Don Murray, Dana Wynter, Glynis Johns
Votes: 1,528
22. Picture Snatcher (1933)
Not Rated | 77 min | Crime, Drama
Ex-convict Danny Kean decides to become honest as a photographer for a paper. He falls in love with Patricia, the daughter of the policeman who arrested him. Mr Nolan, her father, doesn't ... See full summary »
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: James Cagney, Ralph Bellamy, Patricia Ellis, Alice White
Votes: 1,747
23. Lady Killer (1933)
Passed | 76 min | Comedy, Crime, Mystery
A former gangster makes it big in Hollywood, but his old life catches up with him.
Director: Roy Del Ruth | Stars: James Cagney, Mae Clarke, Margaret Lindsay, Leslie Fenton
Votes: 1,888
24. Kristina Talking Pictures (1976)
90 min
Kristina, a self-named Hungarian female lion tamer, arrives in New York to become a dance choreographer. Kristina, now a middle-class NYC artist concerned about the environment, has a ... See full summary »
Director: Yvonne Rainer | Stars: Bert Barr, Frances Barth, James Barth, James Cagney
Votes: 34
25. 13 Rue Madeleine (1947)
Approved | 95 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
When spy chief Bob Sharkey finds out one of his agents-in-training is actually a Nazi double agent, his strategic decision not to arrest him results in tragedy.
Director: Henry Hathaway | Stars: James Cagney, Annabella, Richard Conte, Frank Latimore
Votes: 3,070
26. The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941)
Approved | 92 min | Comedy, Romance
A financially-strapped charter pilot hires himself to an oil tycoon to kidnap his madcap daughter and prevent her from marrying a vapid band leader.
Director: William Keighley | Stars: James Cagney, Bette Davis, Stuart Erwin, Eugene Pallette
Votes: 3,736
27. The Mayor of Hell (1933)
Passed | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Five members of a teen-age gang, including leader Jimmy Smith, are sent to the state reformatory, presided over by the melodramatically callous Thompson. Soon, Patsy Gargan, a former ... See full summary »
Directors: Archie Mayo, Michael Curtiz | Stars: James Cagney, Madge Evans, Arthur Byron, Allen Jenkins
Votes: 1,843
28. A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
Approved | 133 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Two couples and a troupe of actors have an encounter with some mischievous fairies in the forest.
Directors: William Dieterle, Max Reinhardt | Stars: James Cagney, Dick Powell, Ian Hunter, Verree Teasdale
Votes: 3,897
29. Smart Money (1931)
Passed | 81 min | Crime, Drama
A Greek barber has uncommon skills in playing poker and soon rises in the seedy world of illegal gambling, but pretty blondes remain his Achilles' heel.
Director: Alfred E. Green | Stars: Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Evalyn Knapp, Ralf Harolde
Votes: 2,241
30. Johnny Come Lately (1943)
Passed | 97 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
Newspaper man wanders about and helps older woman save her paper.
Director: William K. Howard | Stars: James Cagney, Grace George, Marjorie Main, Marjorie Lord
Votes: 747
31. Come Fill the Cup (1951)
113 min | Crime, Drama
Alcoholic newspaperman Lew Marsh hits bottom, loses his job and is rehabilitated by Charley Dolan. After six years on the wagon he gets his job back and devotes himself to other recovering ... See full summary »
Director: Gordon Douglas | Stars: James Cagney, Phyllis Thaxter, Raymond Massey, James Gleason
Votes: 546
32. These Wilder Years (1956)
Approved | 91 min | Drama
A middle-aged man tries to reconnect with his illegitimate son, who was given to an orphanage many years ago.
Director: Roy Rowland | Stars: James Cagney, Barbara Stanwyck, Walter Pidgeon, Betty Lou Keim
Votes: 1,101
33. The Seven Little Foys (1955)
Approved | 93 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
After the young wife of vaudevillian Eddie Foy passes away, he incorporates their seven children into the act and takes it on the road.
Director: Melville Shavelson | Stars: Bob Hope, Milly Vitale, George Tobias, Angela Clarke
Votes: 1,629
34. Tribute to a Bad Man (1956)
Passed | 95 min | Drama, Romance, Western
With no law within 200 miles horse rancher Jeremy Rodak runs his spread with an iron hand and deals with rustlers even more ruthlessly.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: James Cagney, Don Dubbins, Stephen McNally, Irene Papas
Votes: 1,724
35. Run for Cover (1955)
Approved | 93 min | Drama, Western
Mistaken for train robbers, Matt Dow and Davey Bishop are shot at by the sheriff and his posse but they are cleared and hired as lawmen.
Director: Nicholas Ray | Stars: James Cagney, Viveca Lindfors, John Derek, Jean Hersholt
Votes: 1,795
36. Torrid Zone (1940)
Passed | 88 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Plagued by revolutionaries that harass his plantation in a banana republic, fruit company exec Steve Case rehires former nemesis Nick Butler to restore order and profits.
Director: William Keighley | Stars: James Cagney, Ann Sheridan, Pat O'Brien, Andy Devine
Votes: 1,494
37. Ceiling Zero (1936)
Approved | 95 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
War veteran pilots Dizzy Davis, Texas Clark and Jake Lee are working in an airline in Newark. Dizzy is flirting with the girlfriend of a younger pilot and, due to this, he feigns illness to... See full summary »
Director: Howard Hawks | Stars: James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, June Travis, Stuart Erwin
Votes: 785
38. The Fighting 69th (1940)
Passed | 90 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
Although loudmouthed braggart Jerry Plunkett alienates his comrades and officers, Father Duffy, the regimental chaplain, has faith that he'll prove himself in the end.
Director: William Keighley | Stars: James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, George Brent, Jeffrey Lynn
Votes: 1,985
39. Taxi (1931)
Passed | 69 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Independent cabbie Matt Nolan is primed to let his fists and handgun deliver payback after a big taxi firm uses intimidation and violence to squeeze out small-timers.
Director: Roy Del Ruth | Stars: James Cagney, Loretta Young, George E. Stone, Guy Kibbee
Votes: 1,554
40. Jimmy the Gent (1934)
Passed | 67 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
An unpolished racketeer, whose racket is finding heirs for unclaimed fortunes, affects ethics and tea-drinking manners to win back the sweetheart who now works for his seemingly upright competitor.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: James Cagney, Bette Davis, Allen Jenkins, Alan Dinehart
Votes: 2,037
41. Hard to Handle (1933)
Approved | 78 min | Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Small time con artist Lefty Merrill has co-organized a crooked dance marathon and set up his girlfriend to win the prize money. When his partner disappears with money before the contest is ... See full summary »
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: James Cagney, Mary Brian, Allen Jenkins, Ruth Donnelly
Votes: 896
42. The Doorway to Hell (1930)
Passed | 78 min | Crime, Drama
Despite his efforts to go straight, a young gangster keeps falling back into crime.
Director: Archie Mayo | Stars: Lew Ayres, James Cagney, Dorothy Mathews, Leon Janney
Votes: 1,327
43. The St. Louis Kid (1934)
Approved | 67 min | Drama, Romance
Trucker Eddie Kennedy gets involved with the law when he has an car accident with Ann Reid and knocks the owner of a dairy out. He evades a penalty when he claims, that he had done it as an... See full summary »
Director: Ray Enright | Stars: James Cagney, Patricia Ellis, Allen Jenkins, Robert Barrat
Votes: 503
44. Captains of the Clouds (1942)
Approved | 114 min | Action, Drama, War
Inspired by Churchill's Dunkirk speech, brash, undisciplined bush pilot Brian MacLean and three friends enlist in the RCAF but are deemed too old to be fliers.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: James Cagney, Dennis Morgan, Brenda Marshall, Alan Hale
Votes: 1,771
45. Other Men's Women (1930)
Passed | 71 min | Drama, Romance
Events take an unhappy turn for two Bill and Jack, two locomotive engineers, after Bill is attracted to his best friend's wife.
Director: William A. Wellman | Stars: Grant Withers, Mary Astor, Regis Toomey, James Cagney
Votes: 1,394
46. The Oklahoma Kid (1939)
Passed | 85 min | Action, Western
During the Oklahoma Land Rush, the lawlessness is exacerbated by the McCord gang's feud with the Kincaids, who are trying to bring law and justice to the region.
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Rosemary Lane, Donald Crisp
Votes: 2,655
47. Sinners' Holiday (1930)
Passed | 60 min | Adventure, Crime, Romance
Ma Delano (Lucille LaVerne) runs a boardwalk penny arcade and lives upstairs with her sons Harry and Joe (James Cagney and Ray Gallagher) and daughter Jennie (Evalyn Knapp); their story ... See full summary »
Director: John G. Adolfi | Stars: Grant Withers, Evalyn Knapp, James Cagney, Joan Blondell
Votes: 703
48. Something to Sing About (1937)
Approved | 93 min | Comedy, Musical
A New York bandleader journeys to Hollywood when he is offered a contract with a studio, but he is determined to do things his way and not theirs.
Director: Victor Schertzinger | Stars: James Cagney, Evelyn Daw, William Frawley, Mona Barrie
Votes: 1,025
49. The Time of Your Life (1948)
Approved | 109 min | Comedy, Drama
A wide variety of persons come into Nick's Pacific Street Saloon, some to ask for work and others just to pass the time.
Director: H.C. Potter | Stars: James Cagney, William Bendix, Wayne Morris, Jeanne Cagney
Votes: 1,350
50. The West Point Story (1950)
Approved | 107 min | Comedy, Music
A Broadway director helps the West Point cadets put on a show, aided by two lovely ladies and assorted complications.
Director: Roy Del Ruth | Stars: James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Doris Day, Gordon MacRae
Votes: 1,481