The defence The Prestige Tourist
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
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Angels with Dirty Faces
Crime · Drama · 1938
Childhood chums Rocky Sullivan and Jerry Connelly grow up on opposite sides of the fence: Rocky matures into a prominent gangster, while Jerry becomes a priest, tending to the needs of his old tenement neighborhood.
Movie details
Angels with Dirty Faces
“The saga of America’s dirty faced kids... and the breaks that life won’t give them!”
1938 Crime · Drama 1h 37m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
7.5 / 10
Community rating
Childhood chums Rocky Sullivan and Jerry Connelly grow up on opposite sides of the fence: Rocky matures into a prominent gangster, while Jerry becomes a priest, tending to the needs of his old tenement neighborhood.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Angels with Dirty Faces?
For the defence
The Prestige Tourist
“You like your greatness pre-approved.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Little Caesar
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Cry of the City
Crime · 1948
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Force of Evil
Crime · 1950
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Michael Curtiz
Written by
Warren Duff · Rowland Brown · John Wexley · Charles MacArthur
James Cagney
Rocky Sullivan
Pat O'Brien
Jerry Connolly
Humphrey Bogart
James Frazier
Ann Sheridan
Laury Ferguson
George Bancroft
Mac Keefer
Billy Halop
Soapy
Bobby Jordan
Swing
Court is in session
Put Angels with Dirty Faces on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.