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Angels with Dirty Faces

James Cagney: legendary icon of studio system cinema and the most famous face of Warner Brothers for nearly two decades. On the surface, Cagney doesn’t look like he’d be one of the most memorable “bad guys” in film history as he was on the short side and had perfectly groomed eyebrows. Though he won the Oscar for his toe-tapping role as George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy, we’re looking back to his roles as a badass gangster when Warner Brothers was churning out film-noir flicks like factory goods. To celebrate Cagney’s birthday (he would have been 115!), we’ve curated his five most badass roles.

The Public Enemy (1931)

Role: Tom Powers

Tom is a thief-turned-bootlegger during Prohibition after a robbery went horribly wrong. While trying to lay low from authorities in the speakeasy business, Tom meets Kitty (Mae Clarke) who he famously breaks up with by shoving half of a grapefruit in her face. Her name is Kitty… she totally deserved it.

See where to stream The Public Enemy on GoWatchIt.

Great Guy (1936)

Role: Johnny “Red” Cave

Cagney and Mae Clarke are teamed up again — grapefruit incident forgiven — in this film noir that’s almost annoying too noir. Lots of ominous music, peering through Venetian blinds, and, of course, Cagney plays a detective. Even though he’s an honest chap in the film, the way he takes down corrupt politicians and law enforcement is ultimately pretty darn badass.

See where to stream Great Guy on GoWatchIt.

Angels With Dirty Faces (1938)

Role: Rocky Sullivan

With a name like Rocky Sullivan, you know you’re going to fear the dude. Cagney once again plays a gangster who gets involved with the wrong crowd, but this time he ends up being put on death row after ensuing a brutal shootout with the police. Kind of heavy for a 1930s film, eh?

See where to stream Angels with Dirty Faces on GoWatchIt.

The Roaring Twenties (1939)

Role: Eddie Bartlett

The gangster movie that defined gangster movies, Cagney is at the center of Raoul Walsh’s crime-thriller epic, playing — you guessed it — a gangster/bootlegger! This isn’t to say Cagney was necessarily typecast because he was in all of those swing musicals as well, but this time around he’s full-throttle mobster, delivering some of the most famous lines of his career, including “Here’s one rap you ain’t gonna beat,” and spontaneously shoving food in peoples’ faces yet again.

See where to stream The Roaring Twenties on GoWatchIt.

White Heat (1949)

Role: Arthur “Cody” Jarrett

Though it’s later in Cagney’s career, he’s still fiery as ever; robbing trains, taking hostages, and killing everyone who stands in his way. Cagney goes out with a bang in this one — “Made it Ma! Top of the world!” — his character’s journey slightly paralleling his own life at the time. This is one of the last great crime epics Cagney starred in before leaving Warner Bros. for good.

See where to stream White Heat on GoWatchIt.