Taxi

The early 1930's in New York City is the scene for this movie where men fight one another for advantage in the taxi business. The women in their lives get embroiled in the crime wave that breaks out. Jimmy Cagney is Matt Nolan, the pugnacious rabble rouser and the little guy with a chip on his shoulder in a role that defines his mannerisms and style as the lovable tough guy. Loretta Young is Sue Riley, the daughter of a driver who gets killed in the working class warfare, who Cagney falls in love with. She is every bit as spunky in her effort to stop the vicious rivalry that took the life of her father. Young became one of the most loved actresses of her time. She made this movie in her late teens and is brilliant. Leila Bennett is Ruby, Sue's close friend, who delivers a large measure of humor and her New York twang gives it that extra zing. The movie takes us through the streets and into the ballrooms and apartments of depression era New York. Judging by the names, the characters are mostly Irish, with Irish cops and priest to complete the picture. However, it is Cagney and Young who shine. When he falls for Sue, Matt is putty in her hands but when his temper gets the better of him, the romance wanes. Sue is every bit as lovestruck when Matt kisses and flirts with her. This is a crime movie with lots of fun and a great slice of New York City life but most of all, I liked the match-up of the two stars, who are at their best.

Good gangster movie set in the world of taxis. The movie is really a character study of one and a half men and one and a half women. Two rival taxi companies are in a war to gain turf and territory. When the turf wars end, people die and revenge or forgiveness is the scorecard. The women represented by Loretta Young are willing to forgive and move on but the men represented by Jimmy Cagney won't and are on course to set their lives back. The love story is unequivocally well-written and the final scene escapes certain cliches that have come before within the movie to pack a powerful punch. It was a big hit for WB in 1932, and is definitely worth a see.

James Cagney plays a cab driver whose quick temper causes problems in his relationship with Loretta Young, who hates violence. When his kid brother is killed, Cagney is out for vengeance. But getting it may cost him the woman he loves.

Jimmy's great. He makes a sometimes unlikable character relatable. Loretta is very pretty and endearing. George E. Stone, Guy Kibbee, Leila Bennett, and David Landau are part of the nice cast. George Raft has a bit part where he gets socked out by Cagney. Opening scene where Cagney speaks Yiddish is a classic. This is the movie where Cagney yells at his brother's killer "Come out and take it, you dirty yellow-bellied rat, or I'll give it to you through the door!" This would later be misquoted as "You dirty rat, you killed my brother!" and would become a staple of Cagney impressions.

Roy Del Ruth's early movies are roller-coasters of nonstop excitement. He seemed to lose a lot of his style and passion once the Code was issued. His pre-Code movies, though, seem very modern: They're funny, naughty, touching, and shocking -- sometimes all at once.

"Taxi" is one of his best. It's also one of my favorite James Cagney movies. In this, he weeps when he learns that a family member has died. It's a full-frontal shot and very daring. How many leading men of his era would dared this? In the same movie, he slugs his girlfriend Loretta Young (always very appealing here.) He's funny, believable, and violent.

I like Guy Kibbee in the sort of sympathetic role he plays here. He is Young's father. Leila Bennett is an unlikely movie presence. She's gawky and goofy. But as Young's roommate, she's fun and adds to the general excellence of "Taxi."

TAXI takes the James Cagney persona to extremes in the context of showing him as a tough guy with a fist in love with a girl (Loretta Young) who abhors violence. The love you/hate you relationship between Cagney and Young is what keeps the movie interesting as the story develops, but the stupid things that Young's character does to keep her man from killing the thug who killed her brother-in-law is too incredible to swallow.

Thankfully, we have some funny and romantic moments that Cagney and Loretta Young manage to do beautifully. She looks lovely throughout and it's her sweet natured temperament that makes it hard to understand why she would be attracted to a man like Cagney in the first place. He's promising to stop his hot tempered violence in an attempt to convince her to marry him, but never manages to cool it.

Despite all the loopholes in the script and many flaws, this is a tidy little melodrama, very dated in its subject matter, with Cagney stealing the spotlight all the way through. Most annoying feature of the film is the so-called comic relief of Leila Bennett whose nasal voice and flat one-liners are supposed to invoke laughter. It doesn't work.

Worth a view to see early Cagney, but the motivations for Young's character are unbelievable.