'G' Men (1935)
Four years after his break out role in The Public Enemy, James Cagney switches sides and wages on screen war against America's public enemies - the crime lords - as an eager government agent in this crime classic.
Whilst perhaps not noir as such, the film possibly pre-dates the genre by a few years, 'G' Men is still a hard boiled and pulpy take on the true story of the origins of what would become known in later years as the FBI.
Unlike many of the studio crime classics of the time 'G' Men isn't talky at all, yes there's great dialogue but much of it is snappy and often amusing, especially the sparring between Cagney and his boss Robert Armstrong. The films greatest assets, apart from Cagney himself of course, are the frequent bursts of frantic action. From car chases to machine guns 'G' Men has it all and as such proves to be a heavy duty action film that easily stands on it's own 80 years later.
It stands for Government if anyone doesn't know.
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