Warner Archive Collection has celebrated some of the best stars of yesteryear with multi-film sets, and now it is James Cagney’s turn to be celebrated. While he’s best known for playing tough guy characters, the James Cagney 4-Film Collection Blu-ray shows both his best-known performances and that he could excel in playing different types of
“Nearly a twenty-year span of landmark James Cagney performances, including his breakthrough gangster classic The Public Enemy, the unforgettable Angels With Dirty Faces, his Oscar-winning portrayal of George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy, and finally his outstanding performance as a psychopathic gangster in White Heat, directed by Raoul Walsh,” says the synopsis.
The James Cagney 4-Film Collection Blu-ray set appropriately opens with two gangster movies, The Public Enemy and Angels with Dirty Faces. 1931’s The Public Enemy set the stage for much of Cagney’s career, and is the quintessential gangster movie in a lot of ways. Filled with iconic scenes, Cagney’s performance as Tom Powers remains iconic to this day. Meanwhile, 1938’s Angels with Dirty Faces is just as stellar. Featuring Pat O’Brien, Humphrey Bogart, and the Dead End Kids, Cagney’s intense charisma really shines here, and it shows how special he truly was, even when surrounded by talented co-stars.
The lone non-crime film included in the collection is 1942’s Yankee Doodle Dandy, which received multiple Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Cagney. This musical biopic on George M. Cohan really showcases Cagney’s range and his ability as a showman. Finally, 1949’s White Heat is my favorite of the bunch, as it is one of the best prison movies ever made. Featuring iconic sequences and quotes that are still used to this day in popular culture, there’s no denying the brilliance of Raoul Walsh’s masterpiece. All four films look gorgeous in high-definition — Warner Archive’s restorations rarely disappoint — and sound great with DTS-HD 2.0 audio.
All four films feature plenty of bonus features. The Public Enemy has a commentary with historian Robert Sklar, a 20-minute documentary on the film featuring Martin Scorsese’s thoughts on the film, and some other bonuses. Angels with Dirty Faces features an audio track by Dana Polan, a really cool radio adaptation featuring Cagney and Pat O’Brien, plus a 22-minute featurette on it. Yankee Doodle Dandy comes with a commentary track by historian Rudy Behlmer, a 44-minute documentary, a tribute from John Travolta, a Daffy Duck short called Yankee Doodle Daffy, and a wartime short featuring Cagney called You, John Jones. Finally, White Heat features commentary from Dr. Drew Casper, plus a 16-minute short called White Heat: Top of the World, taking a look at the film (Scorsese once again shows up).
James Cagney 4-Film Collection Blu-ray Review: Final Verdict
The James Cagney 4-Film Collection Blu-ray set shows just how great a star Cagney truly was. More than just one of our finest gangster actors, Cagney had real range and a magnetic presence to him. All four of these films are classics, and it’s easy to see why Cagney won Best Actor with his performance in Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Disclosure: ComingSoon received product from the distributor for our James Cagney 4-Film Collection Blu-ray review.
