The Doorway to Hell (1930)

Directed by Archie Mayo. Starring Lew Ayres, Robert Elliott, James Cagney, Dorothy Mathews, Noel Madison, Jerry Mandy, Leon Janney, Edwin Argus, Kenneth Thomson, Dwight Frye, Eddie Kane, Clark Burroughs.

Early Warner Bros. gangster picture sets up the usual rise-and-fall narrative for its “Napoleon of the Underworld” (Ayres), but suffers from too many now-stale elements and unfavorable comparison to similar-but-superior classics to come hot on its heels. Ayres never convinces as a ruthless crime lord, and is better-suited for later scenes when he tries unsuccessfully to go clean, but a pre-fame Cagney delivers a few jolts of energy as his untrustworthy right-hand man. George Rosener’s script is punchy but flawed, redeemed in part by a handful of nice touches from the supporting cast—Cagney swiping a cigar, sniffing it with a smirk, and giving it back; moll Mathews’ bedroom eyes while licking the sides of her finger to remove a wedding ring; etc. Pitiless, deliberately-paced ending is effective. Dwight Frye’s first credited screen role, a year before he’d make memorable appearances in a different studio’s genre output: Dracula and Frankenstein.

68/100