Expected more

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

It's Cagney at his most energetic. He better be because he's trying to survive New York's cut-throat taxi competition. It's the big fish, like Consolidated Cab Co., trying to eat smaller ones, like Cagney's Matt Nolan, while the Depression era jungle festers outside. Consolidated's already killed old Pop Riley (Kibbee) and left his daughter (Young) vulnerable, that is, until Cagney steps in. But when they kill Cagney's brother, he swears a vendetta, and we know what happens when the Irishman gets angry. Now it's mano-y-mano with Consolidated's brutal Buck Gerard (Landau).Fortunately, Young's unforced sweetness manages to hold its own amidst Cagney's human dynamo that sweeps up the rest of the film. Needed comic relief is supplied by sarcastic waitress Ruby (Bennett) with a voice like a squeaky tire and an accent right off Brooklyn's streets, which leaves poor Skeets (Stone) with little to do but meekly follow the dynamo around.It's noteworthy that Cagney's Matt Nolan is not particularly likable. He's belligerent, aggressive and completely self-assured, not exactly qualities that invite affection. But then, the actor always seemed more interested in being persuasive rather than likable, a rare quality for a star. Nonetheless, there is that compelling Cagney charismaAll in all, the two leads are the whole show since the plot is typical hard-boiled Warner's fare of the period. But then, for Cagney fans, that's more than enough.

Electric is a Word You could use to Describe the Screen Presence of James Cagney. Here He is Plugged In and is Typical of His Early Thirties Movies where He makes the Movie Sizzle with His Rapid Dialog and Pithy Comebacks.He is a Dynamo in this Clunky Story that Veers of the Road on Occasion but Never Manages to be Boring. There is a lot Packed into the Short Running Time with Romance getting in the way of Revenge. Cagney's Temper and Loretta Young's Inability to Control it, makes an On Again Off Again Love Affair that is a bit Strained and Her Motivations may be at Times Questionable.When Cagney balls up His Fist and Plants it in Loretta's Face and says..."If I thought you meant it!" Smacks of Dated Spousal Abuse Stuff but was Common Until Feminism. Think Jackie Gleason's "One of these days Alice, Bang-Zoom".Overall an Exciting and Lively Movie with a Pre-Code Backdrop (Loretta Strips/Some Chorus Girl Skin) that is Worth a Watch for Cagney Alone but there are other Things Peppering this Early Sounder that make it a Small Nugget for its Time.

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.

Matt Nolan (James Cagney) is a cab driver, but a group of new cabbies are trying to muscle into the area. They use intimidation and force when they feel it is necessary which tends to be sooner rather than later. Take Pop Riley (Guy Kibbee) for example. He'd been running the same route for years until the new gang came to town and decided they didn't want the competition. They totaled his car and got him sent to prison when he retaliated. His little girl Sue (Loretta Young) doesn't want to see anyone else suffer the same fate, so when she falls in love with Matt, she does her best to keep his temper under control. It isn't easy, especially when the opposing group starts harassing him.Roy Del Ruth keeps the story exciting with the typical Warner Brother's format. Taxi! features a great cast, quick dialogue, fast action, and a short run time. Cagney is the true star of the movie; he can lay it on thick with the romantic scenes, pop out the cocky one-liners like no other, and even dance around like a pro. (We are treated to a preview of his talents; they would not be utilized in film until a few years later.) Young is absolutely beautiful, as she is in all of her pre-code movies, and her acting abilities hold up against Cagney's. Also notable are the sidekicks of the two leads: Leila Bennett and George E. Stone who play great backup.This movie is definitely worth catching late night on TCM.