HotToastyRag City for Conquest is James Cagney at his finest. All the three gangsters of the silver screen had their own signature role, and James Cagney's was a charming scoundrel, a little rough around the edges, with a quick temper and a quicker punch, who always has a dame waiting for him when he gets out of prison. In City for Conquest, the plot doesn't exactly follow that archetype, but it's a fantastic vehicle for Jimmy's brand of star quality.The worst part of the movie is unfortunately the beginning, where Frank Craven, a homeless bum, narrates and unnecessarily sets the scene. He's pretty irritating, but thankfully he disappears for most of the movie. A group of kids are shown to the audience, foreshadowing their roles as grown-ups, and shortly afterwards, James Cagney, Ann Sheridan, and Arthur Kennedy grace the screen. Jimmy and Arthur are brothers, and while Arthur has a passion for classical music, they're pretty poor. Jimmy loves his brother, and he becomes a boxer, managed by his friends Frank McHugh and Donald Crisp, so Arthur can focus on his music instead of money. Life threatens to take the three stars in different directions when Ann meets Anthony Quinn in a nightclub. Tony is a ballroom dancer, and he wants Ann to be his new partner; while she's on the road dancing and Jimmy's on the road boxing, will they be able to keep their long-distance romance alive?Anyone who loves classic old movies, like Dark Victory and Casablanca, will love City for Conquest. It's fantastic in a way only old movies can be, with just a touch of melodrama that magically becomes realistic in the black-and-white scenes. Jimmy is excellent, making the audience cheer and cry, and radiating bursts of energy whenever he's on the screen. It makes sense that his romantic rival is Anthony Quinn; no one else would have the magnetism to compete against him. Young Tony is extremely handsome and darling, and when you see his dance talents in this movie, you'll laugh that he's most remembered by his dancing in Zorba the Greek. Ann Sheridan didn't get to be as famous another redheaded dancer, Rita Hayworth, but I like her infinitely better. She's prettier, has a better figure, is an equal dancer, and is a far superior actress. The third major lead in the film deserves a very special mention. City for Conquest was Arthur Kennedy's first movie, but you'd never guess it when you watch him. He was actually discovered by James Cagney, so that adds an extra level of sentimentality to see them play brothers in the film. Arthur mimes his piano playing very well, and his conducting is one of the best I've ever seen from an actor. It's hard to believe after playing the sweet, sensitive brother, that some of his most famous roles were villains-but if you want to start off on the right foot with him, rent this movie first. Then check out The Glass Menagerie!DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not your friend. In the first scene while Frank Craven is narrating, the footage of the city is shown at tilted angles and it might make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

JohnHowardReid (An excellent Warner DVD). Copyright 21 August 1940 by Warner Bros Pictures, Inc. A Warner Bros-First National Picture. An Anatole Litvak Production. New York opening at the Strand: 27 August 1940. U.S. release: 21 September 1940. 12 reels. Running time variously reported as 101, 103 and 105 minutes. SYNOPSIS: The film opens with the lead characters, Danny Kenny (Cagney) and Peggy Nash (Sheridan), portrayed as youngsters. As Forsythe Street pals, Cagney wins the heart of Sheridan and she promises to "always be his girl". By the age of seventeen Cagney has won amateur golden gloves boxing bouts and has a bright future in the sports world, but he wants a steady job to finance the music of his piano-playing brother (Arthur Kennedy). NOTES: Wexley did the bulk of the screen adaptation (under the supervision of William Cagney). Robert Rossen was brought in for revisions. James Cagney himself contributed some additional dialogue. For his fight sequences - none of which were faked - Cagney trained with Harvey Perry under the direction of the movie's technical advisor, Mushy Callahan, ex-world-welterweight champion. Film debut of Arthur Kennedy. Feature film debut of Elia Kazan. COMMENT: Famed Broadway director Elia Kazan wanted to get some movie experience and what better way than to take a leading role in a picture directed by Anatole Litvak! In fact I thought this slum-to-riches-to-slum saga chiefly memorable for Kazan's bravura portrayal. He knows how to steal every scene he appears in, - sometimes just by flicking his eyes. And his fall from grace is a real topper!I don't agree with those critics who say Cagney is more restrained than usual. I think he overdoes the part. The plot is hokey and familiar and corny and over-sentimental and is played rather too broadly. Typical Owen Marks editing - the occasional splices that don't quite match giving the film that jagged texture. Some typical Litvak crane shots and a very realistic and powerfully put across fight sequence. Craven's part in the TV version has been reduced to a walk-on at the beginning of the film.

clvlkenpo I think everyone in this film was really wonderful. This kind of result is why we had movie stars, and such great films in the 1940s. Cagney is top notch as usual, and I fell in love with this movie on late night TV as a young teenager.I always love Ann Sheridan! Think how many great performances she gave in different roles. Sometimes I didn't even realize it was her because of her variety of roles. I really like this era because as a history buff, you get to see how people lived in a different era, the scenery, and little bits of Americana. Another thing missing from so many films today even in great films, is how the old screenplays and directors allowed you to get to know the characters more and allowed the plot to slowly develop rather than quickly jumping ahead of the plot development. See this movie!!

Michael_Elliott City for Conquest (1940) *** (out of 4) James Cagney's brilliant performance is the highlight of this film about a boxer (Cagney) who risks it all for the love of his girl (Ann Sheridan) and his brother (Arthur Kennedy). It's rather amazing at how great Cagney can be in so many different type of roles. Yes, he mainly played wise guys but whenever he broke this mode he just shows what a great actor he was and that's certainly true with his performance here, which has to rank as one of the greatest of his career. The transformations his character goes through is certainly a juicy role for an actor and Cagney nails all of the different moods without any problems. When the boxer starts to lose his site is when Cagney really shines and his performance here is brilliantly done. I'm not sure what they did to Cagney's eyes but whatever they did looked terrific. I didn't care too much for Sheridan as I thought she brought the film down and a better actress would have suited the film better. The supporting cast is excellent and features nice performances by Kennedy, Frank Craven, Donald Crisp, Frank McHugh and George Tobias. Anthony Quinn is terrific in his role as Cagney's rival and future director Elia Kazan also shocked me with how great he was. The big boxing scene was brilliantly filmed and looked extremely well bringing in all sorts of intense action. The ending is pretty hokey but otherwise this is a highly impressive little film.