This isn't the worst Cagney movie, but it is a good example of the problem with his acting. He was an amazing screen presence, demanding to be watched, a wonderfully versatile performer and an incredibly successful professional, but (and I know it's almost sacrilege to say this in the company of nostalgia-hungry Americans) he brought far too much of his dancing to his straight acting. The result is so often irritating, jerky physicality producing an uncomfortable caricature rather than a believable character. Hank Martin is one of many Cagney performances that needs the melodrama turning down a notch or two. This isn't the worst culprit; for that see "What Price Glory", "Blood on the Sun" or "The Fighting 69th".
Review of A Lion Is in the Streets
