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Absolutely Fantastic

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Interesting B movie from Grand National that reunites James Cagney with his Public Enemy co-star Mae Clarke. This was one of the movies Cagney made during his contract dispute with Warner Bros. The plot has tough guy Cagney taking over the position of Chief Deputy of the Departments of Weights and Measures, where he fights corruption with a good right cross. It never ceases to amaze me how bureaucrats were held in high esteem in 1930s movies. Name just about any government official and there was at least one movie with him as a crusading hero. More naive about government back then, I guess. Anyway this is not a bad movie but nothing exceptional. It moves along quickly. Cagney elevates the film above its Poverty Row backdrop. It's nice seeing him with Clarke again. The two have a playful chemistry. James Burke is a little annoying as Cagney's "Lucky Charms" sidekick. Worth a look for all Cagney fans, if for no other reason than to see him doing mundane things like shopping for groceries and putting gas in his car. All in the name of justice, of course.

Nothing dilutes Cagney's tough-guy persona, even this little B-movie lets him shine.He's a civil-servant with punch (literally) working on the front line to enforce weights & measures rules when it seems just about every other retailer is ripping the public off. We see some interesting little dodges as regards to lead weights placed in chickens (they're already dead!) rigged scales, petrol pumps & so on. It was a crooked world in 1930's America - or so it would appear. Basically he's scrupulously honest, won't take bribes, goes after everybody big and small; a sort of Elliot Ness of fair trade. Needless to say; he rubs a lot of people up the wrong way. It's a short movie at just 66mins, so the plot is inevitably shallow and the corruption sanitised with some slap-stick humour.Despite its age, it kept me watching. Being short, the plot moved at a quick pace. It's B/W, with all of the faults you might expect from an old un-restored print of this age, but it's clear enough in both sound & vision not to detract from enjoyment. My copy came as a 3-movie tough-guy offering on a single DVD, 4x3 format and PG rating.

Just saw this movie for the first time last night and I really enjoyed it. It's not every day you see a film about the Weights and Measures investigator. I got to tell ya, even watching Cagney in this B movie was completely enjoyable. These movies are a lot different when the lead actor shows up to act the walls off the place. He is 100% believable from start to finish and it really ups the value and watch-ability of the film.My favorite scenes are his Investigation scenes. The film has several twists which are nice and some fun action scenes. Pretty intense fight scene at the end between Cagney and one of the bad guys. The two stuntmen were really duking it out.

The interesting role for James Cagney is probably the main reason to watch "Great Guy". The role in itself is a fairly uncommon one for a leading role, and Cagney gives it his own distinctive style. The movie overall is a solid if rather predictable crime drama, with a couple of interesting details.Cagney plays a new official in charge of the bureau of weights and measures, which is a relatively creative choice for a movie hero. As Cagney goes about investigating various instances of fraud, his character gradually takes on more and more of the tough guy persona that you associate with Cagney. At the same time, the stakes become ever higher in his battle with the sources of corruption.The supporting cast is adequate, but they are generally overshadowed rather easily by Cagney. Mae Clarke is relatively appealing as Cagney's fiancée, but she mostly has to react to situations, since the script and dialogue don't give her much more to work with.The movie as a whole largely follows a familiar pattern, and with a lesser star it would have been a rather routine affair. Cagney brings it up a couple of notches, and his own performance certainly won't disappoint anyone either.