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!"

I've watched this film over the space of 35 years and my admiration changes but never diminishes. It's a powerful story of the immigrant saga, high vs. popular art, soul killing careerism, street America, brotherhood 'hoodism'... this picture has got a lot going on.If you don't like it, I don't like you.Anatole Litvak was an immigrant along with many WB employees. Donald Crisp, Elia Kazan, Sig Ruman are all here. It's an important film for Cagney and WB in The context of their place in history. So many WB films are more highly regarded but for me this is the best representation of the WB aesthetic.

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.

A nice cast elevates this melodrama about good-guy James Cagney ("Danny Kenny" ) trying to win over career-minded Ann Sheridan ("Peggy Nash"). Cagney's "Danny" is a regular kind of guy. All he wants in life is a nice, simple job and to settle down with his lifelong girlfriend "Peg.""Peg" likes him, too, but wants her dancing career and the limelight more. Several times she breaks poor Danny's heart. Meanwhile, Danny has a talent for prizefighting but no desire to do it for a living. He doesn't want to hurt anybody. Near the end, he resorts to a ring career only as a last-ditch attempt to win his girl......with tragic resultsThis is not a Cagney gangster movie nor a boxing film. It is simply a drama-romance with some boxing thrown in, and only one fight highlighted. That main event in which Cagney is blinded by his opponent cheating is a painful segment to watch, especially since it results in a brutal beating. What happens afterward makes this movie special.There are some memorable scenes in this movie, both tough and tender. The finish is an old-fashioned touching one guaranteed to bring a tear or two to anyone's eyes who has a heart.There are a number of dated lines of dialog, but hearing the lingo of the day is kind of fun. Cagney, as usual, is extremely interesting to watch. He's the best of a good cast. Included in that cast is famous director Elia Kazan, who plays "Googie." Kazan shows he could act, too. The film also marked the acting debut of Arthur Kennedy, who plays Cagney's brother "Eddie." Kennedy's role is a key one in the emotional ending.Overall, this is really good storytelling and movie-making, the kind that gives "the classic era" a good reputation.