***SPOILERS***Fairly decent re-make of the 1942 crime classic "This Gun for Hire" directed by, in his first and only attempt, James Cagney. It's the cat loving hit-man Kyle Niles, Robert Iver, who after murdering buildings inspector Carl Adams, Peter Baldwin, and his secretary in cold blood gets double-crossed by the person who hired him "Fat Man" Bharwell, Jacques Aubuchon, to get him out of the way. Giving Niles his cut in the double murders $1,000.00 he dropped a dime on him by informing the police that the money was stolen,and giving them a list of the bills serial numbers, which Bharwell in fact embezzled from his own construction business! Niles who soon found out about the "Fat Man's" back stabbing not taking this lying down is now determined to make him pay with his life for this dirty double-cross on his part!The film takes the same track as the original "This Gun for Hire" with Niles hooking up with this innocent bystander, while on the run from the police, Glory Hamilton,Georgann Johnson, who ends up not only falling in love but also humanizing the cold blooded killer. Who's only human emotion was when he accidentally killed a stray cat, who jumped on him in the dark, and then broke down and cried like a baby! With the police on his as well as Glory's, who helped him on every turn, tail Niles finally tracked down not only "Fat Man" Bahrwell but his boss crooked and criminal businessman AT, Richard Hale, at the AT Mansion.***SPOILERS*** It was a stroke of luck for Niles as well as later for the police and D.A's office in that AT had his tape recorder on when confronted by him that implicated him and "Fat Boy" in Adam and his secretary's murders. With nothing left for him now Niles makes a run for it after dispatching AT "Fat Man" and the house butler as well as torture freak Nichols, Murvyn Vye, on his run to freedom. Niles in a futile attempt of desperately trying to escape only gets gunned down by the police and ends up dying in Glory's arms who had tried to talk him into surrendering. A fitting ending for a man who after a life of crime & violence finally saw the light and in a strange way ended up redeeming himself!

This is the only film James Cagney directed, and for a first-time effort, this remake of THIS GUN FOR HIRE is not too shabby. Cagney supposedly made the film as a favor to producer A.C. Lyles, and he did not really intend to pursue a career as a director. While it may not be up to the original, the film still has a good deal of Cagney-esque energy, and enough suspense to sustain viewer interest. Actress Georgann Johnson is cast in the Veronica Lake role, and she applies a serious amount of realism. At one point, she has to walk down the aisle of a train, and she does it very subtly as if her equilibrium is off-balance, which if you think about it, it should be. How come other actors do not walk realistically on trains, planes and other fast-moving transportation in movies? Maybe they should consult Miss Johnson for pointers.

Story about an antisocial hired killer who goes after an employer who double crosses him. While tracking down the men who hired him he gets involved with the female lead a night club singer on her way to Los Angeles. In the end revenge is extracted.It is fast paced and keeps your interest especially the first hour. When the action moves to LA it starts to bog down a bit and get a little squirrelly. There is a long scene in an air raid shelter of some huge giant factory that is completely implausible...dozens of police scour the plant for hours but overlook an obvious staircase to the airraid shelter??Still it is worth a watch I give it a 6.The other reviews are by people much more knowledgeable about the actors and period than I...am reviewing it as a naive uninformed viewer.RECOMMEND

Jimmy Cagney directs a movie! ...and proves that he should stay in front of the camera. Here he remakes the respected though troubled hybrid (half noir, half thirties) This Gun for Hire. Why would he do that? Beats me. The cast is second-rate, and it looks like Cagney didn't have the patience for any complicated set-up. The anti-hero and his quarry mount a ladder in one shot and in the next shot, they've exchanged positions. How do you do that on a ladder? Lazy. Cagney settles for very lousy takes, and he hasn't any interest in logic. The bad guy lets his girl don his hat and jacket, and act as a decoy; to be shot at by police. Yeah, that's a great ruse.The female lead is some doughy-faced nobody who would captivate no one. You've seen better acting at your local high school. There might be one good shot in the whole movie. A gratuitous intro by Cagney is tacked on to persuade you you're seeing something of merit. But it's a B picture from start to finish.