indianapolis champion joe greer ( james cagney ) have gasoline in his blood and exhaust gas in his lung and engine on his mind . the roar drown out his girlfriend ( ann dvorak ) feeble attempt to get her share of his attention . she alarm that he risk his life for a blood thirsty crowd ( i want you to quit race ) and afraid of his family ( they think i be not good enough for you ) and concern about the flask in his pocket . he pay no attention to her self sacrifice devotion . bed be not wed . he revel in the admiration of his kid brother ( eric linden ) who plan to follow in his footstep . the sight of linden home assemble car appalls him but when the brood hen preaches represent don not ruin your health the chick usually reply represent i will show you whether i can drive or not . the story seem stereotype but autobiography of race driver resemble each other . win or lose and die or survive in the wheelchair and and there a hussy in every pit . hawk and a former semi professional racer shot much of the film on location and achieve authenticity . when cagney and linden start in a home race they whirl up an asphyxiate cloud of dust . cagney coach his brother and shelter him from immoral female . no virginal crown princess could be well guard . the buoyant joan blondell in cagney eye a racetrack broad be incensed represent why do you stay with him . he doesn not love you . he doesn not marry you . and but dvorak make the best of her position a kept woman . she endure cagney pinprick and even spend the night in a separate hotel room . blondell catch her weeping represent he think i be not good enough . he think i have a bad influence on his brother . one day cagney burst into dvorak room . blondell be there and legs on the table and smoke a cigarette . and linden drink beer ( taste good . fifty million driver can not err ) . an orgy . cagney boil with rage and swears at blondell and break with dvorak . she slap him and weeps and begs . he give her a contemptuous smile . ( i be good enough for him . not for his brother ) . blondell decide to give cagney a lesson by seduce his brother . ( how old do he think the boy be . six . ) but the seductress fall in love ( i be mad about the boy ) which be fine since the boy also in love with her . cagney call blondell on the carpet represent ( the kid have no money . he nothing for you ) and bite on granite . even blackmail fails linden be weary of be treat like a child ( i be not sorry . he be wrong . and i be go to show him tonight ) . cagney start drunk and so drunk that he forget his talisman ( baby shoe ) and cause the death of a friend in a spectacular scene ( they drive through a sea of flame ) . the last part of the film cagney decline and remorse and resurrection be so nuanced and touch that i can safely recommend this film . cagney be on the toboggan ( say the headline ) while linden make a cake baking wifey and er and a respectable woman of blondell . dvorak touch her for the fare ( i try to forget him but i can not ) . cagney rummage garbage can for food and eats rotten banana . old friend patronize him but he do not find a job on the racetrack and not even a mechanic . dvorak and now a waitress and offer him a free meal soup and steak and coffee and a shoulder to cry on . but the performance make everything good . dvorak have much style and blondell be quicksilver . joe greer be a complex character and certainly not a good mixer and but a great actor like cagney accept the challenge and even asks for it .