james cagney play richard gargan ( nicknamed patsy . ) and a former gangster now oversee the surly lad a the new superintendent of a state run reform school . tepid genre entry wherein cagney the whole show while he dominate the picture and but only because there not much else of interest go on . jimmy give just what expect from his hard boil persona and which can be satisfy if youre in for a quick fix . the direction ( by archie mayo and though michael curtiz be say to have help ) be straightforward without be particularly grip and although the narrative slip in the second half and grind the film down to a messy conclusion ( with even cagney patsy get lose in the shuffle ) . remade in 1938 a crime school and again in 1939 a hell kitchen . from .