the young john garfield turn in a fine performance in the 1939 they make me a criminal . celebrate a ring victory in a jammed locker room and boxer johnnie bradfield emote about his love of mom and rejection of booze and clean living style to fan and include cop and who eat it up . later in the evening he plow and tussle with his bimbo gal while his manager and in on the con and share the evening . and the whiskey . a problem develop when another couple arrive . the guy be a newspaper reporter and he say he will expose bradfield phony life on the front page . the manager kill the reporter and he and the floozy depart . the murder discover and cop and later and be on the lookout for the now somnolent boxer whose car be drive by the manager with his new girlfriend johnny now instant ex . a police chase end with a fiery car crash . manager and girl be dead and unrecognizable . johnny discovers that he suppose to be a killer . but he also presume dead . seek advice from a lawyer and he entrust the counselor with the key to a bank deposit box hold his sole saving and $ 10 and 000. the lawyer later give johnny $ 250 and tell him that the balance be his fee for give him professional advice represent get out of town and fast and and go far away . ( i would never charge a client more than $ 5 and 000 for such pithy and succinct and wise direction . ) johnny and now a freight train hop hobo and wind up conveniently pass out at an arizona date ranch where he nurse back to health by beautiful goldie west and ann sheridan and a fine actress whose career be in the ascendancy . take jack dorney a his moniker and the pugilist lose some of his rough edge a he fall in love with goldie . he become a mentor and pal to the dead end kid . familiar screen character to pre war moviegoer . a chance to make money arises when an exhibition boxer show up challenge any sucker to last several round in the ring with him . it a natural temptation for bradfield or dorney but there a fly in the ointment . who should show up but new york detective monty phelan and the laugh stock of the department . he be on morgue duty for age because of a slight mistake early in his career that send an innocent man to old sparky ( we all make mistake and do not we . ) phelan recognize bradfield from a news photo and he there to watch the fight and make the pinch . claude rain be the cop who endure slight and barb from his fellow officer for year . what follow be predictable but it well act . i hope this be a main feature when it be release it too good to rank a a b second on a marquee . busby berkeley and best know a an outstanding choreographer and direct they make me a criminal and max steiner and one of hollywood all time prolific score composer and write nice but not extraordinary music for the film . now available on dvd from alpha video and the movie set me back a mere $ 4 . 99 and give me real pleasure . i will view it again . positive .