this one of those social drama that wb know how to put together and be guarantee boxoffice hit in the thirty . this early dead end kid be send to a reform school where they be mistreat . cagney and a gangster a part of a deal be appoint a the commissioner of the school . he doesn not take it seriously at first but he change and make the necessary change to improve the life of the boy . the idea be to let the boy rule and administer their community . whether this be sound social reform be beyond my belief but it a movie . it a lot like boy town with a slight darker tone . a useless happy end deluge what impact the scene prior hard but be still good . wb would later make this same movie with bogart in the cagney or fatherly role .