Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

edwagreen Outstanding 1959 film showcasing the Irish rebellion against the occupying British.What terrific irony here with James Cagney, as usual in top form, as a surgeon who is also ahead of the rebel group. True to his cause, Cagney, who is supposed to save lives,will take life away for a free Ireland.He meets up with Don Murray, an American, whose father was also an Irish patriot. Murray is studying medicine in Ireland when he becomes part of the rebellious forces.As the bar-maid, Glynis Johns turns in a glowing supporting performance. Dana Wynter is also effective as the daughter of a British official, kidnapped by Cagney and his group to revenge the sentencing of the elderly Dame Sybil Thorndike for pro-rebel activities.We see an eventual break within the group as a truce is called. Cagney is totally against the latter as he wanted a totally free Ireland. This invariably leads to a showdown with Murray and others.A terrific film.

joesherman This was a superb drama, magnificently acted with sensational black and white images throughout. This movie was shown on Channel 13 in NYC on Jan. 21, 2012. Somehow, I had never heard of it before. It's as good as any black-and-white movie drama I have ever seen. I put it in the same class of excellence for this category as The Third Man, High Noon, The Bicycle Thief, Zorba the Greek, and The Hustler. I'm so glad I saw it.This movie contains a lot of violent action, but it is shown in the context of a gripping plot involving complex, three-dimensional characters. The only exception is the minor character Col. Smithson. He is a thoroughly "bad guy" character whose brutality incites the Irish resistance fighters to seek vengeance with an elaborate assassination plot that sets the stage for the climax of the movie. It was all wonderfully satisfying. It would make a terrific opera.

MartinHafer This is one of the very best films from the tail end of Cagney's career. Unlike so many of his previous films, this movie was entertaining AND had something profound to say as well. The film is about IRA terrorists in the early days of the Irish Republic. Instead of being happy with the gains the Irish made, Cagney's character has been fighting so long he's lost track of WHY and is simply hellbent on murder and killing for its own sake. When other members begin calling for restraint, Cagney wants to escalate the killings until eventually he becomes a liability to the organization. While some times Cagney tended to "chew the scenery" at the expense of the film (i.e., he overacted), this movie actually benefited from this style. An excellent and timeless story.

drystyx This movie is one of the older classics that doesn't get much play any more. It is a thought provoking piece, full of vivid characters, and told in an almost non stop action adventure way to make it super entertaining, even for the most impatient viewer. The movie centers on the Irish rebellion, with the reluctant hero, Don Murray, forced into the fray against the terrible Black and Tans. More historically accurate on the background scale than people want to admit. Cagney plays the "commadant" of several squads, who is a very hard liner in the IRA, totally against all compromise with the British authorities. The other characters are vividly expressed by the acting, writing, and directing. There is no weak spot in this film. The attitudes and reactions of each character to the evils by each, Cagney and the leader of the Black and Tans, makes this a remarkable film. Noonan, Cassidy, and also their British counterparts are portrayed as realistically dealing with the bloodshed caused by extremists. Innocent captives are taken by both sides, one a proper older lady jailed by the British, and the other a gorgeous knockout of a lady (Dana Wynter, who alone is worth watching the film for by a guy's standpoint, as there are absolutely no women in today's films as physically attractive as she is), a blue blood captured by the IRA, whom Murray swears to protect from harm. One thing that makes this movie so believable, is that the characters don't automatically assume and know everything that goes on. If the movie was made today, it would probably have such a flaw. This movie is ever so credible, particularly from a character standpoint. You feel the pain and torment of each individual. The movie is so relevant today, and it would be of great value to have it released in countries and lands where there is tumult. If every American should see "Jungle Fighters", "Southern Comfort," and "Ox Bow Incident", to show the dangers of judging others, then this movie should be seen by every Iraqi (and probably everybody) to see just how horrible terror tactics are, and the need for peaceful resolution to problems.