Dead End - 1937 ***

I wasn't a massive fan of this film, despite having waited over 2 years to watch it. However I did find that Bogart's evil character was a complete change from his usual good-guy persona. He shows in this that he really isn't type-cast and can portray both a positive and a negative character.

The story itself I gather is about social class. We have the slum area of New York, inhabited by the lowest of the low, and the wealthy apartments that have been built above for the view of the East River. Unfortunately it then means that the wealthy are in full view of the poor, and this therefore leads to antagonism between each class.

The first of seven films of the Dead End Kids, I recognised them almost immediately after having seen them in 'Angels with Dirty Faces' some years ago. They portray the poor and desperate kids of the area well, although their constant anger and violent amusement is something that grows tiring after a while.

We then have Sylvia Sydney, the sister of the head of the gang of boys, who has feelings for Joel McCrea, an unemployed architect who spends his time with a rich woman named Kay.

Bogart doesn't pop up immediatly, and when he does it's not a huge deal, (you see his trouserleg!)but soon after, once you really see him get into his part, he sends shivers down your spine, almost like Cagney's Cody Jarrett does in 'White Heat.' Back to the slums to visit his mother and old girlfriend, Martin is in for a shock with what he realises he's left behind and resorts to drastic measure to make his trip home worth while.

The thing with watching Bogart play a bad character (humourously called 'Baby Face' Martin) is that I am constantly expecting him to revert back to his loveable do-gooder, detective persona, who will give a sly wink or smirk to his leading lady before she collapses into his arms, overwhelmed by his charisma, and when that doesn't happen it's a very weird and unsettling moment for me. I can't say I prefer Bogart as an evil character but it's certainly interesting to watch, and Bogart is in my opinion one of the best actors to ever grace the silver screen.