NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Glimmerubro It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

Caryl It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

utgard14 Small-town barber Nick Venizelos (Edward G. Robinson) is very lucky at gambling. So lucky that his friends pool their money and send him to a high-stakes poker game in the city. But Nick gets in over his head and is conned by grifters. Together with his friend Jack (James Cagney), Nick gets even and then rises to the top of the gambling empire. Not sure exactly what that means since the movie is pretty vague about what Nick is doing besides playing poker. But the district attorney thinks he's a public menace that needs to be stamped out, so there we are.Fine Pre-Code Warner Bros. drama, notable for being the only screen pairing of Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney, two of WB's biggest stars of the 1930s. Robinson's the lead here, with Cagney in a supporting role. They play well off each other. Boris Karloff has a bit part as a gambler Robinson hates. We never get an explanation as to why. Not Karloff's finest hour. In "be thankful this is in black & white" news, pay attention to a character named Shultz that's part of the con artist gang. This guy's teeth are disgusting!

Michael O'Keefe A mildly comedic drama directed by Alfred E. Green. A selling point is a the first and only time screen icons Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney would appear together on the silver-screen. The established Robinson and the soon emerging star Cagney play together quite well. Robinson plays an immigrant Greek barber, Nick Venizelos; a guys guy hooked on poker. By chance or talent, Nick knew how to win money and lots of it. But not satisfied being the 'big fish in a little pond'; Nick is backed with money from his friends and goes to "the city" to play with the big boys and bigger money. Nick and his fondness for pretty blondes and a poker game does not mix well. Soon he is "taken to the cleaners" by a card shark, Sleepy Sam(Ralf Harolde). But not totally down on his luck, one of his best pals, Jack(Cagney), shows up in time to turn the tables on the sleazy operator, who cheated Nick out of his bankroll.Story line well constructed with better than average dialogue(for the times.) It appears obvious that Cagney does not want to take anything away from Robinson in the scenes they share. And a nice parade of pretty girls. Rounding out the cast: Noel Francis, Evalyn Knapp, Maurice Black, Paul Porcasi and Margaret Livingston.

calvinnme 1931's "Smart Money" is the only time Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney were paired in a film. Robinson is definitely in the lead here, though. Although it's impossible to really describe Cagney as "subdued" in anything he ever did, he is toned down a bit. Robinson plays Nick the barber, who gets 10K together to gamble in one of the syndicate's big games. This turns out the way you'd expect when a small time guy goes up against the mob and expects them to play on the level. Robinson's character vows revenge as a result of this double-cross. He eventually does become a successful big-time gambler with a gambling syndicate of his own. At this point he begins to attract the attention of law enforcement.Don't expect Robinson's Little Caesar character to show up here - Nick the Barber is a kinder gentler gangster. In fact, he's really not much of a gangster at all. He pretty much limits his law-breaking to participating in and backing gambling until the final scene, which turns out to be the height of irony. Very much worth your viewing time.

lastliberal The same year that he starred in Little Caesar and Five Star Final, Robinson made the Oscar-nominated film that shows the rise of a small-town gambler that goes to the big city and gets suckered. Six months later he is back vowing to never let that happen again and he rises to the top of the gambling world.With James Cagney (Yankee Doodle Dandy, Angels With Dirty faces)at his side to watch out for him, he manages to elude capture by the authorities - mainly because he has bought off most of them. But, as he says, he has a weakness for women - especially blonds. That will prove his down fall.It was not the "Little Caesar" Robinson, but a happy-go-lucky guy that just seemed to take things as they come. he was smiling and laying odds as they carted him off to prison. A funny film that is only marred by the racism that was typical of the time.