Steineded How sad is this?

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Candida It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

GManfred This was a fairly interesting story which needed a plot twist or two for a better rating. It was predictable and somewhat dated as it is a prohibition era story and is very old-fashioned in many aspects. Cagney is a hack driver and Loretta Young is his girl friend who becomes his wife. He has a volatile temper which spills over at the slightest provocation and gets him into trouble. It also causes him to slap Young around and evidently is an excuse to use this picture to hone Cagney's tough-guy image as he defeats the Taxi Union. The viewer will wonder why she stays with him throughout the film, but as a 30's movie it probably passed for normal to audiences of the time.Film buffs will recognize several familiar faces of 30's movies. David Landau plays his usual bad guy role, George E. Stone is Cagney's pal and Guy Kibbee is Young's father. No new ground is broken in Taxi! and the story has been used before, but it is a chance for a glimpse at pre-code Hollywood and some of the stars of long ago.

jaybour Leila Bennett's droning was endless, intrusive, grating, and monotonous. She single-handedly ruined every scene in which she was featured, and there were far too many of those; oh, what a Fanny Brice or Judy Holliday could have done with this role! Also, Loretta's character forgiving Cagney's at the end of the movie is reprehensible and stomach-turning - all women should hate this facile and callous resolution. Cagney's character had absolutely no redeeming qualities. And how the hell did he get away with attempted murder? Definitely not my favourite Cagney vehicle although I really, really liked Loretta Young despite the ending foisted upon her.

George Wright The early 1930's in New York City is the scene for this movie where men fight one another for advantage in the taxi business. The women in their lives get embroiled in the crime wave that breaks out. Jimmy Cagney is Matt Nolan, the pugnacious rabble rouser and the little guy with a chip on his shoulder in a role that defines his mannerisms and style as the lovable tough guy. Loretta Young is Sue Riley, the daughter of a driver who gets killed in the working class warfare, who Cagney falls in love with. She is every bit as spunky in her effort to stop the vicious rivalry that took the life of her father. Young became one of the most loved actresses of her time. She made this movie in her late teens and is brilliant. Leila Bennett is Ruby, Sue's close friend, who delivers a large measure of humor and her New York twang gives it that extra zing. The movie takes us through the streets and into the ballrooms and apartments of depression era New York. Judging by the names, the characters are mostly Irish, with Irish cops and priest to complete the picture. However, it is Cagney and Young who shine. When he falls for Sue, Matt is putty in her hands but when his temper gets the better of him, the romance wanes. Sue is every bit as lovestruck when Matt kisses and flirts with her. This is a crime movie with lots of fun and a great slice of New York City life but most of all, I liked the match-up of the two stars, who are at their best.

ROCKY-19 Taxi! is most famous as an early starring role for James Cagney and more so for the fact he shows off his Yiddish-speaking skills. A great factor in this film is the variety of genuine New York accents on display throughout. Music to the ears! The plot line is a bit fractured, zipping from cab wars, to romance, to murder, and all that jazz. Cagney is an independent driver trying to rally the other cabbies to fight the big taxi company trying to violently run them all out of business. A fracas in a nightclub on his wedding night results in the stabbing death of his brother and he vows revenge.Cagney plays a sometimes likable, sometimes obnoxious guy with a rotten temper. His violent outbursts are a sign of things to come in Cagney's cast of characters. He is electric even with subpar material. And, of course, he dances on screen for the first time. A very young and beautiful Loretta Young is a smarter romantic partner than Cagney usually got. By the way, her hairstyle is lovely. Leila Bennett steals the movie as a droning chatterbox who could have an hour-long conversation by herself. Most people know someone exactly like her.Cultural points: We are treated to an early version of Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia On My Mind" at the Cottonpickers Club. The Warner Bros. film takes a slam at Paramount's Fredric March - whose early film roles were more than reminiscent of John Barrymore. For the brief foxtrot contest, Cagney suggested producers hire George Raft as his main competitor because he remembered his dancing ability from their time in Vaudeville. Raft was in Hollywood as a bit dancer and had no notion of becoming an actor - that would change within a year. This is one of only two films these very good friends appeared in together (See "Each Dawn I Die" nearly 10 years later).