"I don't 'spose it's very easy for you girls..."
Interesting little flick. In the first scene, a thin girl whispers a sob story into Edward G Robinson's ear; he caves and gives her a hundred bucks to "get her out of trouble." By the last scene, he's gone through multiple lovely girls, just about all out to swindle him out of something. I swear, I couldn't tell many of these quintessential 30s platinum blonds apart! Robinson plays Nick the Barber, who starts out giving shaves in "Iron City," but whose gambling smarts lead him to "The City," where he's king, running illegal gambling joints and pulling in wads of dough from elite clients. I thoroughly enjoyed the bald-faced pleasure Robinson gets out of a good poker game, one upping a crooked gambler, or running his hands along his manicurist's pretty legs. What the hell! Despite his slight turn towards the arrogant when he starts winning the big bets, he actually remains highly likable right up to the end of the film. It's refreshing to watch an old film and not be hammered over the head with moralizing!
Jimmy Cagney appears as his right-hand man.
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