Taxi!

Directed by Roy Del Ruth, Taxi! follows James Cagney’s Matt Nolan as he eventually takes on the corrupt outfit responsible for his brother’s death. Filmmaker Del Ruth, armed with a script by Kubec Glasmon and John Bright, delivers a pervasively erratic endeavor that gets off to a less-than-enthralling start, as the picture’s first half suffers from a one-note feel that’s reflected in its episodic structure and repetitive emphasis on Matt’s various confrontations – with, at least, the movie benefiting from Cagney’s predictably magnetic turn. (It does seem impossible, however, to buy into Loretta Young’s Sue’s ongoing attraction to Matt, given the character’s decidedly abusive demeanor to every single person he encounters, including Sue herself.) There’s little doubt, then, that Taxi! improves once it progresses into a midsection and third act focused almost entirely on Matt’s vengeance-fuelled exploits, and it’s clear, ultimately, that the film stands as a decent-enough vehicle for a thoroughly electrifying performance by its volatile lead performer.

**1/2 out of ****