Devil Dogs of the Air: Cagney being Cagney in the clouds

Is it worth your time?

If you like James Cagney being a complete jerk and then slowly realizing he shouldn't be, you'll probably enjoy Devil Dogs of the Air. If you want a movie with a coherent plot or, I don't know, a script that doesn't feel like it was written on the back of a cocktail napkin, look elsewhere. It is essentially a recruiting commercial that forgot to be subtle.

James Cagney plays Tommy O'Toole, a guy so full of himself he probably checks his reflection in every puddle he passes. He joins the Marines, but he treats it like he’s doing the Corps a massive favor just by showing up.

The flying stuff

The aerial photography is genuinely wild for 1935. You can tell they actually put these planes in the air, which gives everything a raw, shaking energy you don't get with modern CGI. It’s loud, buzzy, and makes you wonder how half the cast didn't get sick from all the spinning.

There is a sequence where the planes form these geometric patterns that feels strangely hypnotic. Then the movie cuts back to the dialogue, and you're immediately brought back down to earth in the worst way. The transition from high-flying stunts to the romantic sub-plot is about as smooth as a crash landing.

Cagney and O'Brien

Pat O'Brien is there to play the stern, long-suffering superior, which is basically his permanent state of being in these movies. Watching them bark at each other is like watching two dogs fighting over a bone, but the bone is just pride. It gets old after a while, but for the first twenty minutes, it’s got some real snap to it.

Margaret Lindsay is stuck in the middle, and honestly, she deserves a medal for keeping a straight face. She’s the love interest, but the movie seems to forget she’s a person half the time. She’s just a prize they’re bickering over.

• The dialogue is so fast it sounds like a machine gun.
• I swear some of the background extras are just looking at their watches.
• The sound of the propellers is incredibly grating after about an hour.

It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles, though with way more gasoline and fewer bubbles. If you’ve seen The Freshman's Finish, you know the type of 'learning to be a better man' trope they are forcing here.

Is it great cinema? No. Is it a good way to spend a rainy afternoon when you don't want to think too hard? Sure. Just don't expect it to change your life. ✈️