The Roaring Twenties – Review

As Americans struggle in WWI trying to make the world safe for democracy, soldiers Eddie Bartlett (Cagney) and George Hally (Bogart) seek shelter in a shell hole. Explosions and gunfire continue all around them while they try to share a smoke. They are joined by a third, Lloyd Hard (Lynn), a young kid interested in college and the law, but not in fighting. Yet, here he is.

When the battle settles down, the men recover back at the Army barracks, and read letters from home. After a brief respite they hit the war-torn countryside again, talking over rumors of an armistice, as well as upcoming prohibition laws coming to the U.S. Maybe if they can get home, there will be some opportunities for them. Then, the armistice indeed passes.

Eddie returns home to New York and reconnects with pal and taxi driver Danny Green (McHugh), and then looks to get his old job back as a mechanic. Unfortunately, the garage is full up. The world appears to have moved on while the soldiers were out fighting. Prohibition also hurts the job opportunities, and there is a struggle for everyday people to survive.

So, what does Eddie do? A girl he knows and used to mail him, Jean Sherman (Lane) lives over in Long Island, and he hope she may help tide things over for now. But the real issues are still income and livelihood. Eddie is running low on patience after all that he has sacrificed. He gets some good connections through Panama Smith (George), a speakeasy patron with big ideas. As he reconnects with wartime pals Lloyd and George, bootlegging alcohol starts to pay the bills. How will the men fare when the stock market crashes, and even more pressure is put on them?

The Roaring Twenties is a very interesting story which covers a lot of ground and many aspects of past society. Undercover liquor trafficking helped the underworld flourish, and criminal thrived. Money will always be made, and people need their booze. Despite the differences in period, much of the film feels familiar to today’s problems, as humans are fairly slow to solve societal issues.

The cast has some major players of the time; however, this film was before Bogart really blew up as a star. The dialogue is strong and not hammy in presentation despite its older cadence. It is an interesting character study as men of war were left with little support at home. Sounds familiar… A story about 100 years ago feels fairly modern, as families struggle with inflation, lack of work, government crackdowns and the fallout of war. It’s a pretty quick moving tale and covers multiple points of view. Well-acted and well shot, this crime tale is fully worth the time.