Pretty much a stock Cagney plot with the backdrop this time being the US Marine Corps. Pat O'Brien plays a disciplined and responsible officer who has to teach cocky young upstart pilot Jimmy Cagney the ropes. This time the girl that comes between them is Pat's girlfriend, Margaret Lindsay. It seems like it's always either Pat's sister or the girl Pat is in love with. Whichever it is, you can bet money that Cagney will win her heart by the end of the picture. Also we have Frank McHugh in a standard Frank McHugh role of the funny and likable sidekick. This is basically a remake of Here Comes the Navy. Despite the familiar plot, it's a good movie. The cast is great (Cagney is having a ball) and the aerial photography and plane stunts are impressive. It's a bit by-the-numbers for many people but chances are if you're watching this you're doing so because you like Cagney movies like this one.

Devil Dogs of the Air (1935) *** (out of 4) James Cagney and Pat o'Brien stars in this Warner drama about two Marine pilots who start out as friends but soon turn to enemies when they fall for the same woman (Margaret Lindsay). I had recorded this thing back in March but just now got around to watching it because I thought it would be your typical pilot movie and it pretty much is but there's still a lot going for the film. The star of the film is without a doubt all the flying shots, some of which are just downright terrific including a great scene where Cagney and O'Brien are on a plane, which catches fire. Cagney is his usual great self, although the I think the screenplay makes him too much of a wise guy because you really dislike this guy even though that wasn't the films intent.

DEVIL DOGS OF THE AIR has all the ingredients for a delectable dish, but the ineptitude of the chefs produced an unpalatable, unsavory stew. The story idea came from John Monk Saunders—who, in such films as WINGS, ACE OF ACES, THE DAWN PATROL, and THE LAST FLIGHT, created complex, interesting characters and compelling, dramatic situations. In DEVIL DOGS OF THE AIR, the characters are uniformly one-dimensional and unlikeable, the plot completely lacking in drama and credibility.I'm huge fan of James Cagney and the brash, cocky, vital energy he brought to the screen. In this film, though, he's completely obnoxious, with no trace of any redeeming qualities underneath the outsized ego. I found myself rooting for stalwart Pat O'Brien to smack that arrogant smirk off his face and also win the girl at the end of the picture. Too bad it didn't happen that way. The reconciliation between O'Brien and Cagney in the penultimate scene feels unprepared and unconvincing.The more I see of Margaret Lindsay, the less I think of her as an actor. (Check out her incredibly amateurish and hammy turn in BABY FACE and you'll see what I mean.) Here she's stiff and charmless; so much so that it's hard to fathom why Cagney would pursue her so ardently and why she would choose him over O'Brien in the end. She seems much better suited to the dull, dependable guy.As others have commented, the usually delightful Frank McHugh is given one not very amusing routine that he repeats ad nauseam. Another waste of talent in a film that could have, should have been a lot better.The plot is riddled with non-sequiturs and illogic. For example, when Lindsay gets her mother's check back from Cagney, why do they go through the elaborate business of endorsing it and countersigning it, when all she needed to do was tear it up? And would Lindsay really have been given free rein to roam around the military base, even riding around the airfield during operations? In the scene where O'Brien proposes to her, it's amazing how long it takes her to figure out where the conversation is heading ("I have something important to ask you." "I've been talking to real-estate agents, and we could rent an apartment really cheaply... furnished even.") And she still looks totally shocked when he finally pops the question.The aviation sequences are probably of great interest to enthusiasts, but for this lay viewer they went on a bit too long and quickly became repetitious. The big finale, featuring the simulated air and sea attack, was completely devoid of dramatic tension.I wish I could send this dish back to the kitchen and tell the chefs to re-think the way they combined their ingredients. Maybe they'd produce something more satisfying.

This movie was directed by Lloyd Bacon and stars James Cagney and Pat O'Brien. This is probably one of Cagney's worst pictures and also one of the worst Cagney and O'Brien made together with the exception of The Irish In Us. Just a year later Cagney and O'Brien would go on to make Ceiling Zero with Howard Hawks which is a much better movie and you should watch that one instead. There isn't much to the plot like Cagney wanting to join the marines and winds up having to learn how to fly by his old friend O'Brien who is a Lieutenant. O'Brien is engaged to Margaret Lindsay but even after Cagney finds out he doesn't even care and still goes after her. There isn't much to the movie and you should watch one of Cagney's better movies instead.