In the 1930s, when James Cagney didn’t play a crook in the movies, he often played a reformed crook. Still devious, still underhanded, and still charming as all get out, but this time on the right side of the law. Or close to it, at least. Pretend that he lived through The Public Enemy, did some time and decided to go straight. That’s easy to do with Picture Snatcher. It begins right at the jailhouse gates, where ex-con Cagney makes his exit with swagger and wisecracks. He comes off like a born gangster until he tells his old cohorts that he’s a new man and wants a square job. From there, he falls into work as a newspaper photographer (depicted here as a seedy world of alcoholics and shady characters). His specialty: Getting photographs of people who don’t want to be photographed and taking his camera to places where most photographers can’t or won’t dare to go. Laughs, gunplay and turbulent romance follows, all at the characteristic fast clip of the old Warner Brothers programmers. Director Lloyd Bacon hands the whole film to Cagney, who dominates every scene and scores another powerhouse performance.