"Angels with Dirty Faces" was released on November 28, 1938, to positive reviews. At the 11th Academy Awards, the film was nominated in three categories: Best Actor (Cagney), Best Director (Curtiz), and Best Story (Brown). "Angels with Dirty Faces" is considered by some to be one of the best films of all time, and is widely regarded as a defining moment in Cagney's career. It was shortlisted by the American Film Institute in 2008, and was voted 67th in a list of the "100 Best Film Noirs of All Time" by "Slant Magazine" in 2015.