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The Public Enemy (1931)

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41 out of 46 people found the following comment useful :-
A Thug's Life, 1 May 2004
Author: lugonian from Kissimmee, Florida

THE PUBLIC ENEMY (Warner Brothers, 1931), directed by William A. Wellman, is a prime example of how a motion picture produced during the early sound era can still hold up today. A worthy follow-up to the studio's most recent gangster outing, LITTLE CAESAR (1930), that elevated Edward G. Robinson to stardom, THE PUBLIC ENEMY brought forth another new screen personality, James Cagney, in his fifth screen appearance, and the motion picture that started his road to fame as a top leading actor for the next thirty years. In THE PUBLIC ENEMY, Cagney displayed a new kind of movie thug: rough, particularly with guys who betray him; tough, especially with women who get on his nerves or play him for a sucker; and ready, to succeed, and will sock, punch, slap or kill anybody who gets in his way. His Tom Powers does have a soft spot for his mother, but he is far from being a "Momma's Boy." Being a natural talent, Cagney makes THE PUBLIC ENEMY all it's worth.

THE PUBLIC ENEMY plays in the biographical mode, displaying the origin of the two central characters, Tom Powers and Matt Doyle, as boys leading to their adult lives as tough young men, with one being the more forceful, stronger and tougher than the other, having no remorse whatsoever for his actions. As the opening and closing titles imply, "Tom Powers is a problem that sooner or later, we, the public must solve." In spite of his upbringing being raised in a good home, even if it's in the poor section of town, with hard-working parents to support and care for him, the Tom Powers character in question indicates that he was born ... to be bad. Cagney expertly portrays him as the most vicious, cold-hearted thug in the history of crime. Profiled as a movie based on actual characters, with the names changed to protect the innocent, THE PUBLIC ENEMY may be trivial in that respect, but what is presented on screen ranks one of the most powerful stories ever filmed.

Starting off with brief segments indicating the passage of time, the story opens to the year 1909 with an overview of a city (Chicago) followed by the outlook of a small industrial town where Tommy Powers (Junior Coughlan) and his best pal, Matt Doyle (Frankie Darro) two pre-teen boys, coming out of a brewery drinking beer. They are next seen being chased by a store detective of a department store for shoplifting, later bringing the stolen goods of watches to their adviser, Putty Nose (Murray Kinnell), who sings songs while playing the piano at a place called The Red Oaks Club. Tommy, whose father (Purnell B. Pratt), an officer of the law, disciplines his son for his wrong-doings with the use of a wide leather strap against the boy's rear end whenever possible, which turns out to be of no consequence. Tommy's older brother, Mike, disapproves of his ways, but in spite of Mike showing signs of growing to become a decent citizen, it is evident that it is bad boy Tommy whom their mother (Beryl Mercer) favors. Next scene, 1915, brings out the now grown Tom Powers (James Cagney) and Matt Doyle (Edward Woods) still doing petty crimes for Putty Nose, who now offers the boys their diploma, guns. Their first real job into the real world is robbing the Northwestern Fur Trading Company. After being caught, the two nervous thugs make a run for it, leading to a chase and some shooting. Tom and Mike come out from a dark alley and immediately throw away the evidence used to kill their pursuer, a policeman. In spite of protection offered by their guider, Putty Nose disappears, leaving his "students" to take the blame. 1917 finds Tom and Matt employed as truck drivers; Tom's older brother, Mike (Donald Cook), a streetcar conductor, enlists in the Marines after the outbreak of the Great War (World War I). Before departing from home, Mike confronts Tom about rumors he's heard about the way he and Matt are earning their living, leading to an argument that finishes with a fight that gives Mike his last punch on Tom, causing both brothers to now become rivals. 1920, the Prohibition Era, finds Tom and Matt working for bootlegger Patrick J. "Paddy" Ryan (Robert Emmett O'Connor), as well as making friends with "Nails" Nathan (Leslie Fenton), an underworld chief. Mike, who has returned home a war hero and now supporting a wife, his childhood sweetheart and Matt's sister, Molly (Rita Flynn), refuses to have anything to do with Tom, much to the sorrow of their mother. Aside from their usual criminal activities bootlegging beer, the boys do find time for romance: Matt meets and soon marries Mamie (Joan Blondell) while Tom has short-lived encounters with both Kitty (Mae Clarke), and Gwen Allen (Jean Harlow). Tom becomes more interested in Gwen because she's more his type, but since his life of crime takes a priority, their relationship comes to a close. When things start to go well for Tom and Mike working for Paddy Ryan, Scheiner Burns, a rival gang leader, attempts to take over Ryan's establishment, leading to more gunplay, especially for Tom, who's become quick on the trigger, only to have things backfire on him.

If not the most famous of the early gangster films, THE PUBLIC ENEMY is one of the most revived. Quite frank in its actions, and adult for its intentions, much of the then so-called violence occurs out of camera range. Yet, whatever is displayed on film is something not to forget. These days, there isn't a year that goes by in which THE PUBLIC ENEMY isn't televised. Because of its popularity, and due to frequent revivals, this, along with its predecessor, LITTLE CAESAR (1930), have become immortalized in cinema history.

Whenever a topic pertaining to THE PUBLIC ENEMY arises, it's not the story that immediately comes to mind, but Cagney with his individual scenes, including Tom (Cagney) ordering a beer in a bar, tasting it to discover it's not his brand, then squirting the product into the bartender's face; Tom's cold-blooded kill on Putty Nose as he shoots him in the head while his intended victim is playing his last song on the piano; Tom's offscreen shootout with a rival gang in a fancy nightclub, then stumbling out in the pouring rain to utter this classic line, "I ain't so tough" before falling into the puddle of water in the gutter. But all these scenes are pale in comparison by the time it reaches its most chilling yet unexpected climax ever recorded on film. Watch for it. But of all aforementioned scenes, the most famous of all happens to be the one involving Tom at the breakfast table with his live-in mistress, Kitty (Mae Clarke), which leads to harsh words that cause Tom to end their relationship by pushing a grapefruit smack into her face. Never has so few minutes of screen time have such an impact for so long. What's even more interesting is the fact that Mae Clarke, who appears unbilled, began her movie career in 1929 in leading roles. In spite of her potential as a fine young actress (as proven with her rarely seen WATERLOO BRIDGE for Universal in 1931), she wasn't nor ever became a top box office draw, yet, one wonders how or why someone of her current status ever got to appear in something categorized today as a cameo, yet at the same time, making cinema history involving only a grapefruit. Aside from Clarke's famous few minutes of grapefruit glory, Mia Marvin (with a face that resembles Maureen "Marcia Brady" McCormick from TV's 1970s sit-com, THE BRADY BUNCH'S) who appears near the end of the story, shouldn't go unmentioned playing a slut named Jane who shows great interest in Tom, enough so by getting him drunk so to seduce him. When Tom comes to his senses the following morning, he smacks some sense out of her and departs. Jean Harlow, billed second in the cast after Cagney, doesn't get any abuse from her leading man as the other two actresses. She makes her grand entrance 45 minutes into the start of the story, playing one of Tom's pickups. While Harlow's performance has been criticized to be one of her worst, chances are her portrayal might have been intented to be performed in that manner. Harlow's Gwen Allen is an uneducated blonde floozy with her gift for attracting men, since, as she puts it, "I've known ... dozens of them." What possibly hurts the film is not Harlow herself, but the inane dialogue she recites, especially during her "love scenes" with Cagney: ("Oh my bashful boy" or "Oh, Tommy, I could love YOU to death!"). Since this future MGM star had her limitations in THE PUBLIC ENEMY, it really didn't appear to do some or any damage to the story, yet it offers a look to one of the shining stars from the 1930s whose life and career had come to a sudden close at the age of 26 in 1937. THE PUBLIC ENEMY was her one and only Warner Brothers film. Joan Blondell, a stock player for Warners through most of the 1930s, is often overlooked as being one of the co-stars of THE PUBLIC ENEMY. Her scenes play mostly opposite Edward Woods as Tom's boyhood pal, Matt. Woods, whose has almost equal screen time with Cagney, is a Hollywood name very few would remember today. Several documentaries profiling gangster films have indicated Woods as the initial star of THE PUBLIC ENEMY with Cagney assuming the subordinate role, with director Wellman seeing an error with the casting and wisely having these actors switch roles. A smart move on Wellman's part, who made THE PUBLIC ENEMY one of the true classic crime dramas of its day. Donald Cook, Beryl Mercer and Robert O'Connor appearing in subordinate roles, are essential with their parts, but never outshine Hollywood's finest movie thug, a/k/a Public Enemy, James Cagney, whose tougher roles, ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (1938) and WHITE HEAT (1949) were years into his future. With limited underscoring, the theme song, "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles," like Cagney and his grapefruit, has long become associated with THE PUBLIC ENEMY.

THE PUBLIC ENEMY, which has become one of the first major movies from the Warner Brothers library to be distributed on video cassette, and later on DVD, can be seen quite frequently on Turner Classic Movies. It might not have the realistic violence as any crime film of today, but THE PUBLIC ENEMY presents itself as a gangster drama that doesn't have to be all blood and guts to become successful. Good acting, fine story, interesting characters supplied with tight action is all what is needed to make a good movie.

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16 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
Cagney Makes This One Of The Best Classic Era Crime Movies Ever, 21 October 2006

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

Once again, Jimmy Cagney struts his stuff.....and makes a big name for himself in the very early part of his acting career. He clearly demonstrates that he is a man who take over any scene and dominate it, and the film.

Hollywood found this out in making this film. It is said that Cagney's role was originally much smaller in here but he was so good the script was changed to give him the starring spot....and his career took off from there.

Speaking of billing and stardom, Jean Harlow gets second billing in this film but really has only a bit part; Blondell gets fourth billing has only a few lines.

The story is a fast-mover and the movie is over in less than an hour-and-a-half. The cinematography in here is excellent and DVD really brings that out.

The famous "grapefruit scene" with Cagney shoving the fruit in Mae Clark's face wasn't that big a deal back then and the scene happens so fast you almost miss it.

For me, a highlight of the show was simply the facial expressions on Cagney. At the end of the movie, as he stands in the pouring rain getting ready to go in and kill people, his expression is downright scary - a very powerful scene.

The ending of this movie is memorable, too. In all the film may be dated but it still very, very watchable and one of the great crime movies of all time.

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16 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
As a tsunami, nothing was able to stop Cagney once he was aroused, and no one even thought to try…, 8 May 2005

Author: ironside (robertfrangie@hotmail.com) from Mexico

"Public Enemy" brought two things to the screen: the little tough guy, fast-talking, unscrupulous gangster characterization by James Cagney which was to follow him throughout his entire screen career, and the grapefruit scene…

Though "Public Enemy" created the Cagney image, he had already appeared in two other gangsters films for Warners, as a murderer prepared to let someone else pay for his crime in "Sinner's Holiday," and as a double-crossing hoodlum in "Doorway to Hell."

"Public Enemy," however, was a bigger-budget production, directed by William Wellman, and it contained all the elements of success… It is the story of two brothers who become Chicago booze barons in the Twenties... One was Cagney, the other Edward Woods…

It is sometimes claimed that the story of "Public Enemy" is based on that of "Little Hymie" Weiss, leader of the North Side Chicago gang after the murder of Dion O'Banion by the Capones in 1924… What is more likely is that the Cagney characterization is based on "Little Hymie"; the plot itself is pure fiction…

When Cagney, in his striped pajama, sat opposite Mae Clarke at breakfast and decided he had had enough of this boring broad, he wasted no time… He picked up half a grapefruit and planted it full into Clarke's face… It was a piece of screen action which has lasted down the years as the ultimate in violence from the gangster to his moll…

Of course, it isn't – it just seems that way… Since then gir1s have been slapped, kicked, beaten up, run over, shot, stabbed and raped, all in the tradition of mobster violence…

But at the time this scene was daring, and the more daring because it was totally unexpected… We remember Mae Clarke in "Public Enemy," yet forget that Jean Harlow was in it, too… There may have been good reason… The New York Times, reviewing the film in 1934, commented: "The acting throughout is interesting, with the exception of Jean Harlow, who essays the role of a gangster's mistress."

Cagney made violence and a life of crime magically seductive, and "Public Enemy" made him Warners' number 2 gangster, second only to Edward G. Robinson…

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12 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
"I Ain't So Tough.", 16 December 2005

Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

The Public Enemy, along with Little Caesar and Scarface, set the standard for the gangster film. Though films about crime had been done in the silent era, sound was what really ushered in this particular genre. I've always maintained that musicals and gangster films are the only two movie genres that date from the sound era.

Of course this film about a young man's rise to prominence in the bootleg liquor business during Prohibition made James Cagney a star. Interestingly enough Edward Woods was originally supposed to be Tom Powers and Cagney was cast as best friend Matt Doyle. After some footage had been shot, Director William Wellman scrapped it and had Cagney and Woods exchange roles. Stars get born in many and strange ways.

Some critics have complained about Beryl Mercer's part as Cagney's mother, saying she's overacts the ditziness. I disagree with that completely. In the prologue section with Cagney and Woods as juveniles, there is a two parent household. The boys have a stern Irish father and a mom who'd spoil them if she could. The older kid who is later played by Donald Cook has more the benefit of the two family home and both influences. That and the fact that World War I leaves him partially disabled prevents him from thinking about the gangster trade. Cagney misses the war and is spoiled by mom.

I knew a woman like Beryl, in her own world with a stream of nonsensical chatter to keep out the reality of things. Her portrayal for me rings true.

Oddly enough in The Roaring Twenties Cagney is a veteran who enters the rackets because he can't get a legitimate job and its easy money.

Both The Public Enemy and Little Caesar are short films, edited down to the essentials so the viewer ain't bored for a minute. Warner Brothers sure knew how to do those gangster flicks.

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10 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Great film from the beginnings of the gangster-movie-genre, 26 July 2005

Author: pzanardo (pzanardo@math.unipd.it) from Padova, Italy

"The Public Enemy" is one of the starting points of the great season of gangster movies, a very interesting work. It is not the story of the rise and fall of some big boss of crime. Tom Powers (James Cagney) and Matt Doyle (Edward Woods) are just small time crooks, and so they remain throughout the movie. Only, they make the big money that the circumstances of prohibition offer to any criminal. Tom is just a semi-illiterate, naturally violent thug. He is not even professional. He kills just out of stupidity or desire of a pointless revenge, that ultimately will severely damage himself. Further evidence of his cheap personality is shown when he instantly falls for the vulgar, tasteless girl Gwen (Jean Harlow). By the way, Harlow looks remarkably unattractive (to our modern eyes, at least). Was it a choice of director Wellmann? Matt is slightly better than Tom, but clearly he has not the guts to cross his mate.

In my opinion a major credit of the film is that it systematically avoids cliché. Neither Tom nor Matt are outcomes of poverty and social injustice. They come from simple but honest, decent and loving families. But they are both bad (that's the word) and they use the freedom and opportunities of their democratic country to make evil.

In "The Public Enemy" we find probably the first instances of the beautiful stylish cinematography and clever camera-work that will become the trade-mark of later gangster and noir movies. Some scenes are unforgettable, like the final one, or that under the rain, or that of Cagney abusing the girl. The brief scene of the killing of the horse is pure cinematic genius.

In the film there are also some naiveness and clumsiness, though. The way Tom undergoes the personality of his good brother is far-fetched. It is not clear why a gangster in a hospital, wounded in a gun-fight, is not under strict police control. The behavior of Tom's boss in the ending is illogical. Moreover, the part where Tom and Matt are kids is too long (we audience are all eager to see Cagney!), and action is a bit scarce for a gangster movie.

"The Public Enemy" was Cagney's breakout film, and really he makes a powerful and accurate job. Actually, a strong acting is provided by the whole cast. The director William A. Wellmann handles the movie with sound talent.

"The Public Enemy" is a beautiful and historically important movie. I recommend it to any cinema-lover

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6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
83 minutes of Cinematic Bliss, 9 August 2003
Author: J. Wellington Peevis from Malltown

Larger than life classic that chronicles the life of a street hustler turned crime lord in prohibition Chicago, based loosely on the various antics of the Irish mega-hoodlums, O'Bannon and Moran.

While we may never literally create a time machine, these old movies give you the miracle of observation at least of what life was once like. Sadly many of the old films have been destroyed through neglect, so the pickings are very slim. Public Enemy is one of the best old movies available. For only the sheer pleasure of seeing what all the fuss was about in Cagney and Harlow, it's worth a viewing. Director Wellman creates some extremely lasting images you won't want to miss, and it almost makes me think of the original Frankenstein for that reason. The final sequence especially is a dramatic example of lasting imagery in film, quite an unforgettable experience. If you like Godfather, Scarface, Goodfellas, and who doesn't, you owe it yourself to watch what may be the patriarch of the entire genre. Interestingly, while the film has a campy disclaimer demonizing the subject matter and mandating public action in order to address the evils of organized crime, it's rather obvious that the producers new exactly what they were really doing by making a film like this. Brutal as some of the action is, Cagney's charisma glorifies the gangster as much as Coppola, Scorsese and all the rest glorify modern organized crime. See it for yourself!!!

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9 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
A brilliant study of Mob Rule in the 1920's, 8 August 2003

Author: LG72387 from Riverside, Connecticut

The Public Enemy is more than just a story about the rise and fall of a crimean lord in the 1920's. Hell, it even says that at the beginning and end of the picture. It states, "The Public Enemy is not a man, nor is it a character, it is problem that we, The Public, must solve." James Cagney gives a magnificent performance as Tom Powers, a man who started off as a petty thief with sidekick Matt Doyle (played excellently by Edward Woods) and rose to become a powerful beer smuggler during the era of Prohibition and Gang Rule. Yet this film is not all about Tom Powers and his rise to power; it is about the vast feeling of change that America was experiencing during the Roaring Twenties. America was attempting to adjust to the aftermath of World War I (which is explored brilliantly in this film in a sequence through which Tom's brother, Mike, refuses to drink from a keg of beer smuggled in by Tom for his dinner party) People like Mike were still trying to feel that sense of loyalty towards the government after World War I. Yet that loyalty somehow vanished with the development of Prohibition and the rise of gang rule in urban society. Director William A. Wellman explores deeply with this subject matter as we analyze Tom's family and how they have adjusted to the effects of change upon American society. In Tom's case, he yearns for power which became a craving for all Americans during the 1920's. Matt also is one of those who yearns for power. Mike, on the other hand, wants to remain conservative about American values. He wants to keep things the way they are with his family. He does not crave for power as much as his brother Tom which allows him to survive at the end of the picture. As a result, we, the American Public, learn at the end of the picture that power is bigger than any one man and that it will smite any man who tries to take full control of it. Tom attempts to do that and ends up losing everything dearest to him. He loses his friends, his girls, but most of all, he loses his soul. "The Public Enemy is not a man, nor is it a character, it is a problem that we, the Public, must solve." James Cagney should have received an Oscar nomination as Best Actor for this film and Edward Woods should have received a Best Supporting Actor nomination as well.

Lenny's Grade: A

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Grapefruit anyone?, 28 November 2006

Author: jotix100 from New York

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This was the film that made James Cagney a star. In a surprise move, Warner Brothers made him switch roles with Edward Woods, and the end is history. James Cagney, who made a career out of playing tough guys, appeared as Tom Powers, a young man who loved the company of all the Irish wise guys in his area. The film starts with a message from the studio about one is going to witness as it wanted to point to a social problem, and it ends with a sort of disclaimer about what was seen a social issue at the core of the society of those years.

Tom Powers rises to the top of the crime scene when Prohibition went into effect. There was a lot of money to be made smuggling liquor and having pals like Paddy Ryan, who controlled the trade. Helped by his inseparable Matt Doyle, they make their mark as people that could get away with what the crimes they were committing. Tom Powers inspired violence because he was ruthless in the way he wanted to do things.

The film, made before the arrival of the infamous Hays Code, gets away with showing the morality of the gangster on the scene and the women they went after. Tom's relationship with Kitty, and the cruelty he shows toward her, is something that the creators got away with. Tom's involvement with Gwen Allen, the beautiful blonde, is full of sexual suggestions.

William Wellman, proved he was the right man for this movie. He brought the best in James Cagney and the rest of the cast. Unfortunately, the dialog sounds dated. The heavy make-up favored in those days looks funny of the men, especially. Mae Clarke, who is not even credited in the film, has one of the best moments of her film career in the movie. James Cagney and Edward Woods do some excellent work together. The sexy Jean Harlow is lovely to look at in this film as it brings her beauty to new heights. Donald Cook, Joan Blondell, and the rest of the supporting cast contribute to make one of the best films of the gangster genre.

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6 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
the prototype for gangster films to follow, 3 September 2000

Author: (jagfx) from ontario, canada

"The Godfather" trilogy and "Goodfellas" owe a lot to this gangster film that preceded them both by at least fifty years. "The Public Enemy" was perhaps one of the first mob films that followed the rise and fall of a gangster and showed not only the implication of his actions on himself but on his family as well.

The film is far from perfect. The first ten minutes of the film in which we are shown a glimpse into the characters' childhood are jerky at best and feel as if much of it was left on the cutting room floor. The movie's incessant fast pace thereafter don't allow for much to sink in, but Cagney saves the day with an absolutely fiery performance. Not one person is spared from his bubbling anger and ferocious delivery.

Finally, the ending will leave you gasping - even by today's standards.

"The Public Enemy" is a must see for any true fan of the mob movie genre.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Hogarth's "Good Apprentice and Bad Apprentice" brought up - to - date...in a manner of speaking., 25 September 2006

Author: theowinthrop from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

SCARFACE was a study of a truly monstrous, violent malefactor - a kingpin of crime. LITTLE CAESAR too deals with the rise of a criminal to being the head of the criminal organization (or a leading figure in it) before he too falls. It has been nicely compared to a modern version of Andrew Carnegie's philosophy of self-help, improvement, and modernizing your business organization. But THE PUBLIC ENEMY was a type of modern version of the William Hogarth series of prints about the Good and Bad apprentices. The prints (I think there were ten) showed two boys who are raised side by side in a poor area of London. But one is hard working and industrious, and the other is lazy and opportunistic, and vicious. The hard working one slowly rises in the world as he prospers, and the bad one slowly becomes a criminal. In the long run the good one becomes the Lord Mayor of London, and the bad one ends up on the gallows for murder.

Tom Powers (Jimmy Cagney) is the "bad apprentice" and his brother Mike (Donald Cook) the "good apprentice" but the story is more twisted than Hogarth's straightforward story suggests. The two brothers are the sons of a strict father (a policeman) and an overly sentimental mother: Beryl Mercer. Mercer is not one of my favorite actresses (all her major roles are incredibly teary women, usually mothers - her acting must have been acceptable in the 1930s, but is hardly worthwhile in the 2000s). However, here her performance actually fits. She favors Tom! She is obviously a weak type - her husband was the dominant figure in the family. Once he left, she could not bring herself to punish Tom - as he deserved to be. Instead she let him run wild. She also barely appreciates Mike's sacrifices (he goes to fight in World War I, and gets gassed, and while Tom's material wealth increases due to crime, Mike is only able to get a job as a streetcar conductor). At the conclusion of the film, one wonders what the death of Tom is going to do to her. Probably it will kill her.

Tom and his friend Matt Doyle (Edward Woods) graduate from petty thefts for the gang run by "Putty Nose" (Murray Kinnell). He leaves them in a lurch, and yet they continue their criminal rise as pals. We see them bullying a speakeasy owner in using their brand of beer (Tom really enjoying enjoying it, by the way). Later we see their use as killers for gangsters. Eventually they even the score with "Putty Nose", who pleads for his life when they catch with him. By that time they are working for Nails Nathan, getting nicer apartments, better clothing, and money to buy gifts for Mom (and to show up brother Mike). Tom and Matt move from common whores to molls (Tom's is Mae Clarke - who gets the grapefruit treatment in the film's best recalled sequence). Then Tom meets a classier dame: the slumming socialite Gwen Allen (Jean Harlow).

The scenes between Cagney and Harlow are too few to really judge any screen chemistry by. Harlow's character is a measuring stick, showing the highpoint of Tom's rise in the world through crime. Sadly, after this film, they never were re-teamed again. Her future partners were Gable, Beery, Tone, and others on the MGM lot, not the Warner's lot.

The death of Nathan leads to the slow disintegration of the gang, beginning with the death of Matt in a street assassination that Tom escapes. But at the end of the line for Tom is in avenging his friend: he obviously has killed or seriously wounded many in the shootout, but he gets badly wounded himself. And in the end he does get kidnapped from the hospital, and is dumped, dead, on his doorstep. Mike discovers his corpse. I don't envy him - he'll have to tell what happened to his mother who is busy preparing Tommy's room up stairs.

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