The Public Enemy (1931) User Reviews

As a tsunami, nothing was able to stop Cagney once he was aroused, and no one even thought to try

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 8/10 · 8 May 2005]

"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

"I Ain't So Tough."

[bkoganbing · 9/10 · 16 December 2005]

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.

What do Al Jolson and Wild Bill Wellman have in common?....

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 25 June 2021]

... They both saw something in James Cagney. Jolson saw Cagney in a stage production he liked so much that he bought the rights. He would only sell the film rights to Warner Brothers if Cagney (and Joan Blondell) reprised their roles. The result was the film "Sinners' Holiday", and Cagney and Blondell stole the picture out from under the actual leads. Yet Cagney remained in supporting roles afterwards. . Bill Wellman was the director of 1931's "Public Enemy" about two boyhood friends who become Prohibition era hoods. Originally, Edward Woods was supposed to play the more volatile of the two, but Wellman quickly figured out that relatively unknown James Cagney was the versatile dynamo he needed for the lead, and the roles were reversed. To do otherwise would be to imagine Little Caesar with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. As the gangster with a fast rise and a hard fall instead of Edward G. Robinson.

There was no production code at the time, but even for 1931, this film is jarringly violent. Tom Powers (Cagney) is shown growing up in Chicago with a brutal father, a moralizing older brother, and an enabling doormat of a mother. Not finding any role models at home, Powers and his childhood friend Matt find them - and easy money - by befriending the neighborhood gangsters. They also find early betrayal - a score they settle later. When Prohibition becomes law, the real money and the real violence begin. Meanwhile, Tom's brother has returned from war a broken man, just reinforcing Tom's view that his brother is a chump. The violence escalates to the shocking conclusion. And all I can say is that you'll never listen to the song "Forever Blowing Bubbles" quite the same again.

One leg of the plot that just seems rather wedged in, but is interesting and even amusing today is Jean Harlow as Tom's love interest. This is before she went to MGM for the remainder of her career and short life. She just doesn't have her trademark screen persona down yet and strangely enough she is supposed to be a ....Texan???? She sounds like somebody from Brooklyn who was being voice coached to sound like the Queen of England, but she can't quite make the jump.

This film would probably be just a 5 or 6 out of 10 without Cagney - an interesting and adequate precode. Seeing Cagney explode on the screen for the first time in the lead makes it jump to an 8/10.

83 minutes of Cinematic Bliss

[glgioia · 9 August 2003]

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!!!

Great film from the beginnings of the gangster-movie-genre

[pzanardo · 8/10 · 26 July 2005]

"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

Still riveting, over 70 years later!

[free101girl · 9/10 · 6 April 2004]

Most films made in the early 30s are entertaining only as period pieces that give us a glimpse into another era. Often they are so dated that they've become unintentionally funny.

The Public Enemy is a totally different thing. It is such a well-crafted and honest film that it still has the power to shock us. The violence in this film is every bit as brutal as anything in a modern "gangsta" flick, even though some of it takes place off-camera.

Based on the stills I had seen of the grapefruit scene, I thought it would be a light-hearted moment. In fact, it's anything but. In that encounter, Cagney's character exhibits a total disregard for others that is downright chilling.

The final scene is extremely disturbing. You won't forget it.

the prototype for gangster films to follow

[jagfx · 7/10 · 3 September 2000]

"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.

Cagney Makes This One Of The Best Classic Era Crime Movies Ever

[ccthemovieman-1 · 10/10 · 21 October 2006]

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.

Powerful portrait of the rise and fall of a nasty gangster extraordinarily performed by James Cagney

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 9 June 2012]

This is one of the great early talkies and still a highly watchable movie ; it results to be one of the great mobsters pictures, and an expertly directed film that made James Cagney a superstar . A young and vicious hoodlum named Tom (James Cagney based his performance on Chicago gangster Dean O'Bannion, and two New York City hoodlums he had known as a youth) along with his fellow Matt (Edward Woods) rise up through the ranks of the Chicago underworld. From their teen-aged years into young adulthood, unredeemable Tom and obstinate Matt have an increasingly lucrative life , bootlegging during the Prohibition era. Tom's bad way of life is constantly set up against his brother Mike's (Donald Cook) . Meanwhile Tom falls in love with a gorgeous girl named Gwen Allen (Jean Harlow , though Louise Brooks was offered this role in this film) . Tom turns more stubborn and cruel against those who either disagree with him or cross him . Even as a gangster's accidental death threatens to spark a bloody mob war .

Classic gangster movie contains top-notch performances , unpretentious familiar drama, thrills , fast-paced , action , and a shocking final . Magnificent James Cagney in the title role as a snarling and ominous gangster . Edward Woods was originally hired for the lead role of Tom Powers and James Cagney was hired to play Matt Doyle, his friend . However, once director William A. Wellman got to know both of them and saw Cagney in rehearsals, he realized that Cagney would be far more effective in the star role than Woods, so he switched them . Very good support cast formed by known actresses who subsequently would have an important career as Jean Harlow , Joan Blondell and Mae Clarke including her infamous grapefruit scene that caused women's groups around America to protest the on-screen abuse of Mae Clarke . As several versions exist of the origin of the notorious grapefruit scene, but the most plausible is the one on which James Cagney and Mae Clarke agree: the scene , they explained, was actually staged as a practical joke at the expense of the film crew, just to see their stunned reactions ; there was never any intention of ever using the shot in the completed film , filmmaker Wellman, however, eventually decided to keep the shot, and use it in the film's final release print . Atmospheric and appropriate musical score , Scorsese says that Wellman's use of music in the film influenced his own first gangster picture, Mean Streets (1973) .

Wellman was an expert in all kind of genres as Gangster, drama , Film Noir , Western and adept at comedy as he was at macho material , helming the original ¨ A star is born ¨(1937) (for which he won his only Oscar, for best original story) and the biting satire ¨Nothing sacred¨ (1937) , both of which starred Fredric March for producer David O. Selznick . Both movies were dissections of the fame game, as was his satire ¨Roxie Hart¨ (1942), which reportedly was one of Stanley Kubrick's favorite films. During World War Two Wellman continued to make outstanding films, including ¨Ox-Bow incident¨ (1943) and ¨Story of G.I.Joe¨(1945), and after the war he turned out another war classic, ¨Battleground¨ (1949). In the 1950s Wellman's best later films starred John Wayne, including the influential aviation picture ¨The hight and the mighty¨ (1954), for which he achieved his third and last best director Oscar nomination. His final film hearkened back to his World War One service, ¨The Lafayette squadron¨ (1958), which featured the unit in which Wellman had flown . He retired as a director after making the film, reportedly enraged at Warner Bros.' post-production tampering with a movie that meant so much to him .

¨The Public enemy¨ , rating : Well worth watching , above average ; the picture will appeal to classic cinema buffs and James Cagney fans . It ranked #8 on the American Film Institute's list of the 10 greatest films in the genre "Gangster" .

One of the Great Early Gangster Films

[gavin6942 · 8/10 · 18 January 2012]

A young hoodlum (James Cagney) rises up through the ranks of the Chicago underworld, even as a gangster's accidental death threatens to spark a bloody mob war.

The script is loosely adapted from "Beer and Blood", an unpublished book from John Bright and Kubec Glasmon on the life of Dean O'Banion, Al Capone's biggest rival. We see a variety of references to Irish mobsters, including Samuel "Nails" Morton, who was famously killed by a horse. Just like the real-life mobster, Samuel "Nails" Nathan of the film is avenged when the horse is shot.

This is, of course, Cagney's breakout role. And what better role for him? Prior to "Public Enemy", he had been a hoofer on the New York stage. This experience really solidified him as a notable actor, as he had control over his movements that others might not have. Interestingly, he was originally cast as the good guy -- the last minute switch probably saved this movie as well as marked the decision that would catapult Cagney to stardom. (Some scenes were even filmed with Cagney in the other role before director William Wellman realized his mistake.)

As for how the dance background helped his acting, critic Lincoln Kirstein noted Cagney "has an inspired sense of timing, an arrogant style, a pride in the control of his body and a conviction and lack of self-consciousness that is unique. No one expresses more clearly in terms of pictorial action the delights of violence, the overtones of a subconscious sadism, the tendency towards destruction, toward anarchy, which is the base of American sex appeal." Beautifully said.

Playwright Robert Sherwood expressed how Cagney's character was the ideal anti-hero. He wrote that Cagney "does not hesitate to represent Tom as a complete rat -- with a rat's sense of honor, a rat's capacity for human love; and when cornered, a rat's fighting courage. And what is more, although his role is consistently unsympathetic, Mr. Cagney manages to earn for Tom Powers the audience's affection and esteem."

In its own time, the film was thought of as a bit too violent, and there are a few moments that might still be considered shocking today. However, with the changing norms between the 1930s and today, what really stands out is the misogyny that barely earned a mention upon release. The most memorable scene, of course, is Cagney smashing a grapefruit into Mae Clarke's face. But his abusive language to her, suggesting his desire to drown Clarke, is hard to take and still remain empathetic with the gangster.

There are very few films that can be said to be really inspirational to the gangster film. This one, Howard Hawks' "Scarface" (1932) and "Little Caesar" (1931) are at the top of that short list. If it is not evident enough from watching the film itself, the special feature interview of Martin Scorsese should cement the deal. Author TJ English feels this is "perhaps the most influential gangster flick in the history of American movies", but that may be overstating it a little.

Some credit must be given for "Public Enemy" succeeding and remaining a top film, however. As strange as it sounds, there were at least 25 gangster movies in 1931 and at least 40 in 1932. So being among the one or two remembered almost a century later is actually quite a feat. Even William Wellman, who directed a staggering nine gangster films between 1928 and 1933 is really only remembered for this one.

James Cagney Makes an Impression

[wes-connors · 7/10 · 9 December 2007]

"The Public Enemy" is not a great film, but it features an absolutely incredible performance, by James Cagney. This was Mr. Cagney's first "starring" role; and he is great throughout. From the time he walks in front of the camera, moving his cap forward, until his final thundering scenes, Cagney is astonishing. The rest of the film is a mixed bag.

For starters, filmmakers showed Cagney (Tom Powers) and co-star Edward Woods (Matt Doyle) as boys Frank Coghlan Jr. (young Tom Powers) and Frankie Darro (young Matt Doyle). Although Mr. Woods is directed to wipe his hand with his sleeve when he first appears, it looks like the boys' roles are mixed up with the adult men - Mr. Coghlan Jr. (a fine performance, by the way) resembles Woods more than Cagney; and, Mr. Darro more closely resembles Cagney. The appearance of the boys' sister and brother ("sissy" Mike) is also confusing.

Of all the strange supporting performances, Jean Harlow (as Gwen) takes the cake (but not the grapefruit). Though second billed, she enters the story late, and leaves abruptly. Ms. Harlow was, like Cagney, on her way to major stardom; but, unlike Cagney, she shows relatively little of her later charms. In fact, Joan Blondell is much more memorable (as Mamie, Matt's girl). And, famously, Mae Clarke receives the halved grapefruit, in the face, from Cagney; it's still a great scene, but "The Public Enemy" has much better scenes - Cagney's visit to the tailor, his walk in the rain, and the film's ending are all superior to the "grapefruit scene".

Watch out for Cagney.

******* The Public Enemy (4/23/31) William A. Wellman ~ James Cagney, Edward Woods, Jean Harlow, Joan Blondell

A Thug's Life

[lugonian · 8/10 · 1 May 2004]

THE PUBLIC ENEMY (Warner Brothers, 1931), directed by William A. Wellman, is a prime example of how a motion picture produced in 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, displaying a different kind of movie thug: rough, with guys who betray him; tough, with women who get on his nerves or play him for a sucker; and ready, to succeed by socking, punching, slapping or killing anybody who gets in his way. His only soft spot for his mother, but far from being a "Momma's Boy."

Through its passage in time element starting in 1909 Chicago, THE PUBLIC ENEMY plays in the biographical mode, displaying the origins of its main characters, Tom Powers and Matt Doyle, as boys (Junior Coughlan and Frankie Darro), leading to their adult lives (James Cagney and Edward Woods) as tough thugs. Tom Powers character, regardless of his fine upbringing, indicates he was born ... to be bad. He has a brother, Mike (Donald Cook) who knows of his activities, while their mother (Beryl Mercer) may suspect but overlooks his actions. As things start going well for Tom and Matt in the bootlegging racket under Paddy Ryan's (Robert Emmett O'Connor) leadership, Scheiner Burns, a rival gang leader, attempts on taking over Ryan's establishment, leading to more gun-play, especially for Tom, 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 where THE PUBLIC ENEMY isn't televised. Whenever a topic pertaining to THE PUBLIC ENEMY arises, it's not the story that immediately comes to mind, but Cagney's individual scenes consisting of squirting beer from his mouth into the bartender's face; Tom's cold-blooded killing of Putty Nose (the man who let him take the rap for a crime) while playing his last song on the piano; and Tom's off-screen shootout with a rival gang in a fancy nightclub, stumbling out in the pouring rain saying to himself, "I ain't so tough." All these scenes pale in comparison until reaching its most chilling climax ever recorded on film. Yet, the one where Tom, at the breakfast table, pushes a grapefruit into his mistress Kitty's (Mae Clarke) face, never has such a brief scene have such an long impact. Other than Clarke's famous few minutes of grapefruit glory, Mia Marvin (whose face resembling Maureen "Marcia Brady" McCormick from TV's 1970s sit-com, "The Brady Bunch") playing a slut named Jane, is one who gets her face slapped after getting Tom drunk enough to seduce him. The second billed Jean Harlow doesn't get any abuse from her leading man as did the other two actresses receiving no screen credit for their trouble. While Harlow's performance has been criticized as one of her worst, chances are her portrayal might have been intended to be enacted in that manner. Harlow's Gwen Allen is an uneducated blonde floozy with her gift for attracting men. What possibly hurts the film is not Harlow herself, but the inane dialog she recites, ("Oh Tommy, I can love you to death!". Joan Blondell's limitations on screen is mostly one involving her relation with Tom's pal, Matt. Edward Woods, whose has almost equal screen time with Cagney, is a Hollywood name very few recollect 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. While a smart move on Wellman's part, he failed to switch roles on the boy actors who portrayed them, especially a keen observer noticing Frankie Darro playing Matt, not Junior Coughlan playing Tom, performing in the Cagney manner. 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 (consisting mostly of prints from slightly edited reissues), and later on DVD (with either edited or restored prints), 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. Being a natural talent, Cagney makes THE PUBLIC ENEMY all it's worth. (***)

Worth seeing for Cagney's performance alone.

[dae5 · 6/10 · 17 November 2003]

I like this movie as much as the next guy, but face it: if not for Cagney, this film would hardly be remembered at all. The supporting cast are static bit players, the script isn't overly impressive, it follows a predictable storyline, and the thematic elements are overly didactic and dated. Public Enemy has gone down in film history as a piece of pre-code brutality, and some scenes are indeed worthy of notoriety: the grapefruit-in-the-face scene is legendary, and the piano execution has always impressed me.

But without Cagney's fiery turn as Tom Powers, this gangster parable would be bland as toothpaste. Whereas all other characters are expendable, he makes Powers a true villain worthy of the history books. The expression on his face before his last raid and his exit in the pooring rain are electrifying.

Historic, but dull

[MiloMindbender · 5/10 · 10 July 2006]

Well, I guess I'm in the minority on this one. Of the 6 films in the WB Gangster box set (which I picked up because I liked the noir box so much), I got to this one last. Admittedly, I'm not much of a gangster film fan. To me, they're a bit more one-dimensional than the noir films. And, despite some very interesting camera work & a few notable scenes (the best being the shoot out in the rain, Tommy coming home from the hospital & the visit to the tailors), I found this one to be the weakest of the 6 in the box set. What ruined the movie for me was both the acting & the rather one-dimensional plot. After watching the others in the set, the tough momma's boy theme became quite a cliché by this point. I thought White Heat did a much better job. The story was better developed & the acting a bit more professional. In this one, none of the other actors were very good (& I found Harlow & the brother to be particularly annoying) & I didn't think Cagney was all that great either.

Grapefruit anyone?

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 28 November 2006]

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.

"The meanest boy in town"

[Steffi_P · 8/10 · 11 January 2012]

In the early days of the talkies, a somewhat panicky film industry drafted in players from the theatre in the hopes that they would be the best suited to the new medium. If anything though these stagey hams only added to the awkwardness of those early sound movies. However a couple of years on a new kind of star began to emerge, those with unique voices, full of character, not necessarily realistic but injecting some smart-sounding talk into cinema after the silents.

James Cagney wasn't originally supposed to be the lead in The Public Enemy. He was cast as the sidekick, but director William Wellman soon realised he was the better man for the top job. And it's not surprising that he stood out, despite a lack of experience. It's not deep acting ability (although he would demonstrate that later in his career), it's presence; a raw, captivating charisma. He brings a compelling life to the part of Tom Powers, much as Edward G. Robinson did in Little Caesar six months or so earlier. But whereas Robinson was more of an Al Capone figure, Cagney is more the lean, young street brawler than the cigar-chomping kingpin. The gangster genre had found the perfect actor for another of its archetypes.

Scripted by Kubec Glasmon, John Bright and Harvey Thew, The Public Enemy is at the forefront of the then-popular mob movies, mainly thanks its brutal presentation of gangland. There were plenty of movies in which hoods gunned each other down with far more abandon, but in The Public Enemy the violence is more shocking through its context. The picture begins by showing the protagonists as kids. This was ostensibly to demonstrate the origins of criminality, but by giving us that glimpse of childhood, the later fates of the characters seem all the more grim and tragic. Cagney's doting mother remains a presence throughout the movie to keep this angle going.

William Wellman was ideal for such a project, since it's violence that brings out his inventive side. A little bit of action goes a long way in a Wellman movie. When Donald Cook punches Cagney, Cagney falls and crushes a chair. At other times the director has a bit of nasty business take place off screen, something which only the new sound technology would fully allow, cunningly drawing attention to the wider context. Involving the audience is another trick. For key moments he'll change the angle so that Cagney is almost staring into the lens, bearing down upon us.

And with those piercing eyes, commanding tone and short, sharp movements, Cagney is ideal for such an aggressive visual style. And yet these very strengths would present him with one drawback. As stars began to emerge that seemed so intrinsic to the tones and tropes of one genre, typecasting set in hard. The Public Enemy is an awesome debut for Cagney, but it also formed a constricting mould this intelligent and versatile actor would struggle to break.

One scene just follows another

[eyesour · 16 August 2012]

After watching this again last night, for about the third or fourth time over a five year period, I came to the conclusion that it just wasn't very good --- as a film. However, my disc comes with the Scorsese interview, and after listening to him I thought perhaps I was wrong, and that this film was a work of genius after all.

There's not much of a story, and nothing that could be called a plot. Irish-American youngster steals roller-skates, and is viciously given the strap by his evil-looking keystone copper father. He graduates up the crime ladder, earns a minor mint from Prohibition, functioning simply as a thug enforcer employed by what appears to be a multi-millionaire Jewish crime boss. He kills men and horses with a total lack of remorse, gets involved in mobster warfare, and ends up as a parcel, delivered home to his mother by special courier. The loose ends are multiple. A number of characters, such as Cagney's first live-in squeeze, simply vanish from the narrative. But for Cagney's charisma the whole business would be oddly boring and uninteresting.

The lack of narrative continuity make one suspect that great chunks of footage have been cut away at some stage, creating a strangely staccato sequence of scenes. This left Scorsese to convince me that each scene had been extremely inventively planned and shot, with ingenious lighting, framework and camera angles. I'll buy it, if he says so. I'd agree that a number of them of them were vivid. Many of the personalities were unfortunately also annoyingly fake, like the dopey mother, the goody brother, the cipher-like sister, Paddy Ryan the crime lord. Even when all allowances are made for the early date, I'd much rather watch Hell's Angels.

The short extra featuring the 1932 US women's Olympic team was a genuine eye-opener. One reviewer thinks the moll who got the grapefruit was Jean Harlow. The gaffes on these reviews never cease to amaze me.

Six stars for Cagney. Zero for the rest.

A magnetic performance from Jimmy Cagney

[ignatz928 · 7/10 · 18 October 2005]

If ever a movie belonged to a single actor, this is it. As a gangster movie The Public Enemy is somewhat creaky, and mainly interesting as a look at the genre's origins, but Jimmy Cagney brings it to electrifying life. Watching his manic performance as the cocky, ambitious thug Tom Powers, I could see the precursor of decades of movie antiheroes, from Richard Widmark to Malcolm McDowell to Al Pacino. Like most gangster films of the time, The Public Enemy tries to wrap itself in the mantle of a moral tract. An opening title card announces that Powers should not be taken as an individual character, but as a type, a characteristic example of an urban criminal. The narrative proceeds to give a standard history of this type is formed, beginning with him getting into petty crime as a kid, and then following him as he proceeds up the ranks of the underworld. Also along the way you see can see the building blocks for basically every subsequent gangster film: the misogyny (most famously illustrated when Cagney, sitting at the breakfast table with his moll, suddenly reaches over and smacks her in the face with a grapefruit; the disapproving family members; the protagonist's more moral sidekick ( a type seen as recently as in the Brazilian crime epic City of God). These ingredients don't jell quite as well as they would in subsequent crime films. I once skimmed through Cagney's memoir, in which he spoke of making these movies, even the famous ones, as being a fairly haphazard process in which memorable scenes came out of last-minute inspiration more often than great writing and far-sighted planning. This might have been partly just humility on Cagney's part, but I can also see it borne in Public Enemy's somewhat half-baked script. Of course any film would probably seem lacking after 70 years of imitators. Aside from Cagney, the performers are definitely a mixed bag. The actor who plays Cagney's law-abiding brother seems to be in a different movie; specifically, a circa-1910 inspirational stage melodrama with a title like "The Road to Ruin, or, the Drunkard's Progress." Conflict between brothers is a great subject for gritty urban melodramas, from "On the Waterfront" to "Raging Bull," but the character's conflict with Cagney doesn't go much farther than, "No, I won't drink your filthy liquor!" (not an actual line from the movie, but it could be). Jean Harlow shows how she came to be regarded as a sex symbol, but her acting is as painful inept as any Bond Girl's. Also, her character doesn't really go anywhere. The film doesn't feature quite as much mob warfare as I expected, probably another sign that the model was still being established. William Wellman's direction generally avoids the static quality often present in films of this era, and he handles the scenes of violence especially well, with terse, confident style. The final shootout occurs completely off-screen, with the audience seeing only the build-up and then the aftermath, and looks ahead to Takeshi Kitano's minimalist mob flick "Sonatine." Gangster movies generally walk a fine line between celebrating and condemning the lifestyles of their characters- think of The Godfather. The moralistic messages of '30s mob movies are often so at odds with the real reason that people watch them that their supposed social responsibility seldom convinces. The Public Enemy certainly did more in the long run to make gangsters look glamorous than to attack them, but it does boast memorable final "warning" against crime. Towards the end Tom Powers is confined to a hospital bed after a shootout, and he seems ready to put his old life behind him. In the final scene, as his mother makes up his old room, preparing for her son's return, someone knocks on the front door. Power's brother opens it, to be confronted with the horror-movie image of his mummified corpse, bandaged up from head to toe. Cagney's body falls across his home's threshold, an obvious but unforgettable ending.

Tom's coming home

[mercury4 · 9/10 · 16 March 2003]

I think this is a great James Cagney movie and a great gangster movie. Scarface and Little Caesar were based on Al Capone, but this one takes a new turn. This time the movie's about the North Siders. It is the Irish mob. This movie, I just realized is based loosely on Dion O'Banion. There is only one scene I could think of that was an event in O'Banion's life. The scene with the horse. You'll see what I mean when you see the movie. This movie doesn't go into as much detail with real events as Scarface, but it doesn't matter because everything is perfect. The movie also unintentionally glorifies gangsters again. These characters become guys you like. Especially Cagney's character Tom Powers. I guess that's why there is that introduction at the beginning and even in the end so you don't end up liking them. Nice try censors. I loved the different relationships. Tom's friendship with Matt, his brother, his mother, his first girlfriend that gets a grapefruit in the face (I can never forget that one) and his second girl Jean Harlowe. My favorite part is probably the part where he goes inside a building to take on the Burke mob with two guns. When he gets out you hear screams from inside and Cagney, who is wounded, utters the famous lines, "I ain't so tough." This movie is just perfect. Another scene I never forget is the final scene. I'll call it Tom's Coming Home. After I saw the final scene I was just speechless. I couldn't believe my eyes. It will shock you. A terrible thing happens, but like they say in the very end, The public Enemy is neither a man nor a character, but a problem that we the public must solve. It's almost like they try to convince you that what happened was good. Be sure to see this classic. You won't be disappointed. After renting this movie I like it so much I'm going out to buy it.

A strong Cagney and some effective touches

[sol- · 6/10 · 30 June 2006]

With a message at the beginning of the film noting that it is intended to show criminals as being bad, one can tell from the start that this film is going to propaganda stuff. Propaganda films are not bad in themselves though as long as they are well done, however most of them tend to be heavy-handed, and this oft revered crime classic is no exception. The characters often discuss the protagonist's wrongdoings; there is a typical disapproving family member; there is a mother torn between her morals and her love for her son; there is a moral sidekick too - everything to convince us not to sympathise with the baddie protagonist played by James Cagney. The one problem with this is that Cagney is the most lively and appealing character in the film. He has charisma whilst everyone else plays two-dimensional stereotypes. However, since the film is made with the intent to criticise rather than explore his character, it becomes a bit of a stalemate. A section of Cagney's childhood, played by bland child actors, is thrown in, but nothing else to help us understand his character. Therefore, it is hard to be either critical or sympathetic towards him.

The film has a number of well directed sequences, even if it is lacking in style overall. Take for instance the framing of Putty Nose, Matt and Tom on the stairs to Putty Nose's apartment, or how they blocked later on his room. The shootout near the end with unloading the track is particularly well done too, and the heartbeat on the soundtrack towards the end is very effective touch. Beryl Mercer has some touching moments as Cagney's mother, but for acting, it is mainly Cagney's show, and despite some vision in the film's direction, it is pretty flat overall. Even the grapefruit in the face scene comes off half-hearted. The melodrama does not quite work either; it is all too heavy-handed when Donald Cook gives a speech about beer and blood at the dinner tale. And the pace of the film is lagging, with large dull gaps between the film's exciting scenes since there is little time spent on atmosphere. Some aspects are also left hanging and unresolved, such as the exact role of Jean Harlow in the film. However, while this may not be a masterpiece of cinema, it is still worth watching for the small intermittent virtues.

An Original Ethnic Mobster.

[rmax304823 · 8/10 · 12 October 2007]

Compared to Mervyn LeRoy's "Little Caesar", "The Public Enemy" is a little more -- well, I don't want to use the word "sophisticated" because it's anything but that. It's more -- developmental. Yes, that's the word. Little Caesar's character begins and ends as an adult gangster. Tom Powers (Jimmy Cagney) is first introduced as a young boy, hanging around with his pal Matt Doyle (Edward Woods), being whupped for stealing by his policeman father. The stern old man uses a razor strap. Maybe today it looks like child abuse to some people but it was probably common enough at the time. My mother used to break Kochloevels over my back. In any case, such punishment did neither Tom Powers nor myself any good since we both turned out wicked.

Tom and Matt grow up into young men who are hoodlums in the employ of Puttynose, who teaches them the tricks of the trade, an Irish Fagin, but he breaks his promise and skips out on them when they need his help. Years later, an unforgiving Tom wreaks his revenge on the pathetic Puttynose. Then Tom and Matt are taken under the wing of Paddy Ryan, and finally Samuel "Nails" Nathan, both of whom treat our protagonists well. In fact, I rather liked Nails. He's cheerful, generous, and loyal. I mean, considering that he's a gangster, a thief, and a murderer. When Nails is thrown from his horse and killed, Tom and Matt sensibly shoot the horse. There's a sub-plot involving some dames the two guys pick up in a speakeasy. Matt marries his moll but Tom gets tired of his (Mae Clarke) and puts finito to their affair by shoving a grapefruit in her face. Mr. Nice Guy. Tom then meets Jean Harlow and she seems to fall for him, although his interest in her is rather more glandular than anything else. She doesn't make herself available in the sense that his other girl friends have and Tom is tearing his hair out, uttering hoarse, goaty cries: "A guy could go screwy from this." Her part is kind of small and Tom never does get it on with her. When a rival gang kills his friend Matt, Tom picks up two pistols, barges into the gang's hangout, and shoots it out with them, severely wounded in the process. He's visited in the hospital by his Ma, his moralistic brother, and his sister-in-law, and he asks them to forgive him. Doesn't do him any good. The rival gang kidnaps him from the hospital and delivers him to his home, full of new lead.

Like "Little Caesar," this film gives us many scenes and characters that were to become icons. On their first big job, a friend of Tom's and Matt's, Loopy Louie, is shot by the cops and we see the wake in Louie's parlor, with a matronly immigrant mother moaning, "He was always a good boy." To a parking valet, Tom snaps, "Hey, watch it. Dat car's got gears. It ain't no Ford." As for the performances, Edward Wood was famously intended to play the lead before the roles were switched, with Cagney taking the role of Tom. It was a good decision. Matt is likable but a little wooden, whereas Cagney sizzles on screen. Jean Harlow's every line is laugh worthy. Like Cagney, she was from New York but her accent here stops just short of a parody of British. "I cahn't." And, "Me neyether." Also, she looks, well, BIG in this movie, maybe because she's paired with Cagney, but it's not just that she's as tall as he is but that she's zoftig too, a bit more broad of beam than has been noticeable in her other films.

The censors were beginning to impose their will on the film industry, so every shooting takes place off screen and there is virtually no blood. I guess the code was not yet firm enough in place to prevent the presentation of a tailor as a homosexual. When Cagney is being fitted for his first suit, he tugs at his waist and tells the guy to leave plenty of room in their. "Here's where you need extra room," says the tailor, squeezing Cagney's upper arm, "Just feel that muscle." Cagney minces away from the encounter. Not that there's any suggestion of homosexual bonds between Tom Powers and Matt Doyle. They're just friends who grew up together.

You must see this movie if you haven't already. It was one of three that set the genre firmly on its feet in the early 1930s, the others being "Little Caesar" and "Scarface." Look at it this way. Without these films, we might never have had "The Godfather."

B movie

[yorimevets-130-485246 · 6/10 · 12 October 2014]

I'm going to guess talkies were still something of a novelty in 1931 because the dialogue seems to be pure radio, and stilted at that. Black and white still fascinates me, however, the shapes and patterns filling the screen, the way rich homes are bright and airy while poor folks live in dour and dingy walk-ups.

Public Enemy remains a well of stolen scenes. For instance stealing a gun from a hock shop, dropping a corpse at mom's house, the girl calling the gunsel Powers' boyfriend. That's not too shabby for a budget movie. Cagney pretty much invented himself here, was better in White Heat, and best as a comedian in One Two Three.

While on the Gordon Liddy show a few years back, he talked about growing up poor. He wanted to be a dancer and his brother a doctor. Both worked to achieve their goals. He then said, "that's what's bad about welfare, with one hand they give you a check and with the other they take your dream."

We'll regrettably never see the likes of you again James. Memory eternal.

For a movie made in 1931, it packs a pretty hard punch that can still be felt in 2020

[snoozejonc · 9/10 · 5 December 2020]

The life and times of prohibition era hoodlum Tommy Power.

Considering when it was made, I enjoyed The Public Enemy as much as any classic gangster movie made over the years. It owes a great deal to the brutality depicted and an awesome performance from James Cagney.

The story follows Tommy as a child from the beer soaked saloons of early twentieth century Chicago to the heights of his power as a notorious Irish mob enforcer. Closely tied in with this is Tommy's family dynamics that show us his strict policeman father, moral brother and unconditionally loving mother.

James Cagney is the mere definition of charisma in the lead role and with physical and verbal power, blows all other actors of the screen. The only other character who just about matches his presence is Jean Harlow, but it isn't through her acting ability, it's her raw sexuality.

The cinematography by the standards of later movies is pretty static, but it makes the best use of the technology available to not only establish the setting well, but create exciting action sequences and craft suspense. There is a heist sequence where some characters boost a tanker full of alcohol for consumption in the speakeasies. This is for me works as well as any action sequence due to the strength of the editing. There is a lot of violence in the film that is unseen and that's what makes it effective and hold up to modern day viewing.

Despite its prologue and epilogue title sequences it very much glamourises the life of organised criminals. The most compelling character by a mile is Tommy, who rises out of poverty through theft, violence and fear. Jean Harlow says "The men I know, and I've known dozens of them, they're so nice, so polished, so considerate. Most women like that type. I guess they're afraid of the other kind. I thought I was too, but you're so strong. You don't give, you take. Oh, Tommy, I could love you to death" For me that says it all.

It has a number of classic scenes, so without spoiling I'll just say opening montage, grapefruit, horse, piano, gun-shop, rain and gramophone, that all linger in the memory which for me is the sign of a truly great film.

Good

[Cosmoeticadotcom · 7/10 · 21 June 2012]

The time a film was made often has an interesting effect on its ability to last or not. The 1931 black and white film that launched James Cagney into superstardom, The Public Enemy, directed by William Wellman, is a good case study. While it's not, overall, an inarguably great film, it certainly is close. It's a near-great film that certainly ranks as a great genre film- in this case the gangster film. The reason for its missing greatness is essentially because it is an early talking picture, and for the first decade or so, after the silent film era ended, many actors struggled with trying to get a more naturalistic feel to their physical appearances and acting styles. And, it would still be a good two decades before Neo-Realism swept the world cinema, and brought with it the modern 'naturalism' of cinema. A decade later, still, and the New Wave would wash over the globe, and empower directors to abandon preconceptions about cinematic rules that had been born in the silent era, but had long since gone outdated. But, while the film suffers, overall, from some of these early talkie ills, Jimmy Cagney never did. He was a trained dancer and Broadway actor, and he oozed naturalism from the get go. It's amazing how, from his first scene in the film through his last moment, as a corpse, he utterly and totally dominates the screen every second he is on camera. His acting is not 'realistic,' per se, but feelistic- it's full body acting, from the little dance moves he slips into several moments, to his little chin jabs to the way he conveys the rage his character feels in the presence of his brother.

Giving Your Favourite Gal A Grapefruit Facial

[strong-122-478885 · 4/10 · 12 March 2018]

After watching 1931's "The Public Enemy" - I'm sure you'll agree with me on one thing - There's nothing like giving your favourite gal a grapefruit facial.

If you wanna know the truth here - This "say-no-to-crime" story was basically just a poorly concealed moral lesson. - And, that's all.

And, with its producer's (well-meaning?) attempt to completely downplay the enticement and glamour of a fast-paced criminal lifestyle - Its strategy of up-righteousness sadly backfired when (unfortunately) the despicable Tommy Powers character was transformed into a martyr.

Anyway - Even though "The Public Enemy" may not have been as violent and entertaining as I had hoped it would be (falling quite short of my expectations) - It was still worth a view from a nostalgic perspective (grapefruit facial, and all).