SunnyHello Nice effects though.

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Sabah Hensley This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Mr-Fusion History has it that "The Public Enemy" is what made Cagney a star, and I can see why. He's got charisma, a real mean streak, and he's easy to envision as an iconic gangster. This is your straightforward rise-and-fall movie, a street rat's quest for the American dream (he's not all that far from Tony Montana); and it still has some heft, even if we've seen this story time and again.There's a saddening twist that comes in the final moments. And you can see it coming, but the execution - just one particular shot - has a startling impact.There are pacing issues, but those final scenes are entirely worth it. And I love that the movie is bookended by anti-crime PSAs. 7/10

Leofwine_draca THE PUBLIC ENEMY was an early gangster movie from Hollywood, starring the then up-and-coming actor James Cagney who would become synonymous with the genre in time. It tells of violent and brutal events clearly based on then-contemporary stuff going on, with the obvious exception that the names have been changed in order to make this an entire work of fiction. Of course, enough time has now passed that these days the likes of BOARDWALK EMPIRE are able to present the gangsters and their lives exactly as they were, warts and all.Still, this is an often gripping little piece of character drama, a neat biopic of the rise and fall of a single man in much the same style as Scorsese's GOODFELLAS. We start off meeting Tom as a kid, recognising the same characteristics that would propel him into notoriety as an adult. Cagney gives an assured performance, even though his anti-hero character is difficult to like or empathise with.Although tame by modern standards, the direction of THE PUBLIC ENEMY makes certain scenes stand out like the notorious grapefruit moment. There's also a fair amount of brutality and bloodshed that takes place offscreen, but still: this is hard-hitting stuff and a neat precursor to the gangster flicks of the modern era.

utgard14 The gangster drama is still around today, although much less prominently than its 1930's heyday. 1931 marked the beginning of a rich genre that would provide some of the best films of the 1930s and 40s. The Public Enemy is part of the trinity of groundbreaking gangster films, along with Little Caesar and Scarface. Most other gangster flicks would take their cues from these movies.Of the three, The Public Enemy is my favorite. It's the powerful story of a young hood's rise and fall. James Cagney became an overnight star with this career-defining role and it's easy to see why. Director William Wellman had one of his first big hits with this film, in a genre he would not work in often. A fantastic cast supports Cagney, including Jean Harlow, Joan Blondell, Mae Clarke, Donald Cook, Leslie Fenton, Edward Woods, and many more. It's a movie filled with memorable scenes and quotable lines. The grapefruit scene, the infamous final scene, and "I ain't so tough" to name a few. I would recommend this to anybody. It's definitely on my list of must-see classic films.

Ben Larson Tommy (James Cagney) was a sexually magnetic, cocky, completely amoral, emotionally brutal, ruthless, and terribly lethal individual. He was hardboiled, having grown up with a policemen father that used a wide leather razor strop to discipline his near-delinquent son.The film, itself, glamorized criminal activities such as bootlegging and emphasized their high style of life with various floozies (portrayed by Joan Blondell, Mae Clarke, and Jean Harlow). This resulted in a film code that prohibited showing crime in a positive light.Excellent pre-code gangster film.