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Movies / On DVD / The Public Enemy
The Public Enemy

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The Public Enemy (1931)

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Reviews Counted:26

Fresh:26

Rotten:0

Average Rating:8.4/10

Runtime: 84 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: In William Wellman's classic crime film THE PUBLIC ENEMY, James Cagney does a star turn as Tom Powers, a trouble-ridden individual who rises from the position of cheap thug to that of a powerful... In William Wellman's classic crime film THE PUBLIC ENEMY, James Cagney does a star turn as Tom Powers, a trouble-ridden individual who rises from the position of cheap thug to that of a powerful Prohibition gangster. When his best friend is murdered, Powers self-destructively seeks deadly retaliation. He picks fights. He slaps women around. He roughs up speakeasy owners and tells them whom they'll get their hooch from and how much they'll order. Fists, kisses, and guns are the only things Tom knows. He eventually gets promoted to become the muscleman of mobster Nails Nathan (Leslie Fenton). But Tom's violent acts are about to catch up with him. After Tom guns down a cop, he's on the run. Later, thugs dump him, beaten, on the doorstep of his estranged and horrified family. It's only then that Tom realizes his decision to live the gangster life has been an irrevocable and deadly choice. Known as the picture that launched Cagney into stardom, THE PUBLIC ENEMY doesn't hold back from exposing the violence and tedium underscoring this ostensibly sexy life of crime. The screenplay, based on a story entitled BEER AND BLOOD by John Bright and written by Harvey F. Thew, was nominated for an Academy Award. [More]

Starring: James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Eddie Woods, Beryl Mercer

Starring: James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Eddie Woods, Beryl Mercer, Joan Blondell, Donald Cook, Mae Clarke, Leslie Fenton

Director: William Wellman

Director: William Wellman
Producer: Darryl F. Zanuck
Composer: David Mendoza

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Public Enemy

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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Still a classic of the gangster genre, showing neither glorifying the life nor pulling its punches.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
10/30/07
Jake Hamilton
Jake Hamilton
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Cagney's energy and Wellman's gutsy direction carry the day, counteracting the moralistic sentimentality of the script and indelibly etching the star on the memory as a definitive gangster hero.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A riveting story told in 84 minutes.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/24/03
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Crime may not pay, but The Public Enemy was one of the first pictures to recognize that it sure can be exciting to watch.

Full Review Source: LarsenOnFilm | comment Comment
07/05/09
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm

No review available.

comment Comment
05/10/08
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Top notch Cagney gangster flick with memorable final scene.

comment Comment
03/02/08
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Video-Reviewmaster.com

The film's juiciest scene has the misogynist Tom squeeze a half a grapefruit in his nagging girlfriend Kitty's (Mae Clarke) kisser.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
12/15/07
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

There's no lace on this picture. It's raw and brutal. It's low-brow material given such workmanship as to make it high-brow.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
10/30/07
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Its success proved, if by then there was any doubt, that audiences will go for a charismatic lowlife over a dull hero any day of the week, a lesson Hollywood never forgot.

Full Review Source: DVDJournal.com | comment Comment
04/09/06
Mark Bourne
Mark Bourne
DVDJournal.com

The implication is that there are hundreds, maybe thousands of guys like Tom Powers, little criminals living fast and dying hard.

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
02/20/06
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

The film set the template for the likes of "Scarface" and "GoodFellas."

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
01/20/06
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

No review available.

comment Comment
08/11/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

No review available.

comment Comment
07/21/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Contrary to popular opinion, the best moment in the film isn’t when Jimmy Cagney shoves a grapefruit in his girlfriend’s face.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
02/11/05
Chris Barsanti
Chris Barsanti
Slant Magazine

...it was Cagney's film from beginning to end, to win or to lose, and he came out one of the biggest winners in Hollywood.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
01/30/05
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Overripe, rigid, and at times clunky ... and that's part of the enjoyment.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
11/10/04
Jay Antani
Jay Antani
Filmcritic.com

No review available.

comment Comment
09/26/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

One of the essential gangster films.

comment Comment
07/31/03
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Fascinating and brutally realistic.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
07/30/03
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Now a classic, this is the movie in which Cagney famously crams a grapefruit into Mae Clarke’s face.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
03/10/03
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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