The Public Enemy (1931)

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

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Kubec Glasmon (by), John Bright (by)

Stars:

James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Cagney	...	Tom Powers
Jean Harlow	...	Gwen Allen
Edward Woods	...	Matt Doyle
Joan Blondell	...	Mamie
Donald Cook	...	Mike Powers
Leslie Fenton	...	Samuel 'Nails' Nathan
Beryl Mercer	...	Ma Powers
Robert Emmett O'Connor	...	Paddy Ryan (as Robert O'Connor)
Murray Kinnell	...	Putty Nose

Storyline

Tom Powers and Matt Doyle are best friends and fellow gangsters, their lives frowned upon by Tom's straight laced brother, Mike, and Matt's straight laced sister, Molly. From their teen-aged years into young adulthood, Tom and Matt have an increasingly lucrative life, bootlegging during the Prohibition era. But Tom in particular becomes more and more brazen in what he is willing to do, and becomes more obstinate and violent against those who either disagree with him or cross him. When one of their colleagues dies in a freak accident, a rival bootlegging faction senses weakness among Tom and Matt's gang, which is led by Paddy Ryan. A gang war ensues, resulting in Paddy suggesting that Tom and Matt lay low. But because of Tom's basic nature, he decides instead to take matters into his own hands.

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Plot Keywords:

criminal | gangster | tragedy | violence | anti hero | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 May 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

Beer and Blood

Filming Locations:

Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Brunswick Radios Used Exclusively)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ranked #8 on the American Film Institute's list of the 10 greatest films in the genre "Gangster" in June 2008.

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Goofs

In the scene were Tom and Mike are talking at the kitchen table Tom's hat brim goes from being up to down without Tom touching it.

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Quotes

Paddy Ryan: As far as Paddy Ryan's concerned, there are only two kinds of people - right and wrong. I think you're right. And you'll find out that I am.

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Crazy Credits

It is the ambition of the authors of "The Public Enemy" to honestly depict the environment that exists today in a certain strata of American life, rather than glorify the hoodlum or the criminal. While the story of "The Public Enemy" is essentially a true story, all names and characters appearing herein, are purely fictional.

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Alternate Versions

For a 1941 re-release, three scenes in "The Public Enemy" were censored to comply with the Production Code. These censored segments (including an extended edit of the scene involving the gay tailor) were restored for the 2005 DVD release.

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Connections

Referenced in Some Like It Hot (1959)

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Soundtracks

Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' Bye!)
(1922) (uncredited)
Written by Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman and Dan Russo
Dance music played in hotel

User Reviews

Still riveting, over 70 years later!

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.