An Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime.An Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime.An Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime.
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
22K
YOUR RATING
- Kubec Glasmon(by)
- John Bright(by)
- Harvey F. Thew(screen adaptation)
- Stars
- Kubec Glasmon(by)
- John Bright(by)
- Harvey F. Thew(screen adaptation)
- Stars
Robert Emmett O'Connor
- Paddy Ryan
- (as Robert O'Connor)
Lev Abramov
- Goon
- (uncredited)
Clark Burroughs
- Dutch
- (uncredited)
Mae Clarke
- Kitty
- (uncredited)
Frank Coghlan Jr.
- Tom as a Boy
- (uncredited)
George Daly
- Machine Gunner
- (uncredited)
Frankie Darro
- Matt as a Boy
- (uncredited)
Snitz Edwards
- Miller
- (uncredited)
Rita Flynn
- Molly Doyle
- (uncredited)
Dorothy Gee
- Nails' Girl
- (uncredited)
- Kubec Glasmon(by)
- John Bright(by)
- Harvey F. Thew(screen adaptation)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOn the set one day, James Cagney stared at Jean Harlow's cleavage and asked, likely in perfect innocence and good humor, "How do you keep those things up?" "I ice them," Harlow said, before trotting off to her dressing room to do just that.
- GoofsThe opening scenes of the movie supposedly take place in Chicago in 1909, yet there are many automobiles in the streets. At that time, a private car was a rare luxury, and most of the vehicles in the street would have been horse drawn wagons or carriages or electric trolleys.
- Quotes
Tom Powers: [Tom shuffles to the breakfast table in his pajamas. He's just finished a demanding call with Nails Nathan] Ain't you got a drink in the house?
Kitty: Well, not before breakfast, dear.
Tom Powers: [immediately annoyed] ... I didn't ask you for any lip. I asked you if you had a drink.
Kitty: [sheepishly] I know Tom, but I, I wish that...
Tom Powers: ...there you go with that wishin' stuff again. I wish you was a wishing well. So that I could tie a bucket to ya and sink ya.
Kitty: Well, maybe you've found someone you like better.
[Tom is enraged and disgusted by her implication. He grimaces and shoves a grapefruit in her face as he leaves the table]
- Crazy creditsIt 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.
- Alternate versionsFor 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.
- ConnectionsEdited into Three on a Match (1932)
- SoundtracksI'm Forever Blowing Bubbles
(1919) (uncredited)
Music by James Kendis, James Brockman and Nat Vincent
Played at various times throughout the film
Review
Featured review
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.
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.
helpful•326
- free101girl
- Apr 6, 2004
Details
Box office
- 1 hour 23 minutes
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