Public Enemies (1996)

Glorified and glamourized fact-based tale of Ma Barker and her boys who robbed banks and generally terrorized the Midwest in the 1930's and was eventually gunned down by g-man, Melvin ... See full summary »

Director:

Mark L. Lester

Writer:

C. Courtney Joyner

Stars:

Leah Best, Chip Heller, Theresa Russell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leah Best	...	Young Kate Clarke
Chip Heller	...	Mr. Clarke
Theresa Russell	...	Kate 'Ma' Barker
Richard Eden	...	George Barker
Tom Ward	...	Paymaster
Brent O'Plotnik	...	Herman Barker at 11 years
Trevor Meeks	...	Lloyd Barker at 10 years
Joseph Granda	...	Herman Barker (as Joseph Lindsey)
Joe Dain	...	Lloyd Barker (as Joseph Dain)
James Marsden	...	Doc Barker
Gavin Harrison	...	Freddie Barker
Terry D. Seago	...	Tall Sheriff
Brian Peck	...	J. Edgar Hoover
Dan Cortese	...	Melvin Purvis
Grant Cramer	...	Sam Cowley

Storyline

Glorified and glamourized fact-based tale of Ma Barker and her boys who robbed banks and generally terrorized the Midwest in the 1930's and was eventually gunned down by g-man, Melvin Purvis.

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Plot Keywords:

fbi federal bureau of investigation | 1930s | bank | blood splatter | breasts | 

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Taglines:

No one could stop them.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, some sex scenes, drug use and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Alyssa Milano previously worked with director Mark Lester on Commando.

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Goofs

The final shootout between Ma Barker and Melvin Purvis is captioned to have occurred in Lake "Wier" when in fact the location is near Lake Weir.

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Quotes

Kate "Ma" Barker: You said, "Dead by Christmas." Is that the kind of chance you're talking about?
Melvin Purvis: You can't believe everything you read in the papers. I'm the F.B.I., not a bounty hunter.
Herman Barker: No difference.

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Alternate Versions

In the suicide scene, it was originally written that Herman Barker's whole head would explode, but director, Mark L. Lester, decided it was too gory for just one scene, and changed it to the back of his neck exploding instead.

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Connections

Edited from The Untouchables (1987)

User Reviews

Bad shooting

Very unbelievable shooting sequences ruined this film.Many times the FBI let the bad guys get away when they were surounded and right in front of them but we are time and again led to believe that the bad guys can out shoot trained FBI agents.The way it was presented is very hard to swallow for sure and too bad becouse there were a lot of good fair acting performances that kept the movie going.Also,I liked the un- mainstream style had.Why the cartoonish shoot out sequences was done is beyond me.Blast away scenes are cool for sure but please make the hits and misses believable!Due to these many glaring anomalies theoughout the movie,do not watch this one unless you are a huge fan of Theressa Russell and also a big fan of 30's gangster movies.....

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 April 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Public Enemy No. 1

Filming Locations:

Guthrie, Oklahoma, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

American World Pictures (AWP)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color