Rent The Public Enemy (1931)
3.8 of 5 from 142 ratings
1h 19min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- "The Public Enemy" showcases James Cagney's powerful 1931 breakthrough performance as streetwise tough guy Tom Powers, but only because production chief Darryl F. Zanuck made a late casting change. When shooting began, Cagney had a secondary role but Zanuck soon spotted Cagney's screen dominance and gave him the star part. From that moment, an indelible genre classic and an enduring star career were both born. Bristling with '20s style, dialogue and desperation under the masterful directorial eye of William A. Wellman, this is a virtual time capsule of the Prohibition era: taut, gritty and hard-hitting - even at breakfast when grapefruit is served.
- Actors:
- James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods, Joan Blondell, Donald Cook, Leslie Fenton, Beryl Mercer, Robert Emmett O'Connor, Murray Kinnell, Lev Abramov, Clark Burroughs, Mae Clarke, Frank Coghlan Jr., George Daly, Frankie Darro, Snitz Edwards, Rita Flynn, Dorothy Gee, Douglas Gerrard, Dorothy Gray
- Directors:
- William A. Wellman
- Producers:
- Darryl F. Zanuck
- Writers:
- Kubec Glasmon, John Bright, Harvey F. Thew
- Aka:
- Beer and Blood
- Studio:
- Warner
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Thrillers
- Collections:
- Award Winners, Films & TV by topic, Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: Kenneth Branagh, Heist Movies: A 20-Year Stretch, Holidays Film Collection, Memory Lane: Films Set in 1920s, The Biggest Oscar Snubs: Part 1, The Cinema Paradiso Kissing Montage, A Brief History of Film..., What We Were Watching in 1971
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 14/08/2017
- Run Time:
- 84 minutes
- Languages:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0, German Dolby Digital 1.0
- Subtitles:
- Brazilian, English Hard of Hearing, French, German Hard of Hearing, Korean, Latin American Spanish
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Commentary by Film Historian Robert Sklar
- Leonard Maltin Hosts Warner Night at the Movies 1931 with Newsreel, Comedy Short 'The Eyes Have It', Cartoon 'Smile, Dam Ya, Smile!' and Theatrical Trailers
- Featurette Beer and Blood: Enemies of the Public
- 1954 Rerelease Foreword
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Reviews (2) of The Public Enemy
Great James Cagney Gangster Flick - The Public Enemy review by EP
This is an old film and it shows, some of the acting isn't that great either, but the dialogue is the epitome of the era "please don't slug me" etc haha and it is one of the first films where you end up rooting for the bad guy. Films like this probably influenced Tarrantino, it must have been pretty shocking at the time, anyhow Cagney is in usual shouty form and there's loads of old school gangster action, some of the story is a bit not believable but the ending is great - shocking and weirdly funny too.
Not one for people who like modern films but I really enjoyed this old time gangster stuff. Grab a brew and some pretzels and enjoy.
3 out of 3 members found this review helpful.
Proto-gangster Classic (spoiler). - The Public Enemy review by Steve
The Public Enemy remains a great mob films because of its pugnacious script, William Wellman's pacy, imaginative direction and James Cagney's dynamic, star making performance. He is a pitiless, ambitious Irish gangster who rises on the prohibition crimewave only to crash into a spray of rival bullets and then dumped in a bloody parcel on his mothers doormat.
Cagney delivers the tough dialogue brilliantly, and he is on a different level from the rest. He is utterly believable. The script gives him many startling, offbeat scenes to bring to life: when he steals his first gun; when he shoots his boss' racehorse; and most famously when he pushes a half grapefruit into the face of his moll (Mae Clarke).
The main weakness is the stiff acting of the support cast. In particular the strange performance of Jean Harlow as the high maintenance frou-frou the public enemy aspires after. She seems to be in a trance. But this is one of the great early sound films. The pacing is slick, the camera moves and the frame is filled with exciting action.
One of the surprises of The Public Enemy is how frank it is about how the gangs make their money and compete for dominance. The film looks like a guide for how to get into prohibition crime! And it's unusually liberal. OK, Cagney plays a psychopath, but the film implies that crime is a product of poverty and the slums. It blames prohibition for organised crime. It's a miracle how candid it is, despite the censorship.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.