Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

Amateur movie with Big budget

A different way of telling a story

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

History has it that "The Public Enemy" is what made Cagney a star, and I can see why. He's got charisma, a real mean streak, and he's easy to envision as an iconic gangster. This is your straightforward rise-and-fall movie, a street rat's quest for the American dream (he's not all that far from Tony Montana); and it still has some heft, even if we've seen this story time and again.There's a saddening twist that comes in the final moments. And you can see it coming, but the execution - just one particular shot - has a startling impact.There are pacing issues, but those final scenes are entirely worth it. And I love that the movie is bookended by anti-crime PSAs. 7/10

Cagney is something special in this film, an early gangster and bootlegging movie that was made in 1931, while Prohibition was still the law (it ended in 1933). The way he wears his many hats, the way he talks, and the way he playfully bumps his fist into someone's face as a sign of respect is all truly iconic. He is great in scenes of pure evil, the most famous of which has him smashing a grapefruit in a lover's face for not serving him alcohol for breakfast. There are several others though - spitting beer in a bartender's face for selling a competitor's product, killing a horse for having thrown and killed his boss, killing a guy who had betrayed him years ago, 'Putty Nose', without remorse, shocking even his partner, and slapping a woman for seducing and sleeping with him the night before while he was drunk. The seduction is clearly pre-Code as there is no doubt what's happening, but it's far from erotic, and more of an indication of the depths to which he's sinking before his ultimate end.And yet, despite all this, and despite the warnings that Warner Bros. put at the beginning and ending of the film, to the point that they were not trying to glorify gangsters, we somehow still care about Cagney, and as much or more so than his upright and moral brother, who dutifully goes off to WWI, doesn't take crooked money, and tries to set him straight. There seems to be little threat that he's going to be arrested, it's rival gangs that threaten him, not the police (which is perhaps telling to the sentiment of what was going on in Chicago and other cities at the time), but we don't want to see him gunned down.The rest of the cast is decent but mostly in the background, even Jean Harlow, who is actually a bit ghoulish as one of Cagney's love interests. Joan Blondell is frankly better, and says a lot with her eyes as his partner's girlfriend. The only poor bit of casting was Leslie Fenton, he is not believable as big mob boss 'Nails' Nathan. The action is all a bit over-the-top, and I'm not that big a fan of the modern gangster film, but this one has that sense of being historical and classic, and as such was entertaining. It's also definitely worth watching just to see Cagney.

The gangster film was already big business when this movie came out in 1931, but it got a needed dose of star power with the arrival of James Cagney.Cagney plays Tom Powers, a tough kid from a middle-class Chicago family who sees the underworld as his ticket to the big money and respect. Prohibition helps reward his sinister urge. When his brother points up the error of his ways, Powers sneers as only Cagney could:"I suppose you want me to go to night school, and read poems!" This would have been the smarter choice, as "The Public Enemy" does make clear, just not nearly as much fun."The Public Enemy" is celebrated as one of three milestone films from 1931 that put gangster cinema in the big time. And while it doesn't have the story strength of the original "Scarface," it makes up for this lack with Cagney's breakout performance.He's a dynamo from his first moment on screen, and remains so for the run of the film. He obviously relished the choice one-liners and hard-nosed confrontations, but excels just as much with his non- verbal acting, like his playful uppercut jabs, his leering grins, and his infectious wink. You aren't meant to like the guy, and don't, but try to keep your eyes off him.Solid support is given by a secondary cast of heavies, like Tom's buddy Matt Doyle (Edward Woods), along for the ride even when he's clearly unnerved by Tom's manic moments. Leslie Fenton is debonair Nails Nathan, a mob boss whose smooth, charismatic manner keeps Tom in line...for a while. Tom's underworld sponsor, Paddy Ryan (Robert Emmett O'Connor), seems decent by mob standards, but he's a lightweight against the sort of trouble Tom attracts.You could almost subtitle this film "Fun With Food" with all the times food is used unpleasantly. Tom's upright brother throws a keg of beer into a table. Paddy Ryan proves the most disgusting eater of potato chips until Homer Simpson. Tom and Matt turn a prize horse into dog food. And of course, there's that grapefruit.The grapefruit scene is "The Public Enemy's" single most-remembered moment, and fun to watch. Yet it works in forwarding the message of the film, which is the coarsening effect crime has on a person like Tom. Even riding high, he can't help himself when a girlfriend named Kitty (Mae Clarke) he's become frustrated with hesitates about serving him booze with his breakfast. His is a classic overreaction, and funny for that, but instructive, too.Tom really isn't presented as a likable guy. We watch him because it's Cagney, but you aren't meant to sympathize with him. For all the pious words we get about crime not paying, from the ponderously- portrayed brother and from the opening and closing credits, it's Tom himself that brings this message home.The film isn't perfect. The Cagney-less opening is slow and labored, with leaden, stylized performances all around. The story itself is kind of episodic and not well-stitched together. Jean Harlow does a brief turn as one of Tom's romantic interests to pointless effect. Paddy locking his boys in an apartment without their guns is about as smart as putting them in a warehouse awaiting a shipment of booze from Al Capone.Overall, though, when "The Public Enemy" is good, it's very good. Director William Wellman shows why he is regarded as an innovator of sound cinema, with an opening pan shot that goes 270 degrees around a city street, or a fatal fur heist shot in near-total darkness that gives it an expressionistic veneer. Tracking shots give you a sense of motion and of danger that more than makes up for the lack of visible violence. It's all in your head, and worse that way.Most important, Wellman knew he had a prize stallion in Cagney and rides him to glory, keeping him in frame for nearly the entire film. Early Hollywood sent up many stars, but few still burn as bright as Cagney does here.

The gangster drama is still around today, although much less prominently than its 1930's heyday. 1931 marked the beginning of a rich genre that would provide some of the best films of the 1930s and 40s. The Public Enemy is part of the trinity of groundbreaking gangster films, along with Little Caesar and Scarface. Most other gangster flicks would take their cues from these movies.Of the three, The Public Enemy is my favorite. It's the powerful story of a young hood's rise and fall. James Cagney became an overnight star with this career-defining role and it's easy to see why. Director William Wellman had one of his first big hits with this film, in a genre he would not work in often. A fantastic cast supports Cagney, including Jean Harlow, Joan Blondell, Mae Clarke, Donald Cook, Leslie Fenton, Edward Woods, and many more. It's a movie filled with memorable scenes and quotable lines. The grapefruit scene, the infamous final scene, and "I ain't so tough" to name a few. I would recommend this to anybody. It's definitely on my list of must-see classic films.