The Public Enemy (1931)

The Public Enemy
Directed by William A. Wellman
Written by Kubec Glasmon, John Bright and Harvey Thew
1931/US
Warner Bros.
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Prime Rental

Tom Powers: I ain’t so tough.

This gangland classic introduced the world to the force of nature that was James Cagney.

Tom Powers (Cagney) and Matt Doyle (Edward Woods) are partners in crime, who got started with petty thefts while they were still kids. They participate in an unsuccessful bank robbery.  Their life of crime becomes really lucrative with the advent of Prohibition.  Tom’s brother and Matt’s sister strongly disapprove but neither of the boys care what they think.

Tom and Matt are more enforcers than crime lords but are making enough loot to attract women who are willing to play around.  Tom first lands Kitty (Mae Clarke) and they shack up together but he tires of her pretty fast.  Then he seduces the glamorous Gwen Allen (Jean Harlow).  But you know what they say about people who live by the sword …  Tom’s cockiness doesn’t help any.

This is an classic early gangster film with plenty of violence.  But it is Cagney that steals every scene he is in, which is most of them.  His energy and physicality were seldom equaled in movie history.  Iconic and recommended.

Louise Brooks turned down the role played by Jean Harlow, sealing her fate as Hollywood poison.

The Public Enemy was Oscar-nominated for Best Writing, Original Story.

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