Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      The Public Enemy

      Released Apr 23, 1931 1h 24m Crime Drama List
      100% 33 Reviews Tomatometer 84% 5,000+ Ratings Audience Score Two young Chicago hoodlums, Tom Powers (James Cagney) and Matt Doyle (Eddie Woods), rise up from their poverty-stricken slum life to become petty thieves, bootleggers and cold-blooded killers. But with street notoriety and newfound wealth, the duo feels the heat from the cops and rival gangsters both. Despite his ruthless criminal reputation, Tom tries to remain connected to his family, however, gang warfare and the need for revenge eventually pull him away. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Jan 30 Buy Now

      Where to Watch

      The Public Enemy

      Fandango at Home Prime Video

      Rent The Public Enemy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

      Audience Reviews

      View All (481) audience reviews
      Deke P CAGNEY! & Lots other big stars of the old times. JEAN HARLOW, Joan Blondell, etc. Follows little kids, from 1909, til in the Marines in WW ONE!, then their rise during Prohibition, as beer 'enforcers', to become gangsters, and killers. This is the one where Cagney shoves a Grapefruit into his girl's face. Saw much of it again 3.11.24 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/11/24 Full Review Steve D It is really hard to care about any of the characters. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/21/24 Full Review Jeff S Plot is a bit thin, but I look forward to watching more movies starring Cagney after seeing this one. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/16/24 Full Review Nathan A The movie in acting is near to perfection depicting the rebellious persona. The movie overall in meaning as mentioned in the movie makes sense and makes it stand out for its overall purpose. In America where work is not mandatory as it is not in the law to work proves the problem of crime and criminal behavior in reflection while viewing this film. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/15/24 Full Review Georgan G The quintessential gangster film! This was the start of realistic morality tales for the American public. Cagney, Harlow & other terrific actors make it feel as real as it looks. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/08/23 Full Review Matthew B Director William Wellman promised beforehand, "I'll bring you the toughest, most violent picture that you ever did see". He duly delivered a film with shootings, beatings, criminality, and violence against women that shocked and excited the public. Made on a low budget, The Public Enemy had no real stars. At its centre was a fairly unknown actor called James Cagney who became a star after appearing in this film. Cagney was originally supposed to play the supporting role of Matt Doyle, the friend of the central character. However it was decided to switch the roles so that Edward Woods played Doyle, and Cagney was given the leading role of Tom Powers. It is easy to see why such a decision was made. Woods was hardly the actor to give the central role any memorable quality. By contrast Cagney was a brash and tough actor who seemed far more believable as the movie's protagonist. On the whole the film is careful not to endorse the behaviour of the mobsters that it depicts. Warner Brothers added a Foreword professing this to be "essentially a true story," and one that "honestly depicts an environment that exists today in certain stratum of American life". This Foreword insists that it does not glorify the criminal, a point that is backed up by an epilogue solemnly declaring that these crimes are a problem that must be solved. There is something puerile about the behaviour of these organised criminals. For all their toughness, they do not behave like adults. When Tom and Matt run into Putty Nose a few years later, they cannot resist the opportunity to take murderous revenge on him. The men's relationships with women are similarly lacking in maturity. Women exist to give these men someone with whom they can show off. During an argument with Kitty (Mae Clarke), Tom shoves half a grapefruit into her face. This is hardly the most brutal act and it occupies hardly any screen time, but the scene became notorious, and even drew protest from a women's rights group. There are a number of amusing stories surrounding the grapefruit scene. I am not sure how many of them are true. William Wellman said that he included the scene to get a reaction from his wife, who liked grapefruit. Grapefruit was a surprisingly popular breakfast choice at the time. Mae Clarke's ex-husband is said to have attended the movie theatre every day for the pleasure of watching his former wife receiving the grapefruit in her face. This was not an age where criminals could be glamorised, hence the attempts to undermine Tom Powers. It would be the 1960s before criminals could be presented in a semi-sympathetic manner in films such as Bonnie and Clyde. Nonetheless Cagney's boyishly charming performance made his criminal ‘hero' seem almost likeable at times. This impression is reinforced by the credit sequence which shows the actors smiling at the camera in a welcoming manner that seems at odds with the characters they play. The general public has always had a love-hate relationship with the criminal classes, and there are good reasons why the gangster had an appeal for people in the 1930s. In an age where the government had introduced Prohibition, there was a sneaking sympathy for anti-establishment figures who defied these restrictive laws. The 1930s was also a period of Depression. There were few opportunities for the poor boy to make good, and Tom Powers is using one of the only routes that was open to people of his class in a time of privation. While this may not justify his actions, it did at least make them identifiable. When Mike angrily attacks Tom's criminal activities, Tom responds by pointing out that his brother's career in the army is only a legal way of making money for doing the same thing: "You killed and liked it. You didn't get them medals for holding hands with Germans." The film ends as it must, showing us that a life of crime is wrong and will end badly. Nonetheless Wellman's decision to make the film tough and violent showed that he understood the thirst for films of this kind, and something of the dangerous allure of the gangster. I wrote a longer appreciation of The Public Enemy on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2019/10/30/the-public-enemy-1931/ Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/05/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      More Like This

      View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
      82% 74% Night Nurse 100% 89% The Roaring Twenties 92% 78% High Sierra 97% 88% Key Largo 92% 75% Little Caesar Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

      Movie News & Guides

      View All Movie News & Guides

      This movie is featured in the following articles.

      Know Your Critic: Christina Newland, Film Critic for The i Newspaper Captain Fantastic, Ernest & Celestine, and More on Netflix and Amazon Prime This Week Watch TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar

      Photos

      View All The Public Enemy photos

      The Public Enemy

      The Public Enemy (1931) The Public Enemy (1931) The Public Enemy (1931) The Public Enemy (1931) View more photos

      Critics Reviews

      View All (33) Critics Reviews
      Edwin Schallert Los Angeles Times If there are to be gangster pictures, let them be like The Public Enemy, hard-boiled and vindictive almost to the point of burlesque. Apr 19, 2019 Full Review Jake Hamilton Empire Magazine Still a classic of the gangster genre, showing neither glorifying the life nor pulling its punches. Rated: 5/5 Oct 30, 2007 Full Review Variety Staff Variety There's no lace on this picture. It's raw and brutal. It's low-brow material given such workmanship as to make it high-brow. Oct 30, 2007 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand In the first depression-era films of the mob rats blasting their way to big screen glory like Molotov cocktails, Cagney’s Tom Powers was the most magnificent of the new breed of machine gun-toting anti-hero. Aug 19, 2023 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Cagney is so good here, in fact, that the picture would still be worth a look even if it were otherwise awful. Rated: 3/4 Dec 11, 2020 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins It's clear that in 1930's Hollywood, villainous activities must have strict repercussions, but the blaring disclaimer at the close only lessens the impact. Rated: 7/10 Jul 30, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Two young Chicago hoodlums, Tom Powers (James Cagney) and Matt Doyle (Eddie Woods), rise up from their poverty-stricken slum life to become petty thieves, bootleggers and cold-blooded killers. But with street notoriety and newfound wealth, the duo feels the heat from the cops and rival gangsters both. Despite his ruthless criminal reputation, Tom tries to remain connected to his family, however, gang warfare and the need for revenge eventually pull him away.
      Director
      William A. Wellman
      Screenwriter
      Kubec Glasmon, John Bright, Harvey F. Thew, David Mendoza
      Distributor
      Warner Bros.
      Production Co
      Warner Brothers
      Genre
      Crime, Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Apr 23, 1931, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Jul 24, 2014
      Runtime
      1h 24m
      Sound Mix
      Vitaphone
      Most Popular at Home Now