The Public Enemy (1931)
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Reviews Counted:26
Fresh:26
Rotten:0
Average Rating:8.4/10
Runtime: 84 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: In William Wellman's classic crime film THE PUBLIC ENEMY, James Cagney does a star turn as Tom Powers, a trouble-ridden individual who rises from the position of cheap thug to that of a powerful... [More]
Starring: James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Eddie Woods, Beryl Mercer
Director: William Wellman
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Reviews for The Public Enemy
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
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 4/4 |
Crime may not pay, but The Public Enemy was one of the first pictures to recognize that it sure can be exciting to watch. Full Review |
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4/5 |
No review available.
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5/5 |
Top notch Cagney gangster flick with memorable final scene.
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B |
The film's juiciest scene has the misogynist Tom squeeze a half a grapefruit in his nagging girlfriend Kitty's (Mae Clarke) kisser. Full Review |
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5/5 |
Still a classic of the gangster genre, showing neither glorifying the life nor pulling its punches. Full Review |
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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. Full Review |
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Its success proved, if by then there was any doubt, that audiences will go for a charismatic lowlife over a dull hero any day of the week, a lesson Hollywood never forgot. Full Review |
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88/100 |
The implication is that there are hundreds, maybe thousands of guys like Tom Powers, little criminals living fast and dying hard. Full Review |
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Cagney's energy and Wellman's gutsy direction carry the day, counteracting the moralistic sentimentality of the script and indelibly etching the star on the memory as a definitive gangster hero. Full Review |
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4/4 |
The film set the template for the likes of "Scarface" and "GoodFellas." Full Review |
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3/5 |
No review available.
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5/5 |
No review available.
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3.5/4 |
Contrary to popular opinion, the best moment in the film isn’t when Jimmy Cagney shoves a grapefruit in his girlfriend’s face. Full Review |
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8/10 |
...it was Cagney's film from beginning to end, to win or to lose, and he came out one of the biggest winners in Hollywood. Full Review |
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4/5 |
Overripe, rigid, and at times clunky ... and that's part of the enjoyment. Full Review |
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5/5 |
No review available.
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5/5 |
One of the essential gangster films.
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4.5/5 |
Fascinating and brutally realistic. Full Review |
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A riveting story told in 84 minutes. Full Review |
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Now a classic, this is the movie in which Cagney famously crams a grapefruit into Mae Clarke’s face. Full Review |
CommentLatest News for The Public Enemy
October 31, 2007:
Total Recall: American Gangster's Paradise
This week, Ridley Scott's American Gangster starring Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington hits theaters. With its story of a drug kingpin and the cop who's trying to take him... More...
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