# The Public Enemy (1931)

> A vivid Pre-Code gangster tragedy follows an ambitious bootlegger whose reckless brutality turns criminal success into personal and social ruin.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/movie/10648

## Facts

- Runtime: 84 min
- Genres: Crime, Drama
- Director: William A. Wellman
- Cast: James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods, Joan Blondell, Donald Cook, Leslie Fenton, Beryl Mercer, Robert Emmett O'Connor
- TMDB rating: 7.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022286/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Mood: gritty, tense, fatalistic, classic cinema night, crime movie marathon

## Synopsis

A gripping tale of ambition and betrayal unfolds in the dangerous world of organized crime.

## Movies like The Public Enemy

- [Marked Woman (1937)](https://ember.film/movie/15155)
- [White Heat (1949)](https://ember.film/movie/9474)
- [The Glass Key (1942)](https://ember.film/movie/10308)
- [Baby Face (1933)](https://ember.film/movie/16534)
- [The Petrified Forest (1936)](https://ember.film/movie/10253)
- [Scarface (1932)](https://ember.film/movie/721)
- [Kiss of Death (1947)](https://ember.film/movie/12897)
- [The Informer (1935)](https://ember.film/movie/28713)
- [Little Caesar (1931)](https://ember.film/movie/16929)
- [Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)](https://ember.film/movie/7974)

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