Overview
A gripping tale of ambition and betrayal unfolds in the dangerous world of organized crime.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- gritty
- tense
- fatalistic
- classic cinema night
- crime movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a highly effective, well-crafted gangster drama elevated by lifelike performances, especially James Cagney and Edward Woods, despite a comparatively familiar story.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Tom Powers is presented as compelling and vividly human while becoming increasingly brazen, obstinate, and violent.
The film’s foreword and postscript frame Tom’s rise and downfall as a public menace, undercutting romanticized gangster mythology.
Its Prohibition bootlegging plot, frank criminal behavior, and documentary-like social framing place it firmly in Pre-Code Hollywood.
Contemporary reception specifically described the film as a documentary drama, while its lifelike hoodlum performances ground the underworld setting.
Films like The Public Enemy, and why
Little Caesar
Shared pre-Code gangster drama, organized crime milieu, antihero protagonist, and stark social fatalism.
Scarface
Shared classic gangster genre, Prohibition-era criminal rise, violent underworld conflict, and tragic antihero arc.
The Roaring Twenties
Shared crime drama, bootlegging-era setting, gangster ambition, and morally corrosive rise-and-fall narrative.
City Streets
Shared hard-edged crime storytelling, urban underworld atmosphere, and critique of romanticized criminality.
Movie Details
- Director
- William A. Wellman
- Release Date
- 1931-04-23
- Runtime
- 84 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (405)
Cast
- James Cagney
- Jean Harlow
- Edward Woods
- Joan Blondell
- Donald Cook
- Leslie Fenton
- Beryl Mercer
- Robert Emmett O'Connor
- Murray Kinnell
- Clark Burroughs
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- YouTube TV
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Public Enemy about?
- A vivid Pre-Code gangster tragedy follows an ambitious bootlegger whose reckless brutality turns criminal success into personal and social ruin.
- What is The Public Enemy like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Public Enemy as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Public Enemy violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Public Enemy as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Public Enemy?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a highly effective, well-crafted gangster drama elevated by lifelike performances, especially James Cagney and Edward Woods, despite a comparatively familiar story.
- Which films are like The Public Enemy?
- Films with a similar feel include Little Caesar, Scarface, The Roaring Twenties, and City Streets.
- How long is The Public Enemy?
- The Public Enemy runs 84 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Public Enemy?
- In United States, The Public Enemy streams on YouTube TV.
