Alright, I'll admit the title is a stretch (I'll also admit they all are), so to make it a little more understandable I'll inform you what movie I'm reviewing now, the Gangster cinema classic The Public Enemy (1931) starring king of gangster cinema Jimmy Cagney. Completing a gangster double feature for me, as seen by my earlier review of Carlito's Way (1993).
Released four months after Little Caesar (1930), The Public Enemy is credited with many things... but the most influential thing the movie did was to solidify the gangster movie as a profitable genre (spanning nearly the entire run of talkies) but probably more importantly is that the movie gave cinema a young actor names James Cagney, a vaudevillian turned film actor.
Following Little Caesar was a big deal, considering it was one of the truly great crime movies, and as such this movie had some not so little shoes to fill. And, instead of trying to replicate the exact same hood turned boss, this movie creates a different kind of gangster in Tom Powers (Cagney): The Gangster from infancy. Beginning in 1909, the film viewer is introduced to Tom Powers as a little boy, pulling all sorts of shenanigans that aren't to foreign from the opening scenes of Manhattan Melodrama (1934) in which young Blackie is shown to be a criminal from birth.
From there the movie becomes a pretty typical rags to riches to morgue gangster story, with the inevitable end for the central gangster being a maelstrom of lead and blood, but considering that Little Caesar was the only real one to come first, it was pretty original and must be viewed in that context. That being said, the movie is a very good example of the Rags to Riches to Morgue movies, and perhaps among the best I've seen in the sub-genre.
One of the main sources of this movies greatest comes from the daring script. In the pre-code world of cinema the only thing holding back film makers was their own conscience, but Warner Bros. decided to make a movie with tough guys being tough, no holding back (well, swearing was still taboo). The entire plot is risky, tackling Prohibition and it's problems during the whole fiasco, but when you add all sorts of scenes such as real live gangsters being portrayed (although taken out in the 1949 post-code release), and a new use for grapefruit (although improvised) the sum is a tough look at crime that would set the standard for decades to come.
But, the main source is the Man himself... Jimmy Cagney. It's not hard to imagine why this movie made him a star, especially when he edged out the man originally play Powers. Frankly, it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role. Cagney is cocky, tough, jovial, and formidable making the perfect cocktail of the archetypal screen hoodlum. The rest of the cast serves as mere props to Cagney's Powers who stands head and shoulders (oh the irony) above the rest of the cast when it comes to acting. They are all good, don't get me wrong, but when matched with a truly great performance, good looks average.
In terms of classic gangster fare this movie ranks amongst Little Caesar (1931), and White Heat (1941) standing out to this day as truly great works of cinema. If you consider yourself a fan of crime fare, this is most definitely a don't miss movie.
Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (9.25/10)
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