Thomas Butt is a senior writer at Collider who focuses on classic movies.
The Big Picture Nearly 100 years since its release, The Public Enemy's influence reigns supreme over modern cinema. The classic Pre-Code gangster film was a groundbreaking advancement of the film medium that paved the way for its genre. Produced by Warner Bros. and starring the seminal Hollywood tough guy James Cagney, The Public Enemy is a totemic image of the gangster genre.
Release Date April 23, 1931 Director William A. Wellman Cast James Cagney , Jean Harlow , Joan Blondell Runtime 83 Main Genre Crime Pre-Code Hollywood Depicted Sex and Violence on the Big Screen The Public Enemy follows Tom Powers , a low-level petty thief who rises to the top of the bootlegging underworld in Prohibition-era Chicago along with his partner-in-crime, Matt Doyle . Tom's brother, Mike , is an upstanding citizen and WWI veteran who denounces his brother's illicit lifestyle.
'The Public Enemy' Established the Modern Gangster Film Close Cagney's Capone-inspired Tom Powers is the quintessential Pre-Code gangster. He starts from nothing, but he quickly attains power and starts a turf war between a rival gang. He is charismatic, proud of his wealth, and defies authority.
2:35 Related One of Robert De Niro’s Greatest Gangster Films Is Also His Most Personal "You just have to accept people for what they are." How 'The Public Enemy' Inspired Martin Scorsese and 'The Sopranos' Growing up in the neighborhood of Manhattan, Little Italy, the criminal underworld was part of the ecosystem surrounding Martin Scorsese, which gave his iconic gangster films Mean Streets and Goodfellas a personal touch.
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