Review of The Public Enemy (1931) by Chris D — 12 Oct 2010
With some well done cinematography and excellent drama, "The Public Enemy" is my favorite early gangster film. More than "Little Caesar" (another of my favorites), this film does an excellent job of not glorifying the gangster culture of the 30's.
It's a dangerous job and in the end you get caught and usually killed. The ending was quite obvious, even from the opening credits, but it was still incredibly effective. I found it tragic even though Cagney's character is very unlikeable, only redeeming himself somewhat in his deathbed apology.
Jean Harlow's performance was somewhat small but also very luminous.
This review of The Public Enemy (1931) was written by Chris D on 12 Oct 2010.
The Public Enemy has generally received very positive reviews.
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