Gun Cagney Uses---Did Bogart & Cliff Robertson Use Same Gun Later?

As a tsunami, nothing was able to stop Cagney once he was aroused, and no one even thought to try

Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, California, USA

Edward G. Robinson in Little Caesar (1931)

Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Gladys George, Paul Kelly, Priscilla Lane, Jeffrey Lynn, Frank McHugh, and Raoul Walsh in The Roaring Twenties (1939)

Humphrey Bogart, Pat O'Brien, Gabriel Dell, Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Billy Halop, Bobby Jordan, Bernard Punsly, and The Dead End Kids in Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)

Ann Dvorak, Paul Muni, and Osgood Perkins in Scarface (1932)

Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, and Leslie Howard in The Petrified Forest (1936)

James Cagney, Ann Dvorak, and Margaret Lindsay in 'G' Men (1935)

Herbert Marshall, Kay Francis, and Miriam Hopkins in Trouble in Paradise (1932)

Humphrey Bogart and Ida Lupino in High Sierra (1941)

... I didn't ask you for any lip. I asked you if you had a drink.

... there you go with that wishin' stuff again. I wish you was a wishing well. So that I could tie a bucket to ya and sink ya.

Well, maybe you've found someone you like better.

James Cagney, Donald Cook, Rita Flynn, and Beryl Mercer in The Public Enemy (1931)

James Cagney, Joan Blondell, and Edward Woods in The Public Enemy (1931)

James Cagney and Lee Phelps in The Public Enemy (1931)

James Cagney, Donald Cook, and Beryl Mercer in The Public Enemy (1931)

James Cagney, Robert Emmett O'Connor, and Edward Woods in The Public Enemy (1931)

James Cagney and Edward Woods in The Public Enemy (1931)

James Cagney, Jean Harlow, and Edward Woods in The Public Enemy (1931)

James Cagney

Jean Harlow

Edward Woods

Kubec Glasmon

John Bright

Harvey F. Thew

An Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime.

William A. Wellman

The Public Enemy

Great film from the beginnings of the gangster-movie-genre

&quot;The Public Enemy&quot; is one of the starting points of the great season of gangster movies, a very interesting work. It is not the story of the rise and fall of some big boss of crime. Tom Powers (James Cagney) and Matt Doyle (Edward Woods) are just small time crooks, and so they remain throughout the movie. Only, they make the big money that the circumstances of prohibition offer to any criminal. Tom is just a semi-illiterate, naturally violent thug. He is not even professional. He kills just out of stupidity or desire of a pointless revenge, that ultimately will severely damage himself. Further evidence of his cheap personality is shown when he instantly falls for the vulgar, tasteless girl Gwen (Jean Harlow). By the way, Harlow looks remarkably unattractive (to our modern eyes, at least). Was it a choice of director Wellmann? Matt is slightly better than Tom, but clearly he has not the guts to cross his mate. 

In my opinion a major credit of the film is that it systematically avoids cliché. Neither Tom nor Matt are outcomes of poverty and social injustice. They come from simple but honest, decent and loving families. But they are both bad (that&apos;s the word) and they use the freedom and opportunities of their democratic country to make evil.

In &quot;The Public Enemy&quot; we find probably the first instances of the beautiful stylish cinematography and clever camera-work that will become the trade-mark of later gangster and noir movies. Some scenes are unforgettable, like the final one, or that under the rain, or that of Cagney abusing the girl. The brief scene of the killing of the horse is pure cinematic genius.

In the film there are also some naiveness and clumsiness, though. The way Tom undergoes the personality of his good brother is far-fetched. It is not clear why a gangster in a hospital, wounded in a gun-fight, is not under strict police control. The behavior of Tom&apos;s boss in the ending is illogical. Moreover, the part where Tom and Matt are kids is too long (we audience are all eager to see Cagney!), and action is a bit scarce for a gangster movie. 

&quot;The Public Enemy&quot; was Cagney&apos;s breakout film, and really he makes a powerful and accurate job. Actually, a strong acting is provided by the whole cast. The director William A. Wellmann handles the movie with sound talent.

&quot;The Public Enemy&quot; is a beautiful and historically important movie. I recommend it to any cinema-lover

A young hoodlum rises up through the ranks of the Chicago underworld, even as a gangster&apos;s accidental death threatens to spark a bloody mob war.

Official Trailer

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZjBjZGNhMGMtZGMwMC00NDZlLWEwZjctYjUxNzM0MWQwMzAxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXRyYW5zY29kZS13b3JrZmxvdw@@._V1_.jpg

"The Public Enemy" is one of the starting points of the great season of gangster movies, a very interesting work. It is not the story of the rise and fall of some big boss of crime. Tom Powers (James Cagney) and Matt Doyle (Edward Woods) are just small time crooks, and so they remain throughout the movie. Only, they make the big money that the circumstances of prohibition offer to any criminal. Tom is just a semi-illiterate, naturally violent thug. He is not even professional. He kills just out of stupidity or desire of a pointless revenge, that ultimately will severely damage himself. Further evidence of his cheap personality is shown when he instantly falls for the vulgar, tasteless girl Gwen (Jean Harlow). By the way, Harlow looks remarkably unattractive (to our modern eyes, at least). Was it a choice of director Wellmann? Matt is slightly better than Tom, but clearly he has not the guts to cross his mate. 

In my opinion a major credit of the film is that it systematically avoids cliché. Neither Tom nor Matt are outcomes of poverty and social injustice. They come from simple but honest, decent and loving families. But they are both bad (that's the word) and they use the freedom and opportunities of their democratic country to make evil.

In "The Public Enemy" we find probably the first instances of the beautiful stylish cinematography and clever camera-work that will become the trade-mark of later gangster and noir movies. Some scenes are unforgettable, like the final one, or that under the rain, or that of Cagney abusing the girl. The brief scene of the killing of the horse is pure cinematic genius.

In the film there are also some naiveness and clumsiness, though. The way Tom undergoes the personality of his good brother is far-fetched. It is not clear why a gangster in a hospital, wounded in a gun-fight, is not under strict police control. The behavior of Tom's boss in the ending is illogical. Moreover, the part where Tom and Matt are kids is too long (we audience are all eager to see Cagney!), and action is a bit scarce for a gangster movie. 

"The Public Enemy" was Cagney's breakout film, and really he makes a powerful and accurate job. Actually, a strong acting is provided by the whole cast. The director William A. Wellmann handles the movie with sound talent.

"The Public Enemy" is a beautiful and historically important movie. I recommend it to any cinema-lover

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