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The Public Enemy is a american film of genre Drama directed by William A. Wellman released in USA on 15 may 1931 with James Cagney
The Public Enemy (1931)
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Add to a movie listReleased in USA 15 may 1931
Length 1h23
Directed by William A. Wellman
OriginUSA
Themes Gangster films
Rating75%
The Public Enemy (released as Enemies of the Public in the United Kingdom) is a 1931 American all-talking Pre-Code crime film produced and distributed by Warner Bros.. The film was directed by William A. Wellman and stars James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods, Donald Cook, and Joan Blondell. The film relates the story of a young man's rise in the criminal underworld in prohibition-era urban America. The supporting players include Beryl Mercer, Murray Kinnell, and Mae Clarke. The screenplay is based on a never-published novel by two former street thugs — Beer and Blood by John Bright and Kubec Glasmon — who had witnessed some of Al Capone's murderous gang rivalries in Chicago.
Synopsis
As youngsters, Tom Powers (James Cagney) and his lifelong friend Matt Doyle (Edward Woods) engage in petty theft, selling their loot to "Putty Nose" (Murray Kinnell). When the pair are young men, Putty Nose persuades them to join his gang on a fur warehouse robbery, assuring them he will take care of them if anything goes wrong. When Tom is startled by a stuffed bear, he shoots it, alerting the police, who kill gang member Larry Dalton. Chased by a cop, Tom and Matt have to gun him down. However, when they go to Putty Nose for help, they find he has left town.Actors
James Cagney
(Tom Powers)
Jean Harlow
(Gwen Allen)
Joan Blondell
(Mamie)
Edward Woods
(Matt Doyle)
Mae Clarke
(Kitty (uncredited))
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Suggestions of similar film to The Public Enemy
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