The Public Enemy (1931)

 

As youngsters in 1900s Chicago, Irish-Americans Tom Powers and his lifelong friend Matt Doyle engage in petty theft, selling stolen items to a fence named "Putty Nose". 

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. However, when something does go wrong, he disappears on them.

Tom's straitlaced older brother Mike Powers tries to talk Tom into giving up crime.  He is not successful, and when he enlists for service in World War I, even he limited influence he could exert in lost.

Local gangster Paddy Ryan recruits Tom and Matt as beer "salesmen" (enforcers) in his bootlegging business. The bootlegging business proves highly lucrative, allowing Tom and Matt to enjoy the high-styling, luxurious lifestyle they've always dreamed of.  Tom is also able to financially support his mother, who remains innocent of his real occupation, despite his brother's disapproval.

But of course, as has already been foreshadowed with Putty Nose, a career based on crime and violence is a precarious one with great dangers attached.  It remains to be seen whether Tom and Matt will have much time to enjoy their ill-gotten wealth ...

Once its release in 1931, The Public Enemy received modest praise, with critics impressed by the acting, but not especially by the plot.  Over time, perhaps in part because of the subsequent careers of stars James Cagney and Jean Harlow, the film's reputation has grown.  In 1998 it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant"

Overall, I'm on board with the film's reappraisal.  It's a well made film on multiple levels, and I think the script is a stronger one than was originally acknowledged.  In terms of the writing, I particularly like that Tom's successes and failures in life can both be directly traced to the same aspects of his character: in particular, his fierce loyalty and his aggression.

One thing to note is that the script is not afraid to leave some questions and situations not entirely resolved.  The writers likely felt they had told the core story, and that wrapping up every loose end would be detrimental to the film's structure, pacing and impact.  They may well be right, but depending on your investment in some of the ancillary elements, you may find yourself a bit disappointed.

I feel like I should take a moment to praise the film's staging and scene design.  Several sequences of the movie have been justly celebrated in the near century since the film came out, including my own personal favourite, which is how they set up and structured the scene where Tom launches his impetuous on rival mobster Schemer Burns.  It's become justly iconic.

One thing that I think contributes to the film's success is its 1931 production date; this pre-dated the restrictive Hays Code.  Had the movie been made just a few years later, it would not have been able to include some of the things it did.  When the film was re-released in 1941, for instance, three scenes were cut as containing inappropriate content.  All were later restored for the home media releases.

If you have an interest in the history of cinema, then The Public Enemy is  worth seeing just for its significance that topic.  I'm pleased to say however that you will likely not find it a chore to watch!