The Public Enemy poster

The Public Enemy

19311h 23mCrime · Drama
directed by William A. Wellman

“All his life he took what he wanted...Why not women?”

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TMDB
7.3 / 10
391 votes
IMDb
7.6 / 10
23,502 votes
Metacritic
80 / 100
Rotten Tomatoes
100%

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Synopsis

Two young Chicago hoodlums, Tom Powers and Matt Doyle, rise up from their poverty-stricken slum life to become petty thieves, bootleggers and cold-blooded killers. But with street notoriety and newfound wealth, the duo feels the heat from the cops and rival gangsters both. Despite his ruthless criminal reputation, Tom tries to remain connected to his family, however, gang warfare and the need for revenge eventually pull him away.

Cast

James Cagney·Tom Powers
Jean Harlow·Gwen Allen
Edward Woods·Matt Doyle
Joan Blondell·Mamie
Donald Cook·Mike Powers
Leslie Fenton·Samuel 'Nails' Nathan
Beryl Mercer·Ma Powers
Robert Emmett O'Connor·Paddy Ryan
Murray Kinnell·Putty Nose
Clark Burroughs·Dutch (uncredited)