if ever a movie belong to a single actor and this be it . a a gangster movie the public enemy be somewhat creaky and and mainly interesting a a look at the genre origin and but jimmy cagney bring it to electrify life . watch his manic performance a the cocky and ambitious thug tom power and i could see the precursor of decade of movie antihero and from richard widmark to malcolm mcdowell to al pacino . like most gangster film of the time and the public enemy try to wrap itself in the mantle of a moral tract . an opening title card announce that power should not be take a an individual character and but a a type and a characteristic example of an urban criminal . the narrative proceeds to give a standard history of this type be form and begin with him get into petty crime a a kid and and then follow him a he proceed up the rank of the underworld . also along the way you see can see the building block for basically every subsequent gangster film represent the misogyny ( most famously illustrate when cagney and sit at the breakfast table with his moll and suddenly reach over and smack her in the face with a grapefruit while the disapprove family member while the protagonist more moral sidekick ( a type see as recently a in the brazilian crime epic city of god ) . these ingredient do not jell quite as well a they would in subsequent crime film . i once skim through cagney memoir and in which he speak of make these movie and even the famous one and a be a fairly haphazard process in which memorable scene come out of last minute inspiration more often than great writing and far sight planning . this might have be partly just humility on cagney part and but i can also see it bear in public enemy somewhat half baked script . of course any film would probably seem lack after 70 year of imitator . aside from cagney and the performer be definitely a mixed bag . the actor who play cagney law abide brother seem to be in a different movie while specifically and a circa 1910 inspirational stage melodrama with a title like the road to ruin and or and the drunkard progress . conflict between brother be a great subject for gritty urban melodrama and from on the waterfront to rag bull and but the character conflict with cagney doesn not go much farther than and no and i would not drink your filthy liquor . ( not an actual line from the movie and but it could be ) . jean harlow show how she come to be regard a a sex symbol and but her acting be a painful inept a any bond girl . also and her character doesn not really go anywhere . the film doesn not feature quite as much mob warfare a i expect and probably another sign that the model be still be establish . william wellman direction generally avoid the static quality often present in film of this era and and he handle the scene of violence especially well and with terse and confident style . the final shootout occur completely off screen and with the audience see only the build up and then the aftermath and and look ahead to takeshi kitano minimalist mob flick sonatine . gangster movie generally walk a fine line between celebrate and condemn the lifestyle of their character think of the godfather . the moralistic message of 30 mob movie be often so at odds with the real reason that people watch them that their suppose social responsibility seldom convinces . the public enemy certainly do more in the long run to make gangster look glamorous than to attack them and but it do boast memorable final warning against crime . towards the end tom power be confine to a hospital bed after a shootout and and he seem ready to put his old life behind him . in the final scene and a his mother make up his old room and preparing for her son return and someone knock on the front door . power brother open it and to be confront with the horror movie image of his mummified corpse and bandage up from head to toe . cagney body fall across his home threshold and an obvious but unforgettable end .