the public enemy be more than just a story about the rise and fall of a crimean lord in the 1920 . hell and it even say that at the beginning and end of the picture . it state and the public enemy be not a man and nor be it a character and it be problem that we and the public and must solve . james cagney give a magnificent performance a tom power and a man who start off a a petty thief with sidekick matt doyle ( play excellently by edward wood ) and rise to become a powerful beer smuggler during the era of prohibition and gang rule . yet this film be not all about tom power and his rise to power while it be about the vast feeling of change that america be experience during the roaring twenty . america be attempt to adjust to the aftermath of world war i ( which be explore brilliantly in this film in a sequence through which tom brother and mike and refuse to drink from a keg of beer smuggle in by tom for his dinner party ) people like mike be still try to feel that sense of loyalty towards the government after world war i. yet that loyalty somehow vanish with the development of prohibition and the rise of gang rule in urban society . director william a. wellman explore deeply with this subject matter a we analyze tom family and how they have adjust to the effect of change upon american society . in tom case and he yearn for power which become a craving for all american during the 1920 . matt also be one of those who yearn for power . mike and on the other hand and want to remain conservative about american value . he want to keep thing the way they be with his family . he do not crave for power as much a his brother tom which allow him to survive at the end of the picture . a a result and we and the american public and learn at the end of the picture that power be big than any one man and that it will smite any man who try to take full control of it . tom attempt to do that and end up lose everything dearest to him . he lose his friend and his girl and but most of all and he lose his soul . the public enemy be not a man and nor be it a character and it be a problem that we and the public and must solve . james cagney should have receive an oscar nomination a best actor for this film and edward wood should have receive a best supporting actor nomination a well . lenny grade represent a .