the public enemy be a 1931 american crime film star james cagney and direct by william a. wellman . the movie relate the story of a young man rise in the criminal underworld in prohibition era urban america . the support player include a young 20 yr. old jean harlow and edward wood and joan blondell and beryl mercer and donald cook and and mae clarke . the film and which be base on the novel beer and blood by john bright and launch cagney to stardom . a theater in time square run the public enemy 24 hour a day during it initial release . it be the first worldwide box office hit for cagney ( age 31 ) and forever cast him in the public eye a a tough guy and an image he be unable to shed despite numerous role choose especially to counter that image and include his oscar win role in yankee doodle dandy . the film be nominate for an academy award for best original screenplay . in 1998 and the public enemy be select for preservation in the united state national film registry by the library of congress a be culturally and historically and or aesthetically significant . i be impress by this movie frankness regard the life of a gangster during the prohibition era .