Review – The Public Enemy

If you’re working on a history of the gangster movie, this is a must-see. I’m not, so I found it more of a historical curiosity than a gripping drama. As with many movies from the early years of the “talkie” era, the production is rough. The acting is theatrical (as in “play it for the back row”), the editing is downright experimental in spots, and the script is a ham-handed indictment/celebration of organized crime. Jimmy Cagney turns in his breakthrough performance as a young street hood sinking deeper and deeper into a life of crime. Mildly amusing