The Public Enemy (1931)

 William A. Wellman's "The Public Enemy"

In the 1930s, the gangster genre became a sensational piece of American entertainment that is still revered today. Its rise came with the rise of sound, just as horror films did. With studios now able to crank out sound films like a well-oiled machine, they were able to give the American public what they wanted: violence, shock, horror, musicals, and other sensational works that they were able to produce up until the Hayes Code's limitations in 1933. One such film that took advantage of this popularity was the classic gangster phenomenon "The Public Enemy." 

The reason such a film could get away with the downright ugly and vile behavior of its characters was its iteration to the audience that these characters were looked down upon and met their just end. The prologue of the film even states, "apprising the audience that the hoodlums and terrorists of the underworld must be exposed and the glamour ripped from them." All the characters in the film 'reap what they sow,' as it were. 

However, that did not stop audiences from living vicariously through the downright abhorrent behavior of the characters on the screen. Whether it was the murder, the way the characters spoke to each other, the vast wealth they acquire from underground activities, the betrayals, or the aggression they enact towards each other, the audience can ultimately purge themselves of their own amoral impulses by watching these characters do it for them. There is even one scene that caused a lot of controversy in which James Cagney slaps a grapefruit into the face of Mae Clarke. What made it so controversial was how realistic it was. Showing domestic violence on screen was controversial enough, but the reason it seemed so real was that Cagney and Clarke planned to do the same for real so as to shock the crew. Director William A. Wellman left the scene in, however. The result is a genuine moment of violence that shocks the viewers and perhaps even amuses those with these sorts of impulses. But this is exactly what "The Public Enemy" and other gangster films represent: a visual recognition of amoral behavior that allows audience members to feel their inner negative desires be met on the screen.

Another reason for the film's significance was its bigger-picture notions regarding Prohibition in America. The film takes place during the 1920s during the US's ban on alcohol. This ban is what causes these gangsters to thrive in an underground crime world. However, during the time of the film's release in 1931, prohibition was still in effect. So, the film is displaying to the public (a public that perhaps is already upset over the alcohol ban itself) a broad negative result of this law. The media attention and recognition of its result, along with the continued use of it throughout gangster films in the early 1930s helped usher in the end of prohibition. 

The film was a commercial success but was not considered a heavy critical darling. Many critics of the film found it utterly sensational. In a review from the "New York Times," Andre Sennwald called it "just another gangster film...weaker than most in its story." "Variety" called it "low-brow material given such workmanship as to make it high-brow." Overall, the critical skepticism of the film didn't matter, as its huge success gave the gangster film genre a legacy, as well as gave its lead actor James Cagney a huge career ahead of him.