The Public Enemy 1931

Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader: James Cagney's portrayal of a bootlegging runt is truly electrifying (he'd made five films, but this one made him a star), and Jean Harlow makes the tartiest tart imaginable. Read more

Geoff Andrew, Time Out: Cagney's energy and Wellman's gutsy direction carry the day, counteracting the moralistic sentimentality of the script and indelibly etching the star on the memory as a definitive gangster hero. Read more

Variety Staff, Variety: There's no lace on this picture. It's raw and brutal. It's low-brow material given such workmanship as to make it high-brow. Read more