My Take:

I would put The Public Enemy at the top of the classic gangster films.

Former Chicago pharmacist Kubec Glasmon turned screenwriter penned this gem about the rise and fall of gangster Tom Powers (Cagney). Glasmon intertwined stories from real-life Don, Charles Dion O’Bannion, giving it more realism at the time. What I found interesting is that 1931 was the last successful year Hollywood profited off the last classic gangster genre, because as Al Capone had been locked up earlier in the year, America was shying away from the gangster life.

What I Liked:

It was a solid story and great direction. Good old-fashioned gangster story, you can never go wrong with that.

What I Didn't Like:

I wanted more of Jean Harlow and Joan Blondell.

What I Learned:

The scene where the horse throws and kills his gangster owner and Cagney kills the horse as retaliation... is based on true-life events.