I Can't Believe You Haven't Seen The Public Enemy

Part 2 of my Films of the 1930s series continues with James Cagney in The Public Enemy.

Hollywood is currently in the midst of a golden age of anti-heroes: Walter White of Breaking Bad, Don Draper of Mad Men, Frank Underwood of House of Cards, as well as huge film characters who are declared villains that we just can’t help but love, such as Loki from The Avengers and The Joker from The Dark Knight.

James Cagney is 'Tom Powers'

So what is it that compels us to root for these characters and their activities that are often atrocities comparable to some of the most evil men in history? In the 1931 film The Public Enemy, James Cagney weaves the character of Tom Powers in a way that leaves us fluctuating between our love and hate for him, which directly plays a role in the fate of the character of Matt Doyle, and why figures like Tom are so dangerous, whether he has his gun or not.

In his book We’re in the Money, Andrew Bergman asserts that gangster movies were a vessel to rescue audiences from the individualistic nature of a capitalist America. That the ‘American Dream’ was one that was saturating the lives of everyday Americans who worked hard, but were not experiencing the rags-to-riches assurance that this dream promised. What’s interesting about this is that it is still true today.

The wage gap in America is massive and growing like a festering wound as the poor become poorer and the rich become richer. The ‘American Dream’ can no longer be such a narrow-minded one, because there are now so many outlets and walks of life to maintain a livelihood. And that is why Tom Powers is such an attractive character to us. He is rude, malicious, bossy, ill-tempered, and greedy. But he is also charming, smart, passionate, and best of all, he beat the system!

Edward Woods is 'Matt Doye'

He went outside of the law, stuck it to the Man and made his fortune, which is one of the secret desires of many people’s hearts: to find a loophole and exploit it to their own benefit. This is our connection with Tom, and it is a connection that his best friend, Matt Doyle, shares. It is evident throughout the film that Matt does not approve of all of Tom’s activities. He is weary about killing off their old pal Putty Nose, and he really just wants to settle down and be a family man. Tragically, his loyalty and connection with Tom end up being his downfall, which is what makes Matt’s story the most heartbreaking arc in this film.

A boy who enters the system due to influence from another, only to find himself trapped there as a grown man with the only escape being his demise. It hearkens to the current nature of poverty and crime in America. Young boys and girls, moms and dads, will do anything to get by and provide for their families, but the second they get caught it ruins all their chances at a redemptive lifestyle.

The Public Enemy plays almost like a Greek Tragedy throughout its story, as a ‘tragic hero’ is defined as a protagonist who either loses everything they love, or dies. Tom Powers loses his job, his best friend, his brother’s respect, and ends up in a body bag along the way. Considering it was his own hubris that got him to this destination, Tom is undoubtedly a tragic hero, one that we can love, respect and admire, but it is that admiration that will trap us and keep us, until we find ourselves on the wrong side, rooting for the bad guy.