Gangster Classic With Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score Now Streaming on HBO Max

One of the greatest gangster movies ever made is back in the spotlight, and it’s now streaming on Max. The 1931 classic The Public Enemy, which stars James Cagney, has a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes and helped define the gangster genre as we know it.

Today, we’re used to stories about smooth-talking criminals who are both terrifying and somehow likable. But in the early 1930s, that was a new thing. Back then, real-life gangsters were all over the headlines, and Hollywood saw a chance to bring those kinds of characters to the screen. Actors like James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson, and Humphrey Bogart made their names playing street-tough criminals during that time.

Later on, gangster movies lost their popularity, but that changed in a big way in the 1970s when The Godfather came out. After that, we saw more classics like Scarface and Goodfellas, and even legendary TV shows like The Sopranos. But before all that, there was The Public Enemy.

Directed by William A. Wellman and released by Warner Bros., the film tells the story of Tom Powers, a young man who rises through the ranks of organized crime in Prohibition-era Chicago. The character, played by Cagney, was based on stories from an unpublished novel called Beer and Blood, written by two former reporters who had seen Al Capone’s Chicago firsthand.

The movie opens in the early 1900s, with Tom and his friend Matt getting involved in petty crime as kids. They’re recruited into a gang by a shady guy named Putty Nose, who abandons them after a job goes wrong. Tom’s older brother, Mike, tries to steer him away from the criminal life, but Tom doesn’t listen. Instead, he hides his illegal work from his mother and keeps climbing the ladder in the underworld.

When the U.S. enters World War I, Mike joins the Marines. Tom stays behind, promising their mother he won’t enlist. As the years go by, Tom becomes more dangerous and reckless, pulling him deeper into the gangster lifestyle.

Critics loved the movie back when it came out in 1931, and they still do today. Rotten Tomatoes shows a 100% score from critics, with an average rating of 8.3 out of 10. The New York Times called it “stronger than most in its acting”, and praised Cagney and his co-stars for their performances. Time magazine said the film was “well-told” and “a documentary drama of the bandit standing against society.” Variety said the filmmakers took “low-brow material” and gave it high-quality treatment.

The movie was such a hit that a Times Square theater ran it 24 hours a day when it first premiered. It was also nominated for an Oscar at the 4th Academy Awards for Best Story.

Over the years, The Public Enemy has stayed relevant. In 1998, it was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The American Film Institute included Cagney’s character, Tom Powers, on its list of the top villains of all time. Scenes from the film even made their way into pop culture, like when Tony Soprano watches it during a key moment in The Sopranos.

The movie has been re-released a few times. In 1941, a few scenes were cut due to the Production Code rules of that time, but those scenes have since been restored for home releases and airings on Turner Classic Movies. It got another re-release in 1954, this time with a message added to warn people about the dangers of glorifying criminals.

A print of the film has been preserved by the Library of Congress since the 1970s, and it’s been available on VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, and now streaming, so it’s always been around for those who wanted to find it.

But now, with The Public Enemy streaming on Max, a new generation can see where the gangster movie really began.