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The Public Enemy poster

Movies that feel likeThe Public Enemy (1931)

Two young Chicago hoodlums, Tom Powers and Matt Doyle, rise up from their poverty-stricken slum life to become petty thieves, bootleggers and cold-blooded killers. But with street notoriety and newfound wealth, the duo feels the heat from the cops and rival gangsters both. Despite his ruthless criminal reputation, Tom tries to remain connected to his family, however, gang warfare and the need for revenge eventually pull him away.

If you loved The Public Enemy, the closest films we have are The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), Little Caesar (1931) and The Young and the Damned (1950). All three share The Public Enemy's gritty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Blue Collar (1978).

πŸ… 100% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.6 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. William A. Wellmangrittycontemplative
5 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· TCM

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If The Public Enemy hit the spot, these will too

The Ox-Bow Incident poster
The Ox-Bow Incident
1943 Β· dir. William A. Wellman
πŸ… 90%β˜… 8western

William A. Wellman directing both, with the same fingerprints on each

The difference: Takes it somewhere less contemplative than The Public Enemy does

A posse discovers a trio of men they suspect of murder and cow theft and are split between handing them over to the law or lynching them on the spot.

Little Caesar poster
Little Caesar
1931 Β· dir. Mervyn LeRoy
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.2drama Β· crime

The same two preoccupations: gangster, and organized crime

A small-time hood shoots his way to the top, but how long can he stay there?

The Young and the Damned poster
The Young and the Damned
1950 Β· dir. Luis BuΓ±uel
πŸ… 91%β˜… 8.2drama Β· crime

One thread runs through both: juvenile delinquent

A group of juvenile delinquents live a violent life in the infamous slums of Mexico City; among them Pedro, whose morality is gradually corrupted and destroyed by the others.

Fort Apache poster
Fort Apache
1948 Β· dir. John Ford
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.4western

Gritty crime in both cases

The difference: Leans harder into western than The Public Enemy does

Owen Thursday sees his new posting to the desolate Fort Apache as a chance to claim the military honour which he believes is rightfully his. Arrogant, obsessed with military form and ultimately self-destructive, he attempts to destroy the Apache chief Cochise after luring him across the border from Mexico, against the advice of his subordinates.

The Wrong Man poster
The Wrong Man
1956 Β· dir. Alfred Hitchcock
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.4crime Β· dramaMax

Drama with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

The difference: 25 years apart, and the 1950s show

In 1953, an innocent man named Christopher Emmanuel "Manny" Balestrero is arrested after being mistaken for an armed robber.

Pickpocket poster
Pickpocket
1959 Β· dir. Robert Bresson
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.5crime Β· drama

Crime built on grit, twice over

Michel takes up pickpocketing on a lark and is arrested soon after. His mother dies shortly after his release, and despite the objections of his only friend, Jacques, and his mother's neighbor Jeanne, Michel teams up with a couple of petty thieves in order to improve his craft. With a police inspector keeping an eye on him, Michel also tries to get a straight job, but the temptation to steal is hard to resist.

The Roaring Twenties poster
The Roaring Twenties
1939 Β· dir. Raoul Walsh
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.9crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Both keep coming back to the same thing: gangster

The difference: Sits closer to thriller than The Public Enemy does

After World War I, Armistice Lloyd Hart goes back to practice law, former saloon keeper George Hally turns to bootlegging, and out-of-work Eddie Bartlett becomes a cab driver. Eddie builds a fleet of cabs through delivery of bootleg liquor and hires Lloyd as his lawyer. George becomes Eddie's partner and the rackets flourish until love and rivalry interfere.

Stagecoach poster
Stagecoach
1939 Β· dir. John Ford
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.8westernPrime VideoMax

Both lean on grit more than on drama

A group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo, and learn something about each other in the process.

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon poster
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
1949 Β· dir. John Ford
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.2drama Β· western

Contemplative drama, and it commits to that

On the eve of retirement, Captain Nathan Brittles takes out a last patrol to stop an impending massive Indian attack. Encumbered by women who must be evacuated, Brittles finds his mission imperiled.

Blue Collar poster
Blue Collar
1978 Β· dir. Paul Schrader
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.5drama Β· crime

Crime with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

Fed up with mistreatment at the hands of both management and union brass, and coupled with financial hardships on each man's end, three auto assembly line workers hatch a plan to rob a safe at union headquarters.

Straight Time poster
Straight Time
1978 Β· dir. Ulu Grosbard
πŸ… 82%β˜… 7.4crime Β· drama

The same crime instincts

After being released on parole, a burglar attempts to go straight, get a regular job, and just go by the rules. He soon finds himself back in jail at the hands of a power-hungry parole officer.

Pixote poster
Pixote
1980 Β· dir. HΓ©ctor Babenco
πŸ… 94%β˜… 7.9crime Β· drama

Drama of the same temperament

10-year-old Pixote endures torture, degradation, and corruption at a local youth detention center where two of its members are murdered by policemen who frame Lilica, a 17-year-old trans hustler. Pixote helps Lilica and three other boys escape and they start to make their living by a life of crime which only escalates to more violence and death.

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The best-reviewed films that share The Public Enemy’s defining feeling.