
Movies that feel likeThe Public Enemy (1931)
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).
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If The Public Enemy hit the spot, these will too

William A. Wellman directing both, with the same fingerprints on each
The difference: Takes it somewhere less contemplative than The Public Enemy does

The same two preoccupations: gangster, and organized crime

One thread runs through both: juvenile delinquent

Gritty crime in both cases
The difference: Leans harder into western than The Public Enemy does

Drama with a pulse of stillness, in both cases
The difference: 25 years apart, and the 1950s show


Both keep coming back to the same thing: gangster
The difference: Sits closer to thriller than The Public Enemy does

Both lean on grit more than on drama

Contemplative drama, and it commits to that

Crime with a pulse of stillness, in both cases


In the mood for more gritty?
all gritty movies βThe best-reviewed films that share The Public Enemyβs defining feeling.









