
Movies that feel like The Public Enemy (1931)
If you loved The Public Enemy, the closest films we have are Little Caesar (1931), The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) and The Roaring Twenties (1939). All three share The Public Enemy's gritty feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 7 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on HBO Max, Criterion Channel and Kino Film Collection and others, checked against today's data.
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If The Public Enemy hit the spot, these will too

The same two preoccupations: gangster, and organized crime
The difference: Leans harder into action than The Public Enemy does

William A. Wellman directing both, with the same fingerprints on each
The difference: Not nearly as contemplative as The Public Enemy

One thread runs through both: gangster
The difference: Sits closer to thriller than The Public Enemy does

Gritty where it counts, contemplative underneath

Both are built on the same subject: juvenile delinquent

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

Contemplative drama in both cases

Both lean on grit more than on crime

Drama built on stillness, twice over

Crime of the same temperament


The crime is handled with the same confidence
In the mood for more gritty?
all gritty movies βThe best-reviewed films that share The Public Enemyβs defining feeling.









