The main reason I saw this is because I'd still like to get through all the movies referenced in The Great Movie Ride even if it's no longer around at Disney World.
The remarkable
thing about this movie is how much of the spine of every gangster movie is in
this. The humble beginnings. The rise. The fall. The family and romantic
conflicts. I've seen it all before in movies released much later. Now, I'm not
sure if Public Enemy set the template (something tells me it didn't), but it's
still cool to see how fully formed the narrative was in 1931.
Apparently, the "Grapefruit scene" is a big deal. They even mention it of the Neflix sleeve the DVD came in. I think I must be missing some context. Is it so well remembered for being shocking? I've seen much more shocking things over the years. Is it that it's silly? I've seen much bigger gaffes as well. Is it the fact that's it's a man abusing a woman? Sadly, I've seen much worst examples of that too. Whatever the reason, I know that it's remembered because it's such an old movie, so the "for the time" qualifier is supposed to be added to it. I'm not even sure what to add the qualifier to though. Shocking for the time. Bizarre for the time. Violent for the time. I will say this: It is the most memorable scene in the movie. Then again, I wasn't that enamored by the movie.
Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend
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