After
watching both James Cagney & Boris Karloff (in The Public Enemy & The
Bride of Frankenstein, respectively), I came to realize that although neither
are known for typical idol looks, both have a command and charisma onscreen
that is unparalleled. For Boris Karloff, who had a maximum of five words to say
onscreen, to keep the audience engaged and invested in his performance at “The
Monster” says something about his skill – even behind mounds of makeup.
James Cagney
was a revelation in his role as Tom, the young man who found power and money in
bootlegging. I found him intriguing to watch – especially against the other
actors in the film. He clearly outmatched his contemporaries. Another thing
interesting to note with The Public Enemy - It seemed to form the basis for
EVERY gangster story to come out ever since. From Scarface to Breaking Bad, all
of the stories follow the same arc.
James Cagney was very convincing as a gangster during the "bootlegging era" The role James Cagney played does continue to modeled by many actors to this day. The character I think about is Robert De'niro as the role of Al Capone in the 1987 film The Untouchables, his "gangster character" was very much the character portrayed by James Cagney in earlier films.
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