The Town and The Public Enemy

            The Town and Public Enemy are both heist films that center around a protagonist who is stuck between his past life and his potentially future life.  Both films are done, they both have strong directors, and also have strong casts.  The main similarity between the two, as previously mentioned, is the position that the central character finds himself in.  They both are robbers and they both are in love with a woman.  The decision that the woman makes, in regards to turning in or protecting the one that she loves is also another similarity between the two films.

            The big differences between the films is the main character.  In The Town Doug is a kind person who has a desire to be a good person, but can't because he simply can't afford to and also does not have anything on that good side to lure him towards it.  That is, of course until he meets Claire.  In Public Enemy Tom is a pretty bad person.  He is more in line with the character of James Coughlin than Doug MacRay from The Town.  Tom is also someone who is not very willing to change his life and go to the "good" side, rather he would opt to have his love interest join him.  As where Doug wants nothing  more than to be with the woman he loves.