Public Enemies (**)

Directed by: Michael Mann
Starring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Jason Clarke, Stephen Dorff, Channing Tatum, Stephen Graham, Billy Crudup
Seen: September 7th 2009

Public Enemies is the amazing true story about the activities of John Dillinger (Depp), an American gangster and bank robber in the 30’s. He was a popular public figure, telling individuals to put their own money away as he only came for the bank’s money, as well as preferring to only kill when absolutely necessary (the hostages he took would usually be tied to a tree somewhere beside the road instead of being killed). He lived for bank robbery, fast cars, and pretty girls, basically the good stuff in life. He had a close group of confidantes, most of whom he breaks out of prison, very cheekily walking into prison with an accomplice impersonating a police officer.

Agent Melvin Purvis (Bale) is a criminal hunter for the Bureau of Investigation. The first time we see him he is chasing Pretty Boy Floyd (Tatum) through a grove on foot, and Floyd dies in the pursuant shoot-out. J. Edgar Hoover (Crudup) tasks Agent Purvis as the leader of the task force to find and arrest Dillinger. While Purvis is building this task force, Hoover is hounding the authorities for permission and funding to form the Federal Bureau of Investigation, since criminals evade laws by simply crossing state lines.

Even though the story is very interesting, with the robberies, the prison breakouts (yes, plural, he broke out some friends, and later himself), the romance, the desperate collaboration with a maniac (Baby Face Nelson, played with glee by Stephen Graham), etc. it never feels as if it truly picks up pace, as if it really draws you in. The acting is good to very good, with Johnny Depp his usual flawless self (this film is in a way very similar to the extremely overrated Pirates of the Caribbean films (yes, al 3 of them), in which the only good things were Johnny Depp and the special effects – even though Public Enemies does not have the loads of special effects). Christian Bale is convincing in his roles as Agent Purvis, but really not much more, which is a shame, since he can be a brilliant actor (see 3:10 to Yuma for proof…). Marion Cotillard is always good, and her sweet, somewhat innocent portrayal of Billie Frechette gives us the one character in the film you actually do get to care about. David Wenham, Stephen Dorff, and Jason Clarke make good Dillinger gang members, and I’d go as far as saying that Jason Clarke reminded me of Paul Newman in this film.

The movie was made in digital format, which I enjoyed immensely in Michael Mann’s previous outings, Collateral with Tom Cruise (fantastic movie) and Miami Vice with Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx, but they were both modern day stories. Here the digital filming actually made things feel far too crisp for me, removing me from the story, and really making it feel like an elaborate dress-up rather than an involving story. In spite of all the chase scenes and bank robberies and street shoot-outs the film also never really engaged me, it bored me. The final/parting shot is so poignant however that for a moment you think the film to be better than it actually is, and it was at this point that I finally felt a connection with any character in this movie for the first time. A bit late, I guess.