Film: Public Enemies

STARRING: Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean, Sweeny Todd ); Christian Bale (The Dark Knight, Terminator: Salvation)
DIRECTOR: Michael Mann (Miami Vice, Collateral, Heat)
WRITERS: Ronan Bennett (newcomer); Ann Biderman (Primal Fear); Michael Mann (Heat)
PLOT: The Feds try to take down John Dillinger and other notorious gangsters during a crime wave in the 1930s.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4While watching Public Enemies, I kept thinking back to a couple of other classic films. Enemies blended the criminal crackdowns of The Untouchables with the cocky anti-heroism of Bonnie & Clyde. Granted that’s some good company to be with but it also felt a little ‘been there, done that’. I was hoping for a little more originality.
4 This film hinges on Johnny Depp’s performance. Without him, this movie would truly fail. If nothing else, watching Depp’s slick, charismatic portrayal of John Dillinger is worth the admission. He is one of the greatest actors of our generation. Unfortunately, Christian Bale was only so-so as Elliot Ness-like Melvin Purvis. I was hoping for a more powerhouse performance from Bale.
4 Michael Mann does a great job of filming some of the shoot-em up action sequences; he also plays with some interesting low angles. What started to bother me though were his extreme close-ups when people were talking. When you start spending your time counting the moles on someone’s face or judging their eyebrow grooming, you’re camera is a little too close.
4The shoot-out scenes were entertaining but I was hoping for more bank robberies. Why were these gangsters so good at their jobs? There is one scene near the end where they begin scheming a train robbery but nothing comes from it. That’s something I wanted to see. Along with the shoot-outs, I did enjoy some of the ways the gangsters foiled the feds. Good times.
4I guess when it all comes down to it. I was expecting a little more drama in this film. I didn’t feel connected to Purvis and didn’t know why he was such a stand-up guy. I didn’t feel connected to a lot of the story. With the exception of Depp, it just felt a little flat. I guess I was hoping for more with a double-punch of Depp and Bale. Maybe my expectations were too high. Oh well.

RECOMMENDATION
Wait for DVD
(Still an enjoyable flick, but
not needed in the theatre)

COMING SOON
Bruno, Harry Potter 6