"Public Enemies" chronicles the life of 1930's gangster John Dillinger, one of the most fearless villains to have ever graced the silver screen. Say what you want about Dillinger, public enemy number one throughout the 1930's. But boy did he have guts. It wasn't uncommon for Dillinger, for example, to sit quietly and calmly in a packed movie theater while his mug shot is being shown on the movie screen and everyone in the crowd ordered to look around in search of America's most wanted man. It wasn't uncommon for Dillinger to casually take a stroll inside the Chicago police department headquarters, fraternizing with the cops around him. John Dillinger loved to flirt with danger. For Dillinger, robbing banks was a profession, and he proceeded in this profession with unflappable cool.
"Public Enemies", the latest film from director Michael Mann ("Heat"; "Collateral"), is an intensely fascinating study of this intensely fascinating man. "Public Enemies" does not attempt to explain John Dillinger; it simply tries to examine his life. The result is, for the most part, chillingly effective. This is due in large part to the first-rate acting from the two leads. Johnny Depp is brilliant in the lead role. His portrayal of Dillinger is an exercise in suave understatement, and Depp somehow manages to invoke emotion with a simple sly grin. Marion Cotillard, a spectacular beauty who won an Oscar two years ago for her breathtaking work in "La Vie en Rose", is stellar as Dillinger's emotionally conflicted lover. The scenes between Depp and Cotillard are the film's best. Chemistry is a tricky thing to achieve, but it is an easy thing to recognize, and Depp and Cotillard have a sizzling rapport.
"Public Enemies" is infused with Michael Mann's trademark style. Mann, whose "Heat" and "Collateral" are two of the most criminally underrated films of the last twenty-five years, perfectly captures the essence of 1930's Chicago. The film, shot with handheld cameras, has a visually alluring appeal that invites the viewer inside the dark and violent world of gangster life. Mann gives "Public Enemies' a documentary feel that creates an intimate connection between Dillinger and the audience.
With this being said, "Public Enemies" falls a little shy of greatness. With a bloated running time of 140 minutes, the film occasionally loses its' focus. Too much time is devoted to the other gangsters of the era, including Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson. "Public Enemies" would have been better served if John Dillinger was the sole focus of the movie. But these are minor quibbles in a movie that is ultimately richly satisfying. I walked out of the theater amazed at the sheer audacity of public enemy number one, John Dillinger.
Hi Tommy! I was hoping you would see this movie. Leroy and I just saw it. Here's my review: Every moment that Johnny Depp was on the screen was brilliant. We could actually feel the true emotion of every twist and turn. I thought as you did, that the movie ran too long. It tried too hard to be "artistict" and the handheld camera shots, while I thought were sometimes quite evocative, were too many. Like cooking, sometimes more is just too much. I got a headache from the camera switches. I think we will see that the costume design and sets will get an Oscar nomination. I also think that Marion Cotillard will get a nomination for best supporting actress. She was a delight to watch on screen. Depp, however, may not be so lucky, merely because the film struggled too much to be artistic - visually - and it took away from his performance. So, in summary - to me - Depp and Cotillard gave brilliant performances but the filmmmaker struggled to be too many things.
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