Public Enemies

Starring: Johnny Depp, Cristian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup, Giovanni Ribisi, Leelee Sobieski, Stephen Dorff, Channing Tatum, Carey Mulligan, Emile de Ravin
Directed by: Michael Mann
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Crime, Thriller
2009

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Bank robber John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) robs banks at will, despite all attempts to stop him by FBI director J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) and FBI Agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale). As the FBI tries to crack down on the wave of crime spreading across the United States, Dillinger and other criminals find it harder and harder to evade capture.

Review:

Tim: You have to respect director Michael Mann for telling his version of the classic John Dillinger story. He tried to create an unforgettable crime drama, and he almost succeeded. There is a great deal to like here- we have some great actors in meaty performances, unconventional action scenes, and some dramatic, historical moments. While this movie doesn't quite reach the lofty heights of its aspirations, this is still a solid, entertaining movie.

I was both pleased and disappointed in the cast. Johnny Depp as John Dillinger was terrific. Depp embraces the role, and showed restraint, keeping his performance realistic and believable. And yet, he had fun with the role. He was dazzling on screen, and proved why he is one of the world's biggest movie stars. I loved him in this movie, and his screen time represented the greatest moments of the film. I was greatly disappointed in Christian Bale as Melvin Purvis. Bale receives some credit for his acting ability, but I think he occasionally is a bit over-rated as well. I thought he added basically nothing to the movie. Part of this is the script- Purvis isn't the most interesting or entertaining character. However, a great deal of the blame also rests with Bale, because he needed to give a more enjoyable performance. He is completely lost in the shadow of Johnny Depp. The scenes in this film with Depp are excellent, but the movie slows down whenever Bale shows up on screen. This was a major flaw.

The rest of the cast were also varying levels of effective. I like the idea of casting Marion Cotillard as Billie, but I didn't think she was very good. She had a few great moments, but never really made a huge emotional impact on the movie. She and Depp didn't have the greatest chemistry, and their relationship was not nearly as powerful as it needed to be. On the other hand, I loved Billy Crudup as J. Edgar Hoover. Crudup didn't have the most screen time, but he used every second of it as best he could. He was memorable, exciting, and completely effective in the role. The rest of the cast are entertaining to see, but no one really makes a bit enough difference- Giovanni Ribisi was good in his small scenes. Leelee Sobieski was an afterthought- a "Why is she here?" surprise near the end of the film. I didn't even recognize Stephen Dorff and Channing Tatum. I loved seeing Emile de Ravin, but she had no chance to add anything.

While this movie was fairly effective, it did have some flaws as well. For one, the movie is just too long at 140 minutes. Mann does an excellent job of keeping the movie moving- I never got bogged down in the length of the film- it moved at such a quick pace that it kept me interested and engaged. This was a major achievement. Still, the movie required a bit of extra effort to sit through. I also wasn't a huge fan of the many liberties taken with the historical accuracy of the film's events. I wish it had followed the truth more closely.

While I don't believe Michael Mann achieved the landmark crime movie he set out to, he still created an entertaining, solid movie. The story of John Dillinger is just so fascinating, and I am glad it got the big screen treatment it deserved. While this is a good movie, it needed to be much better. Still, I will never complain too loudly about an entertaining, good movie. I enjoyed this one.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



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