“Public Enemies” proves that Michael Mann is good up there with Martin Scorsese at directing compelling crime dramas. This film, based on a book detailing the nexus of John Dillinger, J. Edgar Hoover, and Melvin Purvis, covers the last year and a half in the life of the eminent bank robber, who was branded “Public Enemy Number 1″ by Hoover, who was building what would become the FBI. Chasing Dillinger for Hoover was Purvis, who relentlessly pursued Dillinger until the fateful night outside the Biography Theater in Chicago.
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Johnny Depp plays Dillinger as a fun-loving but perilous criminal whose only notion seems to be to live life on the edge until he falls off. As usual, his performance is consuming and utterly believable. Billy Crudup wonderfully plays Hoover as a man obsessed with growing the Bureau, obsessed with public relations, and obsessed with capturing John Dilliger, and Christian Bale plays Purvis as an lustrous, trustworthy, and caught in the difficult state of trying to win Dillinger while at the same time glorious a demanding, overbearing publicity seeker.
The film features substantial supporting performances from Marion Cotillard as Dillinger’s girlfriend, Billie Frechette, and Stephen Lang as a ragged Bureau agent assigned to hunt Dillinger.
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This is film has plenty of action and thrills, but also possesses ample acting, lustrous writing, and masterful directing by Mann. Public Enemies is one the best films to approach out in the summer of ‘09.
“Public Enemies”, helmed by notorious director Michael Mann, is a thriller of the most testosterone fueled variety. It’s a quick paced actioner brimming at the seams with intense shootouts and a well-stocked cast of steely-eyed, square-jawed men harboring classic narcissistic complexes. Johnny Depp makes a suave, calculating Dillinger. It’s more of a manufactured character than an interpretation of the trusty life Dillinger, but this is of miniature consequence because Depp achieves vast theatrics with his touchy glare and devil-may-care attitude. He plays it grand as I imagine Steve McQueen would’ve in his heyday, plowing through his world with a sort of darkly frosty, apathetic demeanor that suggests he doesn’t care one draw or the other about anything.
The supporting characters are superlative as well, particularly Stephen Dorff as Homer Van Meter. There’s an intensity to his character that Dorff really brings out. In fact, I didn’t even ogle him at first (interestingly, he looked very similar to actor Tim DeKay) . Jason Clarke, who portrays John “Red” Hamilton, is an actor primarily known for his television work. I surmise he was chosen for his striking resemblance to the true life criminal; unprejudiced compare his photograph to the base mug of Hamilton. He’s probably the most featured gangster, other than Dillinger, being that Hamilton is portrayed as his fair hand man. Of course, Christian Bale turns in an able performance as respected G-Man Melvin Purvis - donning yet another one of his notorious accents for the role.
The film begins in media res with an intelligent jailbreak, something which I greatly enjoyed. I was ecstatic the film didn’t destroy time trying to account for Dillinger’s childhood and upbringing. There is no hollow attempt to apply reason to his actions or station blame for his anti-social behavior. In the raze it doesn’t matter what led him to a life of crime, particularly since over the years the man has transformed from a folk hero into a veritable story. It’s sure Mann’s vision was ambitious. He attempted to pack all the nuances and complexities of Dillinger’s world into only two hours and because of this the slay product is a bit too busy. I salvage the feeling that a bit of streamlining the script might not have been an abominable plan. That aside, it’s sure that Mann knew what audiences wanted to notice is a rip-roarin’ acquire on the robberies, shootouts, and defiance of the law that filled the bulk of Dillinger’s life upright on up until the bitter kill. This film performs those functions in spades!
The major lacking feature of the film is that characterization takes a backseat to the action. This is, perhaps, inevitable considering the gigantic ensemble cast and the fact that nearly every character is based on a very exact, very famed person. Often many seemingly curious characters never quite gel with the audience because their screentime is so brief. One such character is Gilbert Catena, portrayed by Domenick Lombardozzi (probably best known for his role on HBO’s The Wire) . Smooth, those aspects aside, every performance here is stellar. Fair look at the supporting cast which includes: David Wenham, Marion Cotillard, Giovanni Ribisi, and Billy Crudup, among others. It’s my interested hope that upon its release to home video there’s an extended chop of the film because I would fancy to leer more of these characters (especially Comely Boy Floyd, since he is only in the film for a scant couple of minutes) .
I’ve noticed many critics mention that the film unnecessarily milks the climax of the film, which is obviously Dillinger’s execution outside of the Biograph Theatre. I didn’t mind this so distinguished because it’s such an iconic event of the Public Enemy era, and more than that, the film portrays Dillinger’s death with staunch detail and follows what we know of the genuine event to the letter. The scene features numerous clips of the film Dillinger watched: Manhattan Melodrama, the gangster vehicle starring Clark Gable.
The film surmises, with ample reason, that Dillinger probably identified with Gable’s character. It illustrates this by showing one of the haunting final scenes, when William Powell offers to have his death sentence commuted, Gable replies with “You contemplate you’re doing me a favor by keeping my locked up in this joint for the rest of my life? I don’t want it. If I can’t live the design I want, then at least let me die the plan I want.” Dillinger’s face expressed immense notion, perhaps even compassion, with this statement. It’s a vast cinematic moment, especially since the audience is very well aware of what is about to transpire in his acquire life.
I give bonus points to the production crew for so aptly depicting mid-west America during the Depression. Many real-life buildings were redressed to contemplate as they did during the time and their efforts greatly enhance the atmosphere. Then there are the detailed setpieces (one of my favorites, though it’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it one, is Gilbert’s shop), the hairstyles and slick suits, the classic cars - they hit all the notes correctly. There’s even some extinct slang film fans will remember from gangster films made in the thirties, such the calling of prison guards “screws”.
The robbery scenes, being the lynchpin of any Dillinger chronicle, are somewhat brief but accurately picture Dillinger’s tactics and methods. Also, concerning real history, this film does catch liberties with what really occurred (like any film does) . Perhaps the most egregious liberties are taken concerning the demises of the various gangsters. For instance, Handsome Boy Floyd is depicted as being killed months prior to Dillinger’s death (Dillinger even references his demise to Pervis), when in fact he died months afterward. Also, Homer Van Meter survived Dillinger, only to be killed a month later. These aspects are often a valuable despicable, because a filmmaker must strike a balance between reality and entertainment - and the two do not always intersect seamlessly. If you want a version that follows the facts exclusively - seize the book.
In summation, “Public Enemies” may not be remembered as a classic action film, but it will be remembered as a classic gangster film. The most gratifying aspect is that, modern for most action films, all the actors turn in very memorable performances. Some critics and the press have commented on how Bale is absent from nearly all the trailers and promotional materials for this film, but when you glance it, the reason is quite understandable. This is unquestionably Depp’s film, and though I concede to not having a particular predilection for him, his role here is not to be missed. This is well worth the imprint of admission!
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