Movie Review: Public Enemies
Is "Public Enemies" just another gangster movie?
Is "Public Enemies" just another gangster movie?
By Megan Carroll
Americans have an obsession with gangster movies. Both on the silver screen and the “screen in a box”, this genre appeals to almost all audience demographics. The latest on the scene is Michael Mann’s Public Enemies, featuring box office heartthrob Johnny Depp as the man you love to hate, and counterpoint “bad boy” Christian Bale, who is cast as the somewhat redeemable J. Edgar Hoover gun slinger. Sound like a recipe for success? Almost. Public Enemies is a technically impressive gangster flick, with lots of action, shoot ‘em up scenes, and some strong performances, but ultimately there’s nothing that keeps this drama afloat.
Set during the Great Depression, the film focuses on the true story of FBI agent Melvin Purvis’ attempt to stop criminals John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, and Pretty Boy Floyd. It is an adaptation of Bryan Burrough’s non-fiction book Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34. Christian Bale plays FBI agent Purvis, Johnny Depp plays Dillinger, Marion Cotillard plays Dillinger’s girlfriend Billie Frechette, Channing Tatum plays Floyd and Giovanni Ribisi plays Alvin Karpis.
Johnny Depp is definitely the draw for this flick. There’s something about the Robin Hood mentality of robbing the rich and giving to the poor that creates audience sympathy for Dillinger. The FBI appears more like the “bad guy” and Bale playing Melvin Purvis comes across as an observant, play-by-the rule FBI agent who is conflicted over getting his man and the savagery of what can occur behind the veil of law enforcement. So who are you supposed to hate most?
Bail brings an amazing intensity to the character, but never really breathes personality into the role. Depp (Dillinger), rarely shies away from a gunfight and seems annoyed by his trigger happy comrades, but is still a rebel with a losing cause. He never has a problem with the ladies, though his passions were only focused on one, Billie (Marion Cotillard), a coat-check girl attracted to Dillinger’s unwavering loyalty and confidence. Depp, with the help of his own natural good looks and charm, fits this character like an old glove, if not a tired one.
The problem is, the audience just isn’t sure who to pull for. Mann never develops a real connection between the leading characters, nor anything other than a superficial, almost formulaic storyline. Mann shows us a romanticized version of Dillinger’s lifestyle as he is caught in a world where everyone abandons him and he is left as just another run of the mill gangster. If you are looking for some deep insights into “why” things happened the way they did, don’t hold your breath.
For what it is worth, Dante Spinotti’s cinematography is remarkable and the acting is superb. Public Enemies had all the right things going for it, but it stretched out into an almost tedious film with some great performances and lots of shooting. But, maybe that’s all the genre is really about.
