The quick blast of a Tommy gun is a hallmark of the gangster film genre. For real life criminals of the 1930s — such as John Dillinger — Tommy guns were a way of life. In director Michael Mann’s (“Hancock”) highly anticipated film “Public Enemies,” this essence is captured in a roller coaster ride of a film.
The film opens by introducing the number one public enemy, John Dillinger, played by Johnny Depp (“Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”) and his primary antagonist, Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale, “Terminator Salvation”). Purvis — who is known for his success in killing Pretty Boy Floyd, another public enemy — is given a new case by the newly formed FBI: finding Dillinger. As Dillinger’s exploits create an American folk hero, the FBI manhunt becomes more intense.
As with any film with a historical basis, the events are well known and documented, so the joy of the story is not the destination, but the journey. “Public Enemies” succeeds brilliantly with this goal.
Another strength of this film is the superb acting. Depp portrays the romance, violence and flair of Dillinger wonderfully. Additionally, Depp’s deadpan delivery also provides a few important laughs in what would otherwise be an unbelievably heavy film.
Bale’s turn as the relentless Purvis was a solid performance for Bale, who is still coming off from his somewhat maligned performance in “The Dark Knight” and a stale John Connor in “Terminator Salvation.” French actress Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”) lends her talents as Frechette in a strong performance, but not as strong as Depp’s.
The lone weakness of this film is Mann’s direction. He takes a documentary style approach, which greatly detracts from the film. The camera is often unsteady or zooms in awkwardly. Neither is not enough to cause motion sickness but is enough to distract viewers from the acting, and overall diminishes the substance of the film.
However, Mann did have some success with his strong directorial choices. Shooting on location was a brilliant decision. By utilizing historic areas of Wisconsin, Mann added realism and heightened interest (especially for those in Wisconsin who may have been around during shooting). The music for the film, created by Elliot Goldenthal, dramatically mixes 1930s music with original pieces to heighten the tone.
Compared to the computer generated images of “Star Trek,” “Terminator” and others, it is refreshing to have something in theaters still committed to realism. It is also nice to have a grownup option when the cinema is full of summer comedies. “Public Enemies” may not have that ‘it’ factor to make it a lasting classic, especially when compared to other neo-gangster films like “L.A. Confidential.” However, the film is still highly entertaining and a great summer popcorn-popper film.
4 1/2 out of 5 stars.
