Public Enemies
starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Billy Crudup
directed by Michael Mann
Michael Mann is a guy that sticks to what he knows; guns, crime, women, and the men who can’t get away from them. Mann takes a step back in time with Public Enemies. The audience is taken to the Great Depression in 1933, the few years known as the ‘Public Enemy’ era. Numerous outlaws sprung up around the country and became famous; the public held them up as modern Robin Hoods. Men and Women who stole from the institutions that caused their economic dilemma and made the news exciting when there wasn’t much to be excited about. Bonnie and Clyde, Ma Barker, and John Dillinger are among the famouse criminals of this era. Mann’s film follows Dillinger during the last year of his life and allows a window of who the man was, and what he was capable of doing.
Johnny Depp played the role of Dillinger to perfection. Depp has the rare compacity to delve into a character, understand what motivates them, and portray them better than perhaps the people lived them. Depp is one of the few actors I believe could play any role that is laid out in front of him. He has no bounds. Dillinger is merciless and courageous at the same time. He shoots down cops with one hand, and gives his coat to a shivering lady with the other. Depp was the man for the role, and I wouldn’t be suprised to see yet another nomination for him at the Academy this year. However and unfortunately, I don’t think its a role that will actually win him Best Lead, which seems to be his curse the last few years when he has been nominated.
Chrisitan Bale is a big name these days, and rightfully so, but he didn’t really do much with the character of Agent Melvin Purvis. It is a flat performance, and will just be another role under his belt. However, perhaps the most surpirsing and best part played in the film is Billy Crudup’s rendition of Edgar J. Hoover, Head of the FBI. In the short amount of screen time he was given, he portayed a man with dual faces; the cool and confident one that the public was allowed to see, and the dark and determined one that was only seen behind closed doors. Crudup takes few roles, but he never dissappoints the ones he takes.
Having done a little reading and research, the script was fairly historically accurate. Mann does a good job portraying the pace of Dillinger’s last year of life and the events that took place. However, I believe that being so accurate hurt the plot a bit. The most exciting bank robberies and shoot outs happen in the first hour of the film. Dillinger spends the last hour and a half escaping prison, getting thwarted, and being moody. Not even the climax has much umph to it, I’m say to say. I’d contrast it to 1993’s Tombstone; a few facts were bent, but the combination made for one hell of an interesting and exciting flick. I think the dogged historical detail hurt the movie rather than helped. But then again, there’s always those nay sayers who abhore such changes, and they might have been on the director’s mind.
I just felt that the plot, though interesting, became disjointed in certain sections. One moment, Dillinger would be planning a robbery here, the next, he’s in another state with the robbery long behind him. It skipped around a bit with not warning. Plus, the camera work didn’t always help the fact. I understand many in Hollywood are jumping on the whole guerilla filming style, but when you have a camera bouncing around wildly in an interrogation where no one is really moving about, its just too much.
Over all, a great story of a real man’s life and totally worth seeing. Depp’s performance is top notch and enjoyable, and who doesn’t love a good gun fight scene from the master of gun fights Michael Mann himself? However, I felt the movie fell short of the hype, and much more could have been done to the script to make up for it. The scripting hurt the film, not the actors or really the director himself. I probably won’t buy it; once was enough for me.
3 out of 4 stars.
Mann and Depp: Public Enemies
starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Billy Crudup
directed by Michael Mann
Michael Mann is a guy that sticks to what he knows; guns, crime, women, and the men who can’t get away from them. Mann takes a step back in time with Public Enemies. The audience is taken to the Great Depression in 1933, the few years known as the ‘Public Enemy’ era. Numerous outlaws sprung up around the country and became famous; the public held them up as modern Robin Hoods. Men and Women who stole from the institutions that caused their economic dilemma and made the news exciting when there wasn’t much to be excited about. Bonnie and Clyde, Ma Barker, and John Dillinger are among the famouse criminals of this era. Mann’s film follows Dillinger during the last year of his life and allows a window of who the man was, and what he was capable of doing.
Johnny Depp played the role of Dillinger to perfection. Depp has the rare compacity to delve into a character, understand what motivates them, and portray them better than perhaps the people lived them. Depp is one of the few actors I believe could play any role that is laid out in front of him. He has no bounds. Dillinger is merciless and courageous at the same time. He shoots down cops with one hand, and gives his coat to a shivering lady with the other. Depp was the man for the role, and I wouldn’t be suprised to see yet another nomination for him at the Academy this year. However and unfortunately, I don’t think its a role that will actually win him Best Lead, which seems to be his curse the last few years when he has been nominated.
Chrisitan Bale is a big name these days, and rightfully so, but he didn’t really do much with the character of Agent Melvin Purvis. It is a flat performance, and will just be another role under his belt. However, perhaps the most surpirsing and best part played in the film is Billy Crudup’s rendition of Edgar J. Hoover, Head of the FBI. In the short amount of screen time he was given, he portayed a man with dual faces; the cool and confident one that the public was allowed to see, and the dark and determined one that was only seen behind closed doors. Crudup takes few roles, but he never dissappoints the ones he takes.
Having done a little reading and research, the script was fairly historically accurate. Mann does a good job portraying the pace of Dillinger’s last year of life and the events that took place. However, I believe that being so accurate hurt the plot a bit. The most exciting bank robberies and shoot outs happen in the first hour of the film. Dillinger spends the last hour and a half escaping prison, getting thwarted, and being moody. Not even the climax has much umph to it, I’m say to say. I’d contrast it to 1993’s Tombstone; a few facts were bent, but the combination made for one hell of an interesting and exciting flick. I think the dogged historical detail hurt the movie rather than helped. But then again, there’s always those nay sayers who abhore such changes, and they might have been on the director’s mind.
I just felt that the plot, though interesting, became disjointed in certain sections. One moment, Dillinger would be planning a robbery here, the next, he’s in another state with the robbery long behind him. It skipped around a bit with not warning. Plus, the camera work didn’t always help the fact. I understand many in Hollywood are jumping on the whole guerilla filming style, but when you have a camera bouncing around wildly in an interrogation where no one is really moving about, its just too much.
Over all, a great story of a real man’s life and totally worth seeing. Depp’s performance is top notch and enjoyable, and who doesn’t love a good gun fight scene from the master of gun fights Michael Mann himself? However, I felt the movie fell short of the hype, and much more could have been done to the script to make up for it. The scripting hurt the film, not the actors or really the director himself. I probably won’t buy it; once was enough for me.
3 out of 4 stars.