Movie Review - 'Public Enemies'

Public Enemies Starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, and Marion Cotillard Directed by Michael Mann Rated R

John Dillinger was something of a 20th century Robin Hood. What separates him from the infamous 21st century crook, Bernie Madoff, is the romanticized perception that Dillinger was only ripping off the government, not the common man. That, and Madoff never took anybody's money by gunpoint. Dillinger robbed a slew of banks in 1933 and 1934. Dillinger became legendary: He broke out of two prisons, once in full view of the police guarding its perimeter. He was coronated as Public Enemy Number One by J. Edgar Hoover, the long-tenured director of the FBI, then known only as the Bureau of Investigation. Dillinger had only been out of prison several months at the time, but had returned to a life of crime, pulling off heists in over 20 banks between May of '33 and July of '34. The nation, however, was fascinated. Throughout the midwest, Dillinger was viewed as a folk hero, living the kind of life many in this country only dreamed of during the time of the Great Depression. He'd walk into a bank, walk out a rich man a couple of minutes later, and disappear into thin air. He didn't kill people or even bother them, unless they happened to know a safe combination. That's the folklore version, anyway, and as a result of his legendary status, Dillinger is still celebrated in Chicago every July 22nd. In reality, though, he killed several police officers, which is nothing to celebrate. Naturally, this is a great idea for a movie; gangsters always are. And if you cast Johnny Depp as Dillinger an Christian Bale as G- man Melvin Purvis, deputized by Hoover to capture Dillinger, you'd think you'd have another kind of robbery: Public Enemies should steal money out of your wallet just for looking at the poster. It just doesn't work out that way. I must say in defense of director Michael Mann, whose work I generally admire quite a bit, that perhaps there was a projection issue when I saw Public Enemies. The soundtrack cut out abruptly at one point, and most of the scenes look like you're watching a work print rather than the finished product. Now, one of Mann's potential downfalls is his adherence to his own visual style. He was one of the progenitors of the shaky cam techniques that probably gained credibility with mainstream audiences through the NYPD Blue TV series, but Mann has used it for quite a while. He's also only shooting digital video now, and has been since Collateral. It would probably require me to see the film again to say exactly how those influences absolutely effect Public Enemies. Maybe I just saw a bad print, or maybe Mann's digital video just looks that inconsistent. Either way, there's still the issue of Mann's deliberately accidental camera movements, which simply don't fit the period, the pacing, or the story. For the action scenes, it's fine, obviously. But in its quieter moments, you almost get the impression that Mann feels stifled, so he cooks up a few odd angles or too many edits. Mann has picked a great cast, at least on paper. There's not enough about Dillinger that we find interesting in Depp's portrayal. He's certainly fine here, but Depp's brilliance is in bringing us someone we've never seen. Dillinger is too by-the-numbers in Mann's film. There are a couple of good scenes, but nothing terribly memorable. And a Johnny Depp that is merely perfunctory is barely worth watching. The same can be said of Marion Cotillard, an Oscar winner for La Vie en Rose. She's an alluring pick to portray Dillinger's girlfriend, Billie Frechette, but her English simply isn't fluid enough to pass muster. If the rest of the film worked, it would be OK, but that's not the hand we've been dealt. Christian Bale, though, is almost unbelievably ineffective. A towering talent, Bale looks 100% out of place in Public Enemies. The accent is off, the timing is off, and he doesn't look committed, which is about the worst thing you can say of an actor's performance. It's not just the script, although this is certainly a clunky adaptation of Bryan Burrough's crime encyclopedia, Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, but Bale gives off an unmistakable mailing-it-in vibe. There is one terrific performance, however: Watch what Stephen Lang does with about ten lines as federal agent Charless Winstead. It may not even be ten lines, actually. But it's the only character you'll remember positively. Lang is unrecognizable to anyone who saw his tour de force performance as Stonewall Jackson in the otherwise bloated Gods and Generals. He was Oscar-worthy in that role and gives his all to this one. It's not beyond Michael Mann to make a bad film, but it's more likely that he'll make a good one. He understands all the aspects technically, from a storytelling angle, and as a producer. He's built projects from the ground up (Heat), adapted classics (The Last of the Mohicans), and spun masterworks from headlines (The Insider). But he misses here, or rather, misses too early too often and doesn't have enough left in the tank to finish strong.

Comments

[Honz Brix]

Wow what's going on with Christian Bale? Eventhough I haven't seen this yet, if he really is that bad in this movie that makes two in a row. I thought he was excellent in The Prestige and The Dark Knight and thought he was starting to become one of the better actors in Hollywood. I hope the fame isn't starting to get to him and now he just doesn't give a s***

[Lengthy Johnson]

Thanks, Colin, for confirming my vibe about the dodgy photography and Christian Bale's descent into anonymity.

This one is now slated for BluRay.

[Asana]

"Dillinger is still celebrated in Chicago every July 22nd."

I'm from Chicago and for over thirty years that I was within city limits there was never a mention of any Dillinger celebration on July 22nd. However, not to just disqualify your comment on my personal recollection alone, I did a search on Google which found yearly celebrations in Tucson, AZ for Dillinger dubbed "Dillinger Days" but nothing similar for Chicago.

Outside of this recent movie I couldn't tell you when or how often I've even heard Dillinger mentioned in the local media. Now Al Capone, there's been plenty of mentions about through the years but no celebrations.

[Get The Big Picture]

The last paragraph:

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM64EB_Murder_of_John_Dillinger

[Asana]

No wonder I've never heard of it. It's not so much "celebrated in Chicago" which gives the impression of a notable event rather than a date that fans gather. What happens in Tucson is more what I think of in terms of celebrating.

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/276852.php

What happens in Chicago is more in the realm of the Untouchable Tours that bus people around to old gangster haunts in the city.

[Sean]

Ok my take on the film is...

I thought it was decent like most people when we were really expecting great or fantastic given the posters and trailers and things you Colin have posted....

Johnny Depp - this man is just incredible for the fact that he SAVES FILMS from utter destruction and waste of money, the man was the greatest thing in the film and yes Stephen Lang's performance shined though small, now that I think of it , if only he played Bale's character that would be much better

Bale was a dissapointment and like iv said the man is action movie actor OKAY PEOPLE he is not an Academy Award winnning calibur as others are, BUT
he once was brilliant I mean The Machinist & American Pyscho were great work but since taking a turn for action propelled films he has lost his orginality and hunger, IN MY OPINION and I THINK OTHERS AGREE WITH ME...

Marion Cotillard I ABSOLUTELY LOVE HER but her accent did become a distraction rather than supporting for the film... I hope I just hope her thick accent lessens b/c she truly deserves GREAT WORK in AMERICA

I liked Stephen Dorff, Giovanni Ribisi, and Stephen Graham they supported very well and would like to see them in more ...

More Critiscims

The film was often times too prolonged, it dragged and anyone with a brain can tell

YES COLIN Mann's camera work or whatever handheld stuff whatever he was doing was so unessary and SUCH A DISTRACTION I cant begin to describe it...
- My little brother who doesnt know jack about acting or film even mentioned why is the camera so shaky...lol

Mann whom I love as well did dissapoint me a bit I must say but I still regard him as great but the film wasnt his best or greatest work....

I want someone to answer me please... Colin your included lol....WHY THE HELL DOESNT MANN JUST FILM AND PRINT CHRISTIAN BALE DOING THE ACCENT RIGHT????
- we all know he sucked and it was inconsistent but at times it was there but why not shoot it until BALE did it right???
- I think that fault goes on Mann's shoulders but someone please tell me why???

[Sean]

Oh yeah gotta mention COLIN

All these summer movies such as ...

Year 1
Land of the Lost
Transformers 2
Public Enemies
Angels and Demons
Terminator Salvation
XMEN
Pelham 123

These films are way below average and werent the high hopes you expected, lets be honest some of the above just sucked BUT , what do you have to say or what are your thoughts on that??
- just curious

Some of these above had great trailers and posters and you were RAVING about them until their actual release and we actually saw them... SO WHAT DO YOU THINK WENT WRONG?
LIKE WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON IT??

[peg]

I think Michael Mann could not decide whether he was making a Love story or a gangster action film.
We would get the GOOD PARTS: the shoot outs, bank robberies and the escape from prison(my favorite scene). Then you got the LOVE STORY which slowed down the entire movie. The scenes with Marie Cotillard should have been cut shorter and the momentum would be better.
Her french accent was distracting. If you want great acting from Christian Bale go see RESCUE DAWN. Amazing I took my uncle who was a POW in Vietnam and he was blown away!!!