Public Enemies: Review By kbelliveau

John Dillinger (Depp) was Public Enemy number 1. He was a notorious outlaw, wanted by the police for robbing a bank. Dillinger was able to outsmart the police on many occasions, until Special Agent Melvin Purvis (Bale)stepped up to the plate, and put together one of the finest teams of police men to take down Dillinger. Dillinger was able to establish a life, he fell in love with Billie (Cotillard) and she became his life, the reason he robbed banks. Dillinger made her the promise that nothing was ever going to happen and that they would be together forever. John Dillinger was sought after by many police and found himself in some of the stickiest situations that a gangster has ever found themselves in, but even in the end he was not able to outsmart the police just one last time. Dillinger put his trust in the wrong people and they turned their backs on him.

Some actors are expected to turn in good performances in each film they do. They have the odd slip up, and then they are never forgiven. Some actors just maintain that star power the whole way. Johnny Depp has done just that. With performances in recent years such as Sweeney Todd, Captain Jack and JM Barrie, Depp has solidified himself as one of the premiere leading men in Hollywood. He has a knack for taking on roles that it seems no one else would take. However with John Dillinger, he takes a different approach. Many people know the story of Dillinger, many people will want to see the film, many people have start to just drool over him because of Captain Jack. Depp threw himself into the spotlight for this film, where the pressure was on, and he needed to outshine every one. He did just that, and he does it so convincingly that some of the rest of the cast seem flat. However Depp was the lead, and as the lead he is expected to outshine. Depp did what he was supposed to do for the film, but he could not control the finished product and the few mistakes that were made on this film.

Christian Bale was the biggest disappointment in the film. He was flat, his expressions left no emotion, and he was unable to paint Purvis in the way he should have been painted. Bale came up short, and the character of Purvis was lost somewhere in the 2 hrs and 20 mins that this film lasted. Bale has been a short streak lately. He missed in The Dark Knight in 2008 but a little bit. Terminator Salvation hit with mixed reviews. Some advice for Mr. Bale, who is a good actor, stop trying to be the big man. Johnny was the big star here, settle for being second best. He was second best in Batman to Ledger. Bale just has it in him that he needs to be the star of every film that he does. The problem with Mr. Bale is that he tries to hard, his talent is there, but unlike Depp and many other a- listers he just doesn’t seem to have that limitless talent. If still I needed to rate the acting for the entire film, it would be a 4/5 for Depp alone.

Where Bale missed his mark, Marion Cotillard hit her marks. She challenged Depp to step up his game, she was able to bring emotion to a character that many people knew was destined for failure. Yet Cotillard was able to remember that there was still some shock value to be delivered. She was able to bring a new life to a film thats secondary characters fell flat. My biggest concern here was that she was forgotten in the middle of the film. They seemed to focus on Dillinger and Purvis, when the effects the entire ordeal had on Ms. Billie Frechette would have worked better for dramatic purposes. Marion Cotillard showed her true talents, and her ability to be a great actress if only given a bigger part.

Bale messed up on Purvis, but so did the film as a whole. Dillinger was painted as a hero, but he wasn’t. Dillinger was actually a violent man, who was ruthless, robbed banks and killed people. He was a badass, but the film had him spotlighted as the hero so to speak. They turned Purvis into a man who went to all odds to get Dillinger and used some brutal tactics to get him. They showed his team as stupid, as easily overtaken. Dillinger made a mockery of Purvis’ team in the film. He walked right into the squad room that was meant to discuss his capture. He robbed banks in broad daylight and he escaped maximum security prisons twice. The film was meant to show Dillinger’s life, struggles and rise and fall, but it should not have been shown in a heroic light.

Also the biggest thing of all that was off were some of the historical facts added in by Mann, and altered by Mann himself. Pretty Boy Floyd did not die before Dillinger and in the movie Dillinger himself made reference to Purvis as “The man who killed Pretty Boy Floyd” Also Purvis killed Baby Faced Nelson at a shootout at the Little Bohemia Lodge in Wisconsin, when in fact Baby Faced Nelson became public enemy number one after Dillinger’s death. That means that he was killed after Dillinger. Also there was many discrepancies with the years in which things occurred. Nelson mentions a 1938 film quote at a bar when in fact he was killed in 34 and would have never had the chance to see that film.

These filmmakers need to research their history before adding it into a film. Johnny Depp and Marion Cotillard had great chemistry, but Bale failed in his role of Purvis.