"...Public Enemies is a good outing for Michael Mann and Johnny Depp. It is just not the masterpiece that some will come to expect."
It seems as though Johnny Depp has become what Al Pacino once was to eager moviegoers, particularly of the male gender. He has become somewhat of a man's man in the sense that really means business in every role he plays. When Once Upon a Time in Mexico stunk to high heaven, he was the exceptional redeeming quality in all his badass glory. He could even be taken seriously as the creepily goofy Willy Wonka in Tim Burton's recent adaptation. With this is mind, it would be understandable if serious moviegoers are excited for the release of Public Enemies. You have Depp on the movie poster with a look of serious conviction in his eyes. The one that screams, "Guess what, I am John Dillinger!" There is also the added bonus of Depp holding a tommy gun and Michael Mann being credited as the director. One would expect that such a passionate actor working with a heavy director like Mann (Collateral, Heat) would produce a piece of film history. Many may be disappointed that it is not exactly that, but this is not to say that Public Enemies should be dismissed as a letdown.
Depp takes on the role of infamous gangster John Dillinger. And I really do mean it when he sinks into this role. I am not a historian of all things gangster, but it is factual that Johnny Depp himself is fascinated with Dillinger. One can tell just by looking at the way the actor carries himself that Depp has confidently sunk into this role and convinced himself, and all of us, that he is indeed John Dillinger. The film is not an origin story that delves into the childhood of the outlaw. Instead it starts right in the midst of Dillinger's Depression-era infamy as a bank robber who did not give a care what the law declared as right or wrong. With his gang of ex-cons (played by Steven Dorff and David Wenham among others), he marches into a bank and takes what is rightfully his. Police officers surrounding the bank? The gang would easily shoot their way out with machine guns leaving cops and civilians dead on the streets. John Dillinger is not a humanitarian or a master planner. However, he is an expert in taking charge. This is especially applicable when he meets lower class cutie Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard). He boldly tells Billie after first meeting her that he is a bank robber, and he does so without a sign of anxiety or hesitation. When she bashfully returns to her job the following night as a coat check girl, he tracks her down and declares, "I like baseball, movies, good clothes, fast cars,...and you. What else do you need to know?". With that John gets what he wants, and a romance is formed.
As every story of an outlaw goes, Dillinger's life of crime and riches is destined to be thwarted by the law. J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) has declared a war on crime, and FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) is just the right man for the job after infamously taking down Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum). As previously mentioned, this is not an origin story, but rather an action-packed chase film. With Dillinger popping up in different places all over the country, it becomes an obsessive challenge for Purvis to track down the rebel and make the FBI look like America's heroic salvation.
Public Enemies is an undeniably entertaining flick that does not shy from the carnage that was gangster culture. The Depression era is captured marvelously by focusing on the aspect of crime fighting. Today one cannot even get away with downloading too many digital songs without getting caught. We are surrounded by wireless communication making impossible for someone to make it 5 miles before their activities are detected. John Dillinger's reign of crime is a completely different story. It is almost fascinating to see an admitted criminal publicly socializing in a club without being arrested. With only very limited telephone technology in existence, it is impossible for a club patron to throw his face on YouTube prior to texting the local precinct. John Dillinger and his men exist in a bubble where they are the kings of their destinies, and the opinions of lawmen are worth dismissing.
The action is plenty and Depp's performance is money in the bank. However, Public Enemies also managed to underwhelm me for a couple of reasons. One of these is the absence of depth. I do realize that the film's attitude is to focus solely on the crimes committed without the baggage of backstories. But this sometimes makes the motivations of the characters questionable when we do not know them. Depp does a very good job of defining his character with a fine-tuned performance. Unfortunately, Christian Bale is unable to do the same thing. He comes out of left field and begins pursuing John Dillinger. His character is so one-dimensional that it could have been played by any Hollywood extra looking for work. Sadly for Bale, this is his second performance this summer (Terminator Salvation being the first) where he is upstaged by his co-stars. Another flaw is surprisingly Michael Mann's direction. The filmmaker is known for his grainy aesthetic shot digitally. The same technique is used awkwardly from time-to-time in Public Enemies. It is not as though he is looking to recreate the grain of old film stock to fit the era. Instead it appears he decided to utilize grainy filters on his equipment. Something about the use of new, experimental technology to capture 1933 does not succeed.
So the bottom line is that Public Enemies is a good outing for Michael Mann and Johnny Depp. It is just not the masterpiece that some will come to expect. Taking a trip to the theater or seeing this on video is well worth the time with this one, and I would suggest it any day over Michael Bay's awful, yet profitable Transformers sequel. The product is equipped with strong performances and some solid action sequences, but it just doesn't dig deep and provide the emotional experience I was hoping for. That being said, in this jungle of predictable, CGI, summertime vomit, this may be one of the classier films of the season.
dodd@movieweb.com
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