Public Enemies (2009)
Public Enemies (USA) (2009) Directed by Michael Mann Written by Michael Mann; Ronan Bennett; Anne Biderman Starring Johnny Depp; Marion Cotillard; Christian Bale; Billy Crudup; Jason Clarke; Stephen Dorff; Stephen Graham Leelee Sobieleski; Channing Tatum; Giovanni Ribisi; James Russo; Shawn Hatosy; Emile De Ravin; Lily Taylor; Rory Cochrane; Lili Taylor; Carey Mulligan; Branka Katic
Based on a book by Bryan Burroughs, Public Enemies is a technically superior offering with impressive set design and cinematography from the maniaical one, Michael Mann (Thief; Heat; The Insider; Ali). While the film is cooly composed (shot by longtime Mann collaborator, Italian Dante Spinotti (Heat; Wonder Boys; LA Confidential; The Insider), for many this one may be lacking enough demonstrable humanity to truly connect on a visceral level. Johnny Depp is just fine as John Dillinger, the infamous midwestern bank robber who managed to capture the imagination of the depression era American public. Unfortunately, he is the only character we learn anything about, and even his interior journey is far from fully illuminated. Thusly, the main supporting players: Marion Cotillard (as love interest Billie Frechette); Christian Bale (as FBI agent Melvin Pervis); and Billy Crudup (in a strange piece of casting as a young J Edgar Hoover) are each given a few moments, but not nearly enough for us to feel connected to their individual stories. The rest - Jason Clarke (as partner in crime Red Hamilton); Stephen Graham (terrible American accent as the violent Baby Face Nelson); and Stephen Dorff (as another Dillinger accomplice, Homer Van Meter) are essentially given short shrift, with little opportunity to demonstrate any real development. Further, a parade of recognizeable actors like James Russo; Emilie De Ravin; Giovanni Ribisi; Shawn Hatosy; Channing Tatum; Lily Taylor; Rory Cochrane; and Leelee Sobieski appear and are gone in a blink of an eye, making their inclusion a curiosity at best. There is simply a morass of characters and events thrown at us - something that makes the film (despite the long run time) a bit of a blur, though it should be noted that the action scenes are brilliantly executed and realistic feeling. In fairness too, the events of Dillingers life were rather of a whirlwind nature as he travelled from state to state robbing banks and hiding out; was arrested more than once (and escaped several times); and was involved in mutiple shootouts with police, all in the course of several years. Captured in HD, the film has some marvelous set pieces (many of them in the actual original, real life locations), though the modern shooting style is not a traditional one for an historical epic. While there are a few emotional moments with Frechette and Dillinger (Depp and Cotillard do their best with what they are given), for the most part the visuals, mis en scene, and action sequences take precedence, and all the panache and period/location authenticty simply can’t overcome the paucity of fully realized human characters, who mostly manifest as movie constructs. Credit should be given to Mann for caring enough to go to the lengths he does to recreate historical events, but at the heart of most films are the characters that we either buy as people and care about or don’t. While there is nothing wrong with the performances here, especially those from talented, committed actors like Depp and Cotillard, there is only the writing and director to point to when a film is somehow less than the sum of its meticulously rendered parts.