Leave it to Michael Mann to usher in a new, beautiful, in your face way to approach gangster films. Shot in high-def digital, Universal Pictures' Public Enemies is stunningly gorgeous and absolutely breathtaking, a moving piece of art that breathes fresh life into a bygone era.
During this 2009 summer season when brainless entertainment (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), a Pixar masterpiece (Up), and a hysterical R-rated buddy comedy (The Hangover) are ruling the roost, plopping one of the better dramas Hollywood's put together in years into theaters is a risky move. Audiences are avoiding dramas as though they were the cause of swine flu, but Public Enemies does have three important ingredients working in its favor: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, and Michael Mann. This fearsome, fearless threesome could sway adults looking for an escape from the usual summer fare into taking a risk on something more intense. And it's most definitely a risk worth taking. Public Enemies is violent and graceful, and filled with dazzling performances from a cast hitting on all cylinders led by a man who pays attention to the most minute detail.
The Story
Public Enemies is based on the book Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34, a meticulously researched examination of American history at a time when a motley collection of Depression era gangsters had law enforcement agencies spinning their wheels. While Bryan Burrough's book traced the criminal careers of Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson, Alvin Karpis and the Barker family, Mann and fellow screenwriters Ann Biderman and Ronan Bennett chose to concentrate on the fascinating Dillinger (played by Depp).
Dubbed Public Enemy Number One by FBI Chief J Edgar Hoover (played by Billy Crudup in a terrific supporting performance), Dillinger was viewed as a Robin Hood-type hero by the American populace. Dillinger robbed banks but never took money from the hard-working men and women who happened to be doing business in those banks at the time of his robberies. With much of the population barely scraping by during those hard times, Dillinger - a good-looking, charismatic Indiana farm boy - captivated Americans and had them rooting for the bad guy rather than the police, a fact which rankled Hoover to no end. The FBI was just emerging as a law enforcement agency to be reckoned with and Hoover, who had his fair share of detractors, used Dillinger and his notoriety as a way to push the bureau and his War on Crime more prominently into the spotlight. Hoover devoted all of his resources to putting an end to Dillinger's criminal career, promoting FBI Agent Melvin Purvis (played by Christian Bale) to the head of the Chicago office and placing him in charge of taking down Dillinger.
Mann's Public Enemies narrows the focus to the latter part of Dillinger's life, skipping over how and why he became a bank robber. Instead of showing his formative years, Mann chose to pick up Dillinger's story in the middle of the action, beginning the film with Dillinger and his right-hand man, Red (played by a scene-stealing Jason Clarke), springing Walter Dietrich from prison. Later we see Dillinger arrested and his own daring escape from prison while using a fake gun (a true story). Public Enemies also shows Dillinger doing what he did best, robbing banks. Calm, cool and collected, Dillinger would leap over teller counters while brandishing his tommy gun and a smile. Courteous and charming to the women bank employees, even the ones he used as human shields during getaways, Dillinger and his gang were always one step ahead of the police and the FBI. How could they not be when they had the fastest cars, the most powerful guns, and although Dillinger would deny ever doing so, they weren't afraid of killing those who stood in their way. Plus, as Dillinger says to his lady love, coat check girl Billie Frechette (played by Marion Cotillard), they could hit any bank at any time while the police had to be on the look-out at every bank every day.
Dillinger and his cohorts knew they weren't long for this world, living a lifestyle that all but guaranteed a short lifespan. But it was ultimately Dillinger's love of Hollywood and the movies that did him in. Betrayed by the infamous Woman in Red (she really wore orange), Dillinger was gunned down by a team of FBI agents and ex-Texas Rangers headed up by Melvin Purvis outside of the Biograph Theater in Chicago in 1934.
The Cast
Even though we know this is how the story ends - it's an indisputable fact - just like Dillinger's contemporaries, the Public Enemies audience is rooting for Johnny Depp as Dillinger to somehow escape the trap, take off to some exotic locale, and live out a long life with Billie Frechette at his side. Depp's captivatingly charming portrayal of Dillinger cries out for a happier ending. Depp's Dillinger is a likable guy, smooth and smart, who just happens to be a bank robber. He could be violent, but it's his softer side as he falls deeply in love with Billie Frechette that makes Depp's Dillinger so engrossing. This Dillinger's a foolish romantic first, gangster second.
As Dillinger's one true love, Oscar winner Marion Cotillard (La vie en rose) is simply incredible. She and Depp have fantastic chemistry, and Michael Mann allows their intimate moments to linger on screen, making the relationship feel more immediate and real.
Christian Bale plays it smooth as Melvin Purvis, an agent who used his brains and new investigative techniques to try and outsmart Public Enemy Number One. Bale delivers a real grounded performance and his icy demeanor is the perfect counterpart to Depp's more engaging Dillinger.
The Bottom Line
The meticulous attention paid to every little detail, including Mann's choice to film as much as possible at the actual locations where Dillinger hid out and where he died, makes the 1930s not only come alive but fairly jump off the screen. The cinematography is first rate and I was blown away - almost literally - by the sound design. Mann also does a great job with the shoot-outs, especially the Little Bohemia showdown. The gun battle doesn't look choreographed at all. As the bullets fly and chaos erupts, viewers are brought into the fight as though we're there running alongside the fleeing Dillinger and Red.
Johnny Depp proves why he's considered one of the best actors working in films today and under the guidance of Michael Mann, Depp delivers a performance that'll stand the test of time. Public Enemies is a riveting, carefully paced character-driven piece that's a fascinating trip into American history. It's Michael Mann at his best.
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