Public Enemies

Welcome to another episode of The "D" List.

Today's review is Public Enemies. Directed by Michael Mann. Written by Michael Mann, Ronan Bennett & Ann Biderman. Based on the book "Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34" written by Bryan Burrough.

When it comes to 20th century american crime in cinema, it's pretty safe to say that Michael Mann is the authority on said subject in Hollywood.

He has crafted some of the best crime films to date.

Manhunter - My personal favorite
Heat
Miami Vice   

These 3 films have a lot in common.

Wily cops chasing an even craftier villain.

The hero has a love interest that hinders his progress in catching the bad guy.

Very impressive shootouts (Manhunter is the only exception) and finally

A razor sharp script.   

Public Enemies I am happy to say joins the list of these fine films.

Our story takes us to 1933 Chicago deep into the depression. Master bank robber John Dillinger played by the SUPER COOL Johnny Depp and his crew are taking down scores faster than the media can report on them. This wave of intricately choreographed robberies has befuddled J. Edgar Hoover head of the Bureau of Investigation played by Billy Crudup. In an effort to stop Dillinger he calls on agent Melvin Purvis played by Christian Bale. He has been tasked with taking down public enemy number 1.

That is the basic plotline. There are several other story lines interwoven in the narrative that give this film a punch and entertaining flare. This film is aided mostly by Depp's performance as Dillinger. He oozes cool from frame 1. He has this silent cockiness that just draws you into his world. You can't root against Dillinger. He walks around with this "I can't be caught" demeanor that when he is caught you along with him already know that he's not staying in jail long.

That to me is what made this character so fascinating. He was not afraid to be caught. He took it as a small speed bump on his road to fame and fortune. He was also ahead of his time when it came to weaponry and tactics. He was always 1 step ahead of the police and used that advantage to keep himself free.

Here's an example of how cool Dillinger was in the film. I promise you this is not spoiler material but if you feel queasy about it then I suggest you scroll down and read past this part.

There is a scene in a movie theater where Dillinger and his crew are planning their next robbery. Back in those days before a film they played newsreel segments to update the public on current events. During the planning there was a news report about Dillinger being at large, that he's armed and dangerous and that he could be hiding among the people. They flash his mug shot plus the mug shots of his crew.

Right then the lights in the theater come on and the news report tells the audience to look to their left then to their right. That was designed to warn the audience that he could even be hiding in the theater. The entire time the report was playing, when the lights went on, even when the audience scanned the theater, Dillinger never moved from his seat or moved his head. He just stared straight at the screen. When the lights went out and the movie played, Dillinger went back to planning the robbery.

That was a brilliant scene on 2 parts. It showed the Bureau's clever thinking to get the word out to the public about Dillinger and it showed Dillinger's refusal to bend to the will of the law. He was not going to be intimidated or scared off. Plus he was smart enough to know that reacting to the news report or the crowd looking around would get him pinched.

Well done.

The one thing that the law had against themselves was that the people loved Dillinger. They were in complete favor of a man stealing from a system that put the country in the depression in the 1st place. This rock star status gave Dillinger free reign over Chicago. This also frustrated both Hoover and Purvis. The film also established the "new technology" of the time, wire taps. You get a first hand look at how The Bureau which eventually became the FBI used innovative techniques to tap people's phone and stake out locations searching for Dillinger.

Aside from the obvious cat and mouse games between the law and Dillinger there was another popular aspect of Michael Mann movies that I enjoy. Gunfights. There are a couple here but in particular there is an impressive gun fight at one of Dillinger's hideout's that was pretty spectacular. Well shot, well edited and well paced.

There was some issues with the film however. This is a typical issue with Michael Mann films, that's the run time. The film clocks in a shade over 2 hours and as a result it drags a bit. Mann could have shaved off about 15 to 20 mins and this would have been a crisp well paced film. The other issue was the love interest story line between Dillinger and Billie Frechette played by the beautiful Marion Cotillard. This is one of the draggy elements of the film. Though not boring or story killing, it was an attempt to slow down the action and instead of slowing it down it sent it to a grinding halt which altered the flow of the film. This is where cutting the film down a bit might have helped this minor problem.

Bottom line is Public Enemies is a well crafted cops and robbers film that had an all star cast and well written dialogue, which is what I love about Michael Mann movies. He refuses to dumb down his story telling for the sake of the audience. If you didn't get the subtlety's injected into his dialogue....too bad. And I say BRAVO! I'm tired of watching movies where the script intelligently writes dialogue that explains the scene and moments later some doofus has to repeat the same stuff in "idiot proof" language so it's understood. UGH! So be forewarned, when you go see a Michael Mann film turn your brain on and Public Enemies is no exception.

On the 5 star scale. Public Enemies gets 4 stars and a "Go See It" recommendation.

That's all for today. My next review will either be Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and/or The Hurt Locker. I've heard good things about this one and luckily it's playing near me so I will probably catch it before Potter. I'll let everyone else on the planet see that one and I can see it the following week.

Until Next Episode....I'll Save You A Seat!

"D"