I let the haters get to me yesterday. I was actually worried that "Public Enemies" wouldn't live up to the hype. But I was satisfied when I walked out of the theater. The movie didn't blow me away. But it definitely didn't disappoint. The costumes, tightly cropped shots and sparse settings were second-to-none. To quote the rap classic: Damn, it feels good to be a gangster. Read the rest of the review on the jump.
The movie started in 1933 and followed the last year of John Dillinger's bank robbing spree. Part of me wishes it addressed more of his past in order to better understand the character, but enough happened in 1933 and '34 to take up two-and-a-half hours. The movie was surprisingly accurate when it came to the heists and jailbreaks. One of my fellow moviegoers said all the action made the plot a little choppy, but I guess that's how chaotic life was for the bandits. Another fellow viewer said the movie made him want to learn more about the life and times of Dillinger. I agree.
Annoyingly, the film deviated on one big topic -- Dillinger's love life. It portrayed him as a one-woman man, hopelessly devoted to Billie Frechette -- a fictional combination of two Dillinger lady friends. In reality, Dillinger was a womanizer. It seemed typical to play up the fictional romance to balance out the violent gun battles, but it worked pretty well. I secretly think it would have been more fun to watch Dillinger play the field.
Now, onto the acting. Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard were cast perfectly. Bale brought his quiet intensity to the role of FBI agent Melvin Purvis. Depp (at his best) brought Dillinger back to life with his smirk and swagger. Cotillard shined as a plucky female in a male's world. But I wanted more. If there was more focus on the pressure both Purvis and Dillinger were under, the top-notch action sequences might have been even more explosive.
There was a scene where Dillinger and Purvis met at a jail and exchanged a few lines and looks. Those few seconds offered more insight into their characters than entire scenes. The cinematography and suspense in the final scene was breathtaking. Playing with the black-and-white Clark Gable movie "Manhattan Melodrama" worked on so many levels.
Bottom line: This movie was somewhat uneven, but unforgettable. It might not win any Oscars, but it was a refreshing throwback to cops-and-robbers thrillers from the '30s and '40s. (Photo: AP)
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