Public Enemies

"You ain't going nowhere. I'm gonna die an old man in your arms. We're too good for 'em. They ain't tough enough, smart enough or fast enough. I can hit any bank I want, any time. They got to be at every bank, all the time. That's why we're on top of the world. Ain't nobody can lay a glove on us. No ... I ain't going nowhere. Neither are you. What you got to say about that?" -John Dillinger

As we all know, Public Enemies is about the life of John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) starting with his prison escape in 1933 and taking us through his crime spree that drew the attention of the newly formed FBI and ultimately made him into Public Enemy #1. Christian Bale plays Melvin Purvis the FBI agent trying to take him down, Marion Cotillard plays his girlfriend Billie Frechette, and Billy Crudup plays J. Edgar Hoover. Several well-known gangsters from the time period such as Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson also make appearances.

I expected Michael Mann's Public Enemies to be a summer blockbuster but what I didn't expect was gritty cinematography and sound design in a period gangster movie. With handheld camera work, frequent tight facial closeups, and a fair amount of location sound, the action scenes are much more real and startling especially when compared to the highly romanticized style of most period gangster movies. This, combined with the depiction of both gangsters and FBI men as lunatics capable of atrocities makes an interesting variation to the usual noble cops or noble gangster idea. Dillinger himself is of course depicted through rose-colored glasses. Although he is shown shooting guards or cops, he is the most admirable of the criminals and is redeemed of all shortcomings through his love for and devotion to Billie Frechette. Also, for an action movie, it's not afraid to have quiet moments or linger on a person's face as they are thinking. The acting was all-around convincing, the characters engaging, and it never for a second felt like two and a half hours. I highly recommend it. 4 1/2 stars.