Movie: Public Enemies

Director: Michael Mann (Frankie Machine, Hancock)

Actors: Johnny Depp (Alice in Wonderland, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus), Christian Bale (Killing Pablo, The Dark Knight), Billy Crudup (Watchmen) and Channing Tatum (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra).

Scores: Technical: 95, Story: 85, Acting: 100, Overall: 99

Any movie ringing in at 2 hrs and 40 minutes better be able to hold your attention and make you understand the characters so you can relate and be involved with the events unfolding. Some movies fail miserably at this, others (like the amazing Heat and The Aviator) leave you wanting more. Public Enemies is that kind of movie.

Public Enemies is the tale of the elusive bank robber John Dillinger (played by the great Johnny Depp) and his journey while being pursued by the up and coming FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale). The movie opens with an amazingly shot jail break that keeps you on the edge of your seat. After that the movie slows down a bit and lags for a little too long. It is not a boring movie by any means and it has a good amount of humor; it just explains and introduces a lot of characters that unfortunately, takes a little too long. After that it picks up steam and has a powerful last hour. Most of you who have read my reviews know I don’t like to give away too many details about the movie. This film is no different. Michael Mann is splendid (again) with his directing and camera angles. The shoot outs (and there are quite a few) are filmed magnificently and are equal to Heat. I think the lack of music during certain scenes make them a lot more powerful and he brings it back in with a style that is legendary. Nothing sounds better than a lone shotgun blast booming in your ears. The music during the end scene is Oscar worthy for sure.

If you like gangster films, fast paced action comedies (for the most part), or love stories, I think you will enjoy this movie. If you like rooting for the “bad guy” this is your kind of movie.

Trust me, go see it…

By Dave Minyard

Public Enemies Poster