Public Enemies

Phew! What a relief! Here we are midway through summer blockbuster season, we’ve been treated to a series of third rate franchise cash ins, overloaded with CGI, watched Transformers gross enough to fix the world wide economy and worse of all this blog has recently making me look like a nerdy fan boy. Now finally after a string of disappointment (not Star Trek that was awesome) we are finally treated to a thrilling taut crime drama.

Director Michael Mann, the guy who brought us the awesome ‘Heat’ back in 1995 returns with this, the real life story of 1930’s gangster John Dillinger (Johnny Deep) and how he travelled across the United States on a wild crime spree robbing banks. It is also the story of how the FBI set up a fine team of operatives led by special agent Melvis Purvis (Christian Bale) to hunt down Dillinger and his associates.

Naturally we are treated to a series of suspense filled and wholly satisfying series of confrontations, each gun fight as pleasing as the last. This is one thing that Michael Mann achieves with great panache using gritty style cinematography, perfectly paced editing and effective use of sound much like he did in Heat.

This film is a masterstroke in fine directing techniques (although some might debate that) very few film can achieve the sense of sustained menace that Mann achieves when on top form. This is demonstrated in a number of sequences throughout, whether it is Dillinger’s escape from Indiana State Prison or the ensuing scene in which Dillinger and his associates are sat in a packed movie house when a news real suddenly appears onscreen with a ‘Wanted: John Dillinger Public Enemy No 1’ in big letters. It is at this point that Dillinger shuddered with fear yet at the same time manages to maintain his posture. Suddenly a light on the ceiling switches on and the audience are informed “He may be sitting in this very theatre! Look to your left! Look to your Right!” The audience follow these instruction and it is only by the grace of god that Dillinger is sat between two associates and no public member notices. The lights go off, the news reel resumes and the panic is over. This is possibly one of the finest moments and any crime drama ever made.

Mann has also successfully captures the 1930’s era in which the film is set with an impressive attention to perfect detail you’ll be hard pressed to find any inaccuracy to how this decade is portrayed in screen. Ironically Mann has managed to make this film feel modern and found the perfect balance between this era and the 30’s era similar to what Roman Polanski done with Chinatown in 1975 whereas most other period set films have a sense of nostalgic haze to them. One way Mann achieves this is through the use of High Def digital camera as opposed to traditional celluloid and create a film that is visually stunning as much as it is suspenseful. Take note that this film is also very dark in terms of cinematography very much akin to The Godfather.

This film also boasts several impressive performances. Johnny Depp delivers a mostly charismatic Dillinger and creates a character who the audience can sympathise with every time he gets into danger. In all honesty Depp is perhaps not as strong as he could have been and is considerably better in other roles he has played throughout his hugely successful career. Perhaps more interesting is the support character Melvin Purvis (who was the real life inspiration of many fictional detectives) played by Bale. Despite learning little about Purvis’ own life Bale succeed in creating a fully human role injecting the character with a conflicted nature and sense of guilt and responsibility for all the blood that has been spilt and the savage nature of his job. One scene has him and an associate going into a hospital and forcing a wounded screaming gang member to talk yet with the look on his face that his job is barbaric.

The rest of the cast perform well too, including Marion Cottilard as Billie Frechette, Dillinger’s love interest, Billy Crudup as a believable J Edgar Hoover and Stephen Graham as a Joe Pesci like Baby Face Nelson.

There is one issue with the film however, at times, especially in the first half the script lacks focus and is often drowned out by the films technical ingenuity. This lead to the film being somewhat un engaging from time to time and prevents the it from being the stone cold classic it could have been.

Overall However Public Enemies is a wholly satisfying experience and a refreshing departure from the typical summer movie. If you enjoy taut, suspenseful crime thrillers then this is a must for you. This film will however split opinions of serious film buff as to whether its genius or piss poor, but I guess its down to matter of opinion.

4 STARS