Review: Public Enemies

It must have been interesting for the marketing team of Public Enemies to look at the 2009 calender a while back to try and find a date in the summer that worked. June 24 or 26? No no, that’s Transformers territory, it’d be annihilated. How about July 10? No, wait, that’s Bruno and that’s going to be huge. Fine, what about July 15? Crap, that’s Harry Potter. So after deciding on July 1, sandwiched between robots and a gay Austrian mockumentary, sharing a date with Ice Age 3D never sounded so good – this is exactly what they were hoping for. This movie should and will get all the fans who have been wanting a summer movie that isn’t all shiny and new looking, and completely brainless. It will attract the elderly, meaning 30 and above. It will also attract the legions of Johnny Depp fans, of which there are plenty. So with the movie out there’s only one question left: was it any good?

Although we don't learn much of his character, Johnny Depp's return to the silver screen is very enjoyable (Universal Pictures/aceshowbiz.com)

Public Enemies is a very refreshing feel and look from the rest of the summer movies that have been churned out of Hollywood since early May. From Wolverine to Terminator Salvation and more, it’s all been big, epic action with super heroes or even typical family films too. Man, it’s getting boring. Setting a film in the 1930’s will certainly help your cause if you want separation from the rest of the pack. This film looks authentic, and while the actors deserve so much credit for that, the visuals the filmmakers used were outstanding. The outfits, cars, and accents were all seemingly straight out of Chicago around 1930 or so. It was as interesting as it was fun, and much credit goes to Michael Mann. The different angles and thoughts that went into each shot, every creative view, were no doubt approved or thought up by the acclaimed director. They worked for the most part and lent a great deal to the film’s authenticity.

When you talk about Michael Mann, you have to scratch your head at his resume – it’s hit or miss. There have admittedly been the misses in Miami Vice and Ali most recently. But the hits have been shot out of a cannon – Heat, The Insider, Ali, and Collateral. After viewing Public Enemies, it’s easy to see why this will be in the hit category for sure. While it isn’t as completely gripping as Collateral, or quite as interesting as The Insider, it holds its own for over two hours and is such a solid action film from start to finish. While Mann deserves credit, he has quite the habit of working with the right actors as well. Depp, Bale, and Marion Cotillard are the lead gems in this stacked list of talented actors.

'Enemies' was a strong rebound for Christian Bale after a disappointing start to the summer season. (Universal Pictures/aceshowbiz.com)

Johnny Depp hasn’t been in a movie, unless you count voicing an episode of SpongeBob, since 2007’s Sweeney Todd and the third installment of Pirates. His unique presence is certainly fun to watch and there isn’t another actor that can nail down his ability and “coolness” quite like Depp can. There isn’t a ton to the background and substance of the character of John Dillinger, which I’ll get to, but Depp does what he can, and it works for the most part. He’s fast with a gun and with his words, he never hesitates, and he’s sly and smooth. But people have been waiting for Depp to come back, which isn’t exactly what you can say about Christian Bale. The once thought of ‘biggest action star on the planet’, after The Dark Knight, took a huge hit with the lackluster Terminator Salvation. First there the media frenzy that captured his on-set blow up, and the movie wasn’t that good either. Instead of waiting back and then getting back in the limelight, he jumped right in with Public Enemies. It was a wise choice, especially with his role. The film marketed itself around Depp and his character as it should have, so Bale and his great performance turned out as a rewarding surprise. He played his character with a certain humility and determination that stood out among the rest of the actors. It’s fair to say Bale is back in the game.

The one thing that I would complain about when it comes to Public Enemies is the lack of depth behind Dillinger’s character. You can tell that the intent of this film isn’t to be just another summer popcorn brainwash, but rather a smarter and deeper entry. The filmmakers may have wanted it that way, but the action certainly overtook any small effort of character development. There was no emotion felt when anything, good or bad, happened to him, and that hurt this movie for sure. On the flip side, the action was extraordinary. The gun fights were a true spectacle and rounded up a really solid summer action movie that was better than most, but not as good as the top few.

PUBLIC ENEMIES: (out of 4)