Review: Public Enemies (2009)

Director: Michael Mann (Collateral, The Insider)

Cast: Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean, Sweeney Todd), Christian Bale (The Dark Knight, The Prestige), Marion Cotillard (La mome, A Good Year), Stephen Graham (Snatch), Billy Crudup (Almost Famous, Big Fish), Jason Clarke (Brotherhood, Death Race)

The Deal: After his string of bank robberies gets out of control, John Dillinger (Depp) is labeled America's first Public Enemy Number One. J. Edgar Hoover (Cudrup) tasks Melvin Purvis (Bale) to lead the Feds in the hunt and capture of Dillinger and his cohorts, including Baby Face Nelson (Graham) and right-hand man Red Hamilton (Clarke). The task proves quite difficult, as Dillinger remains to be very elusive, but his flame with the beautiful Billie (Cotillard) may provide the best opportunity for capture.

Thoughts: I've been quite excited for this film for a little while, and a string of mediocre reviews had me a little worried I would be sadly disappointed. Though the ending was somewhat anti-climactic and there was less action than expected, there was a surprising amount of humor, and the story remained interesting even during the slower scenes. The film looks beautiful, it's fun to watch, and the action scenes, though not grand, are actually toned back to more realistic standards, which I actually liked about the film.

The film is somewhat of a one-and-a-half man show. Though Bale has a main role, his character is vastly overshadowed by Depp's. Bale does a good job with the scenes he's given, and is up to the high standard I expect from him. Depp is excellent as Dillinger. He has the right amount of charm and humor while maintaining a dangerous edge to the character. He remains in my mind the best well-rounded actor in Hollywood. Despite having won an Oscar, Cotillard is not given much to shine with. Her character doesn't get very good scenes until the end, at which point we finally get some emotion and see what she's capable of. Cudrup has a small role, and Channing Tatum, Stephen Dorff, Emile de Ravin, Giovanni Ribisi, and Leelee Sobieski all have roles in the film, but if you blink you may miss them.

There's one scene in the film that stands out for its shear ballsiness. In the scene, Dillinger literally walks through the department dedicated to capturing him and even talks to a few of the guys that have been chasing him. It's a rather funny scene, but one that really defies logic. If that actually happened in real life, then holy-cow I am blown away, but if that was a scene of pure fiction then it was absolutely ridiculous. It's so unbelievable for Hollywood standards, so I sure hope it's not a figment of a writer's imagination.

Verdict: Though it may not quite live up to the high levels of hype, it still remains a good film. It's entertaining, well acted, and surprisingly funny. It's not your typical summer blockbuster, but that's something I like about it. ☆☆☆1/2