Public Enemies should have been a slam-dunk for everyone involved. All the ingredients were there: In the director's chair was Michael Mann, the man behind Heat, possibly the most badass cops-n'-robbers flick ever made.
As lawman Melvin Purvis: The Dark Knight himself, Christian Bale, who has done sterling work in countless films. Playing charismatic bank robber John Dillinger? No less than Johnny Depp, otherwise known as Captain Jack Sparrow and Sweeney Todd.
So why is Public Enemies a bloated and boring mess?
Michael Mann's Public Enemies Stars Christian Bale, Johnny Depp, Marion Cotillard
It's 1933, and gentleman bank robber John Dillinger (Depp) is Public Enemy Number One, romancing coat check girl Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard) between heists. However, Dillinger's days are numbered: the mob, represented by Frank Nitti (Bill Camp, replacing The Untouchables' Billy Drago) has decided that high-profile gangsters like Dillinger are more of a danger than an asset.
J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) has plans for Dillinger, too. He wants to use the outlaw's notoriety to make his idea of a Federal Bureau of Investigation a reality. But someone has to catch Dillinger first, and Hoover's choice for the job is lawman Melvin Purvis (Bale). As the stakes rise alongside the body count, can Purvis stop the ruthless Dillinger?
The first problem is with Mann, Ronan Bennett and Ann Biderman's screenplay, based on Bryan Burroughs' book Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34. All the real-life characters in the book are narrowed down to ciphers: names in the history books who step on stage, say their lines, perform their actions, then get off without leaving any kind of mark. There's no comparison to the richly detailed (yet fictional) characters in Mann's other films.
It doesn't help that Bale phones it in as the upright lawman. His Melvin Purvis is stoic, determined and about as charismatic as a brick. Considering the stunning work Bale did in The Machinist and yes, The Dark Knight, this is a sad disappointment.
Depp shows flashes of his usual quirky intensity as Dillinger, but the script clearly isn't offering much to work with. Ditto for all the other characters: there to fulfill their roles and nothing more. Only former indie queen Lili Taylor (Say Anything, Mystic Pizza) makes any kind of impression as Sheriff Lillian Holley.
Finally, Michael Mann's kinetic directing style has reached its sell-by date. The queasy cam that rocked Heat just gets annoying here. There are some moments where Mann's brilliance at directing an action sequence comes together, but his best set piece – a night-time shootout in a resort lodge – is hampered by (a) too dark lighting, which means the audience isn't sure who is who or who is where and (b) an unnecessary, clichéd scene where a supporting character predicts his own death.
Can we just once get a character to predict his death, only to find himself still breathing when the credits roll? Just once?!
The Final Analysis
If this review appears unnecessarily harsh, it's because we've come to expect much better things from everyone involved. Public Enemies has its moments, but they're few and far between in this film's 140 minute running time. And the movie's climax really isn't all that climactic.
One could argue that everyone knows that Dillinger was going to die at the end: well, everyone knew De Niro's character was going to buy the farm at the end of Heat, but that didn't stop the movie from being an incredible action flick. The fact remains that Michael Mann has done better in previous films, and should have done better here.
As the FBI agents waited for Dillinger to come out of the Biograph Theatre, an audience member was distinctly heard whispering to her friend, "Just like Purvis, I'm wondering when this film is going to end?"
That's not a good sign for a cops-n'-robbers flick, and it's why Public Enemies gets a 4/10.
Dominic von Riedemann - Dominic is the Animated Film Feature Writer, and winner of 11 Suite 101 Editors' Choice Awards.
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