Public Enemies

Expectations were my downfall. Like an Internet date where she sends you her picture, you go to the date expecting to spend time with Ashley Judd and end up spending time with The Bearded Lady from the circus. That is they way it was for me with PUBLIC ENEMIES. I went expecting to spend my time with greatness and ended up spending my time with average.

In this movie goers opinion one of the best acted scene in any movie was the scene in THE DARK KNIGHT in the jail between Christian Bale’s Batman and Heath Ledger’s The Joker. It was tense, had tremendous chemistry between the actors, chilling, and exciting. There was no such scene in PUBLIC ENEMIES.

Directed by Michael Mann of THE AVIATOR fame and Staring Johnny Depp as John Dillinger, Christian Bale as FBI Agent Melvin Purvis, and the stunning Marion Cotillard as Dillinger’s girl friend, Billie Frechette. With numerous supporting performances including Billy Crudup as J. Edgar Hoover, Bill Camp as Frank Nitti, Stephen Graham as Baby Face Nelson, Channing Tatum as Pretty Boy Floyd, Giovanni Ribisi as Alvin Karpis, and my favorite supporting performance in the movie, Stephan Lang as the FBI agent that shot John Dillinger.

Here is part of the synopsis from Moviepone.com

“No one could stop Dillinger and his gang. No jail could hold him. His charm and audacious jailbreaks endeared him to almost everyone--from his girlfriend Billie Frechette to an American public who had no sympathy for the banks that had plunged the country into the Depression.”

“Hoover hit on the idea of exploiting the outlaw's capture as a way to elevate his Bureau of Investigation into the national police force that became the FBI. He made Dillinger America's first Public Enemy Number One and sent in Purvis, the dashing "Clark Gable of the FBI."

“However, Dillinger and his gang outwitted and outgunned Purvis' men in wild chases and shootouts. Only after importing a crew of Western ex-lawmen (newly baptized as agents) and orchestrating epic betrayals--from the infamous "Lady in Red" to the Chicago crime boss Frank Nitti--were Purvis, the FBI and their new crew of gunfighters able to close in on Dillinger.”

Back to me. Cotillard out acted the men in this movie, her performance was more than Oscar worthy, Bale’s performance was extremely close to Cotillard ‘s but in this person’s opinion Depp’s performance was average at best.

The movie is entertaining enough to justify its two hour and twenty-three minute length. It is a little violent, it is a gangster movie after all, it does lack drama, and at times is a little repetitive. I do love the era that the movie took place in and the movie captures that era in spades. The performance of Stephen Lang alone is worth the price of the ticket. Lange gives the best quote in the movie “Dillinger isn’t going to a Shirley Temple movie.” And together with Cotillard at the end of the movie gives the best acted scene in the movie, like the scene in THE DARK KNIGHT, taking place in a jail.

Two Footballs for Cotillard, one Football for Bale, one football for Lang, one football for the cinematography, and a minus two footballs for Depp who in my opinion didn’t live up to his absolutely amazing talent. A total of three footballs.

Go to PUBLIC ENEMIES expecting entertainment you will love the movie, go to PUBLIC ENEMES expecting greatness you will be disappointed.