Public Enemies

Here we are again, with the same old problem. Movies about real life and real people, I would argue, are never as interesting as fiction. I know truth may, at times, be stranger but real life rarely follows satisfying conventions of plot and characterization. Being raised on American cinema, I am a big fan of and believer in the three act structure in regards to action/adventure movies. Or, in this case, crime drama. Episodic (or as I think of it, European) narratives work well for long-form works like TV series, comedies with strong central characters or slice-of-life dramas. Public Enemies does not fall into any of these genres.

Looking for action? Well, probably won't find enough here to keep you happy. There are a few shootouts but, if you know the story of Dillinger, you know how anti-climactic the movie is. Looking for strong characterization? Sorry, all out of that, too. Christian Bale's Melvin Purvis has no real shadings besides being a bit of an image-conscious kiss-ass. Dillinger throws out a line about being beaten by his father and refuses to take a dirt farmer's money in one bank he robs, therefore, we are supposed to like him. Depp tries like all get out to make Dillinger charismatic and charming but he comes off as sort of a dick. The film is loaded with a strong supporting cast including Giovanni Ribisi, Leelee Sobieski, Stephen Dorff, Billy Crudup and other folks you will recognize (like the sidekick from Snatch as Baby Face Nelson and the judge from the Wire). Michael Mann (who has directed good movies like Heat, Thief and Collateral) seems to hope that the legend of these characters and the power of the acting will make up for any lack of "why should I give a damn?" character building. It doesn't.

In several scenes, the frenetic editing makes the geography of the fights muddy (this is getting to be a bigger deal to me as quick cuts become the norm). In one instance, we have identically dressed white men shooting at each other at night, in the woods. It was very difficult to follow the action until the cast began spreading out a little. Likewise, the music for the movie is sloppy and all over the place. Songs aren't used to any consistent purpose but appear multiple times for no reason. Likewise, the score cuts in and out aburptly and makes things laughable.

In the end, there are about three really good scenes in the movie. One where Dillinger's girl is being interrogated, one where Dillinger takes a walk through a police department like a ghost and a handful of action moments that add up to one good action scene. Unless you are just a real fan of criminal history, I would not really recommend this movie. It doesn't deliver enough thrills to be an action movie or enough insight to be a character drama.

Josh