John Dillinger is public enemy
number one after a string of headline-grabbing bank robberies during the 1930s;
however, the Feds are closing in around him and other notable criminals like Baby
Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd. Melvin Purvis has been tasked with heading up
the Chicago office with the specific goal of capturing or killing Dillinger. The
two men play a deadly game of cat and mouse.
Public Enemies is the latest film
from American auteur Michael
Mann (at least until his cyber thriller Blackhat
comes out in 2015), master of the sprawling crime drama. Mann worked with a
superb group on the film including: composer Elliot Goldenthal,
cinematographer Dante
Spinotti, and production designer Nathan Crowley.
The film has a phenomenal cast,
headlined by Johnny
Depp and Christian
Bale. The supporting ensemble features David Wenham,
Jason Clarke,
Stephen Dorff,
Channing
Tatum, Rory
Cochrane, Carey
Mulligan (although, she is in it for maybe a second), Branka Katic,
Emilie de
Ravin, Billy
Crudup, Marion
Cotillard, Giovanni
Ribisi, John
Ortiz, Shawn
Hatosy, Stephen
Graham, Stephen
Lang, Lili
Taylor, and Leelee Sobieski.
Michael Mann has made a number of
fantastic crime dramas – Thief, Heat, Collateral,
and Miami Vice
(highly underrated). Public Enemies is his first period crime drama, though he
has made a few great period dramas (notably The
Last of the Mohicans). What works exceptionally well about his films,
Public Enemies included, is that he garners wonderful character-driven performances
in worlds that feels very gritty and realistic. Some of that has to do with his
collaborations with Dante Spinotti, whose photography is stunning and feels
naturalistic. He is also the best at shooting gun fights. His staging,
photography, and sound design are second to none (Heat probably has the best
gun fight ever filmed). In some ways, Public Enemies feels a lot like Heat. The
themes are the same in many ways. And, both feature great action set pieces.
The film was mildly received upon its release in 2009 and has still not really
found an audience, but it is magnificent. Depp and Bale are fantastic and it is
visually dazzling. I think it is a must-see for fans of Mann’s work and those
who enjoy grand crime dramas. It is probably the best gangster film of the last
five years (my three favorite films of 2009 are Inglourious
Basterds, Up,
and Public Enemies to give you an idea of the esteem I hold for this film).
Trailer: Here
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