MOVIE GEEK: 3 and a half buckets
FILM FREAK'S REVIEW:
No one could stop John 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 Great Depression.
But while the adventures of Dillinger' gang thrilled many; J. Edgar Hoover made Dillinger America's first Public Enemy Number One.
A lot of people want to see this just because of Johnny Depp. That isn't a bad reason since he pretty much made this film a great one to see. His acting ability to this day astounds me. It's no surprise that playing the part of Dillinger was so easy for him to accomplish. Depp makes you truly root for the bad guy even knowing what he does for a living is wrong.
There were really only two things that let me down. One of those things being that even though there were plenty of things about the script that kept me interested, I still wanted to know more about the characters that was never really explored.
For such a good actor like Christian Bale (Melvin Purvis) to be the person pursuing Dillinger throughout the film, you never really know where his head is at.
You also never really understand how deeply Dillinger's love is for Billie (Marion Cotillard), nor did I care for the ending.
However, these are minor complaints of an otherwise excellent movie.
3 full buckets.
MOVIE GEEK'S REVIEW:
Let me start off by saying that "Public Enemies" further solidifies the notion that Johnny Depp may very well be the best actor working today.
Depp just doesn't act, he becomes his characters. He makes it all look effortless, and that's why people love him. Okay, so maybe his good looks also have something to do with it.
One thing I was worried about with this movie was how much Director Michael Mann would focus on the relationship between Dillinger and Billie Frechette. This is a gangster movie after all, and I like my gangster films to focus on action and ditch the romance aspect.
Thankfully Mann strikes a nice balance between the two and you realize that the relationship that unfolds onscreen is exactly the energy that fuels the action-charged heists. Marion Cotillard does a fine job in the role of Frechette, as Depp and she fully make you believe the relationship between these two.
This may very well be Director Michael Mann's best film since "Heat". While his direction and editing are always top-notch, I was really impressed with his choice to showcase the birth of procedural investigative methods. Most of these scenes have to do with Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) and his quest to find Dillinger. There's something just really cool about seeing the formation of the FBI and wire-tapping.
The most impressive scene to me was the climax surrounding the events at the Biographic Theater. Everything really comes together here, the editing, the cinematography, the acting, the direction; it truly is perfect.
Impressive film, most impressive.
3 and a half buckets.
