Public Enemies

I hate to do this to Mann, but I just can't rate higher this time. His Public Enemies is a stylish and very appealing film on the outside, but inside it’s desperately underdeveloped and unremarkable, passing only out of inertia and the memories of the great Heat, which is on a much higher level both in content and form, as it relies on a better script and can lean on De Niro and Pacino, whose personal rivalry is the strongest motif of the story. And that's what's sorely lacking here, because Christian Bale, however charismatic and convincing, is sidelined at the expense of Depp's gangster, who plays first fiddle and sets the pace of the story. The long runtime is also a bit of a problem, Mann uses it to create the right period atmosphere and to precisely outline the relationship between Depp and Cotillard, but it slows down the narrative and, something that’s especially noticeable, fails to establish a stronger relationship between the viewer and the main characters, so that we ultimately don't know who to root for. That said, the shootouts and the action sequences are excellent, Mann is at home there and no one can compete with him, as well as the musical score, the authentic cinematography and an the emotionally charged ending that at least partially redeems the reputation. After Heat I expected a lot, but I don't think it's possible to repeat such a film. 70% (02/07/2013)

Another gem with heart and conceptual depth that many people (in the cinema, but also on FilmBooster) won't understand and will only see what is visible at first glance: a standard and routine crime story with a handheld camera and raw shootouts with a minimum of emotions. Michael Mann is still the same, but the film is incredibly cool and well thought out. A slightly weaker version of Heat, more intimate and unfortunately set in the 1930s. (07/25/2009)

Miami Heat in the thirties where the first half is rather slow (even for Mann) but the second half more than makes up for this in genius. Production design? Pricey. Atmosphere? Such that money can’t buy. P.S.: If you ever read King’s short story “The Death of Jack Hamilton", you’ll have come across similar characters. (07/02/2009)

Here we have another opus in which Christian Bale plays second fiddle. This is also one of the reasons that Michael Mann did not achieve the perfection of his classic Heat, in which the protagonists were equal. Here, the star is Johnny Depp, or rather his Dillinger, a tough bank robber with a heart in the hands of his beloved Marion Cotillard. I also perceive the disadvantages of the digital camera (cheap home-made visuals, noise) as a handicap; what worked effectively in Cloverfield, because it is a mirror of current technological development and the definition of a new sub-genre, cannot work well in a gangster film set in the 1930s. Despite that, the film has numerous positive aspects. It is an elegantly directed, manly retro crime movie with a brilliant Depp, who is the film’s alpha and omega. It also has excellent shootouts, quality set designs and costumes, as well as great dialogue between Depp and Cotillard. Mann brilliantly captures the period atmosphere, makes the film dark in the proper noir fashion and doesn’t forget to pay homage to the golden age of Hollywood. Public Enemies is not as deep as Heat, but it’s not as shallow as Miami Vice. It’s something in between and even though I expected a little bit more, I’m still satisfied. (07/01/2009)

There’s no need to hide it under a mountain of text, when one word is enough to describe Public Enemies to the tee: borefest; maybe extended with the adjective digital. It’s hard to say why this flat gangster flick needed to be so long, when not a single one of the protagonists develops in any noticeable way (Purvis has only goal for the entire film and Dillinger doesn't evolve at all after meeting Billie). The biggest problem is how uninteresting both of the main characters are; what can you do when you don’t have anyone to root for (because both of them can be seen negatively) and you don’t give a toss about their fates? A weaker 6/10. (08/18/2009)