Public Enemies (2009)

The Expectation:
Johnny Depp is one of our generation's great actors- a highly skilled craftsman in his field who has grown very adept at picking the right roles and the right film creators to work with. Marion Cotillard is the lead female and after her role in the spectacular La Vie en Rose, I would gladly watch anything she is in. Add in Christian Bale, another serious character actor who produces some of the finest work I have seen (including my favorite Batman character), and you get a wealth of acting talent to propel my expectation of this film through the roof- at least for a gangster film. The preview showcases some unconventional shots and perfectly chosen behind the scenes music for a bank robbery. Michael Mann is known for his masculinity driven films- Miami Vice, Hancock- but some of them are done exceptionally well- Last of the Mohicans, etc. Thus, I expected a smart story, creative camerawork, superb acting, and yet still some fun gangster action.

The result:
For some reason, this movie felt so long that I was surprised the whole thing only took two and a half hours. Still a long time, I could have sworn we were in that theater for five hours. The main problem with this film is the story- or lack of. The characters don't get explained- they are not allowed to grow- as if the director thought that we already knew the characters stories so he wanted to showcase just one or two elements- mainly the gunfights and the cool weapons. The film, while I think it was trying to be artistic, jumped around with choppy transitions and lethargic sequences; one of those films that you think is about to be over many times but just keeps going....and going. The love sequences are not grounded so Dillinger comes off more as a punk than someone the film is trying to admire and the FBI, including Bale's character exudes a pathetic and incompetent air that I almost wanted to pity them for their extreme faults. Really they all just need to be fired- and I wonder how much of that is really true today. Both sides are just men running around with weapons and power without a clue how to turn it into respectability, justice, or anything that makes either of their pursuits worthwhile. I could not figure out who to like- who to suture myself to as a viewer.
On a lighter note, some of the shots were creative and the death scenes, although gruesome, held some entertainment value. Overall, I am just glad I had a free ticket to this one.

What to look for (if you go):
Creative camera placement- inside the car, lots of high and low angles, etc.
That fabulous bank robbery music. We get more warning than the bank employees!
How the cowards win- don't they always- at the end.

Flickr photo by Mashishka