"I like baseball, movies, fast cars, whiskey, and you. What else do you need to know?"

Rating: 10/10 (2 August 2009)

Public Enemies truly takes two viewings to fully appreciate. This film was my most anticipated of the year. I've followed it's making and read the book and still wasn't sure what to expect. I first saw Public Enemies at a midnight showing June 30/July 1st with 4 other people who have decidedly different film tastes. All of them liked the movie a great deal. That said, it took me 3 days to decide if I myself actually liked this film. First time out, some of the shaky cam and editing between scenes bothered me a little bit. My second viewing (with other friends) was a much more enjoyable experience. Everything was perfect, sound, editing, the whole works.
Depp really IS John Dillinger, not simply because they shared the same initials and the same pants size. (In an interview, it's revealed that he had the opportunity to try on a pair of Dillinger's pants.) From the books I'd read, I had a pre-conceived vision of how I thought Dillinger would look and act like, and was amazed the Depp fit him to a "T". Bale gets some bad press for being "wooden" or "flat" in his portrayal of Melvin Purvis, but he's being real and is believable in his role. Purvis was a by-the-book guy. The rest of the supporting cast does a stellar job and the second viewing made it easier for me to appreciate their contributions. Marion Cotillard is wonderful in her portrayal of Dillinger's girlfriend. Their on-screen chemistry is excellent. I think my favorite of all the lesser support characters is of the actor that plays his lawyer, Louis Piquett. He's very memorable in a courtroom scene where he manages to keep Dillinger from being transfered to a state pen.
The look of the film is something to get accustomed to, as not all of us are into a digital look from a digital film. I found it a fresh take on how to do a period film, not going the conventional route we so often see. The cinematography is one of those aspects that I love about films, so if it's good or bad, I'm going to take notice. Different doesn't equal bad, and I loved what Mann did with this film. Made it feel as if it happened recently, not 70 years ago.
The gun fights are in-your-face and loud. The robberies are fast paced, not drawn out. As Depp/Dillinger says, "one minute, 40 seconds...Flat!". One of my favorite parts of the film is the Little Bohemia shoot out, which is very intense. This is a very historically accurate scene which was also shot on location at the same lodge.
Most of the scenes and dialog is historically accurate, and of course, since this is not a documentary, some liberties where taken with the time line of who died when or some of the events. On a scale of historical accuracy, I'd say it's a good 7.5 to 8 out of 10. So far, it's my favorite film of the summer of 2009. 9/10 easily.
If you like your films to be dumbed down, this isn't for you.