The Tragedy of John Dillinger

Rating: 9/10 (4 July 2009)

Public Enemies, the latest film from director Michael Mann, is a film that is entertaining, but comes short of true greatness.
The film chronicles the adventures of bank robber John Dillinger in 1933. Dillinger is portrayed here by Johnny Depp with the right amount of wit and charm. As a matter of fact all of the actors in the film turn in credible performances. Though what makes this film worth seeing is for the thrills. The action in the film is exhilarating and fast paced, keeping you on the edge of your seat. Mann handles the action sequences extremely well. Only problem with the action is that the film was filmed entirely with hand-held cameras, giving it this naturalistic feel that I am not usually a big fan of; I tend to prefer the more glossy-styled film-making.
My biggest gripe with the film though comes with the fact that none of the characters truly have any depth to them. There are times where it looks like Mann is going to take the time and explore who the characters truly are, but he just introduces it subtly and then moves on without really harping much on it. Still this doesn't really affect the film that much, I was just expecting something a little bit more from someone of the caliber of Mann.
Overall I enjoyed Public Enemies. It was a tense, action packed thrill ride that was in the end quite good, but just short of genuine greatness.
I give Public Enemies a good 9 out of 10!