Good performances, mediocre script

Rating: 6/10 (5 December 2009)

Johnny Depp plays John Dillinger on the run from law enforcement, led by Melvin Purvis played by Christian Bale. Let's start with the good. The action scenes are intense and gripping, and Depp is a powerhouse throughout the film. I really feel like they developed the character of Dillinger very well. I also liked Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup and Stephen Graham as Baby Face Nelson. There is also great cinematography, costume design and editing. For all it's technical excellence, the film has a lot of problems.
The script is NOT based on historical facts, apart from a few key scenes involving Dillinger escaping, and finally meeting his end. The Wikipedia page for this movie lists all the changes made, I suppose to make the film more cinematic. But in this case it really ends up working against the film. It feels too romanticized at times. Depp is essentially the hero, and is portrayed as basically a good guy who just likes robbing banks. The film is lacking in grit as a result.
Most of Dillinger's associates are poorly developed and get killed all in one scene to make the movie more exciting. Although it is exciting, it's not dramatic or believable. And if historical accuracy isn't their top priority, they could have made some of the robbery scenes more exciting. Another problem is the whole angle of the mob hating Dillinger for forcing the creation of new laws against organized crime. This plot line went absolutely nowhere and should have been left out. On another note, I'm not sure if it was the actor's delivery or the sound design, but it was really hard to understand what people were saying in some scenes. Not that any of the dialogue really matters, and a lot of scenes amount to absolutely nothing. Mann is going strictly for style over substance here.
Another place the script fails is in the character played by Christian Bale. Purvis is no Al Pacino in Heat. In fact, I can't think of one thing his character actually did besides shoot a few people. To cast an actor like Bale in a role that has almost no character development is a problem. The should have either cast a lesser known actor or rewritten his role entirely. In real life Purvis wasn't very involved with most of the events he's portrayed in, so casting him as a main player was folly unless they gave him more back story. As a result, the only real dramatic weight is between Depp and Cotillard, which was done very well.
Strongly acted but lacking in accessibility, Public Enemies is a frustrating film. Certainly not Mann's best film, but not his worst either. In the end, this movie is pure entertainment and nothing more.