Shallow Gangster Movie

Rating: 6/10 (7 November 2009)

In 1933, in the fourth year of the Great depression, the bank robber John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) challenges the law with his gang and is considered Public Enemy #1. J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) goes to the Congress asking for financial support to the agency and assigns the Agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) responsible for Chicago area. Melvin does not succeed using technology to hunt Dillinger, so Hoover orders the use of abusive means of interrogation and the agents use torture, intimidation and blackmail to achieve their purpose. Meanwhile Dillinger falls in love for Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard) and Melvin and his men stakes her out trying to catch the outlaw.
I had great expectations with "Public Enemies" and I am quite disappointing with this gangster movie. Johnny Depp is excellent as usual in the role of John Dillinger while Christian Bale is unrecognizable and has a wooden performance in the role of Agent Melvin Purvis. The FBI agents are brutal and abusive in a period without human rights and the characters are shallow and poorly developed; this complete inversion of values is the greatest problem of this movie and my wife and I were cheering for the romantic criminal in the end. The action scenes, with shootouts and car races, are excellent and it is not a surprise since it is a trademark of the director Michael Mann. The cinematography with the reconstitution of the 30's is also magnificent. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "Inimigos Públicos" ("Public Enemies")