Instantly Forgettable Gangster-Cop Drama

Rating: 1/10 (5 July 2009)

Thanks to the Kindergarten direction of Michael Mann, his weak script, and the willfully awful camera work; Public Enemies doesn't amount to anything like a good movie. Mann had two of today's best actors, Johnny Depp and Christian Bale; but each is wasted on too-little-character and too much cutsie-wootsie. Also, the filmmakers forgot entirely that Dillinger was a multi-murderer and hero only to the mentally disturbed -- the kinds of folks now sobbing over the recent death of pedophile-freak, Michael Jackson.
Compare this pitiful mess to 1932's "Public Enemy" from which the title was ripped-off. The 1932 film, still a classic after 76 years, has the authentic feel of the gangster era, believable people, downright good acting, and the solid direction of William A. Wellman. The 1932 movie had raw-edged guts, the new film just looks like dress-up.
Johnny Depp falls far short of Lawrence Tierney's portrayal of Dillinger in original movie.
There are simply dozens of excellent gangster movies -- films that will be remembered long after Public Enemies is forgotten. So OK, you say it's a cop movie, not a gangster picture. Well, Michael Mann is no match for Desi Arnaz either. Desi gave us "The Untouchables" the ultimate crime-fighter TV series.