Enoyable film but just not there...

Rating: 8/10 (4 July 2009)

Public Enemies is a tremendously interesting film, holding your attention for the 140 minutes. In fact, when it ended, I was quite surprised... I expected at least another 30 minutes. It is likely that this is due to the script & character problems with the movie (I'll discuss this later).
Each scene is very captivating. The movie draws you in and keeps you invested, mostly because John Dillinger is such an interesting man. Every time he is on screen we desire to know what he will say, and how he will react. Johnny Depp (unsurprisingly) fits the role perfectly, and plays it perfectly too.
(SPOILERS BEGIN) But alas, he only has so much to work with; the same goes for Christian Bale. I believe it is because of their characters that we do not feel as satisfied as we could. It would have been much better to, perhaps, follow John as he begins his bank robbing, and then continue through his arc to the end. As it stands now, we just watch him rob banks, love a woman, and die. Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) has the same sort of issue: he tries to catch John, argues with his boss a bit, has some conflict with his own doofus men, and then they finally get John.
The love between Billie (Marion Cotillard) and Johnny has its believable parts, and its unbelievable parts. He is captivated by her and pursues her. This is love... this makes sense. She, naturally, is a bit defensive, but does indeed fall for him. A great scene is where he just outright says to her (moments after meeting) that he robs banks and that he is John Dillinger. She's captivated and so begins their love story. The problem I had was how "easy" she was. Several times where conflict emerged between them, John would say a few convincing lines, and almost instantly she'd be swayed back to liking him. The love aspect of this movie could have been much more powerful if it had been more fully formed.
So many scenes are so amazing, and some lines are so good... if the script was just a bit better this film could have been truly amazing. The ending could have had a much greater impact (where John sends his last message to his lover, Billie).
As for the digital HD thing... it immerses you. The battle scenes were very exciting... very real. Personally though, I much prefer the look of film. HD/digital that isn't made to look like film (as in the case here) instantly puts you into the "television show" mindset. I understand what they were trying to do, and it succeeded, but I just didn't prefer it.
Overall: An intense movie that you won't forget, but a lot of missed potential. I give it an 8, simply because it's intense and enjoyable.
P.S. The sets and locations were amazing... stunningly beautiful.