"the worst crime in the film is that I just didn't care"

Rating: 5/10 (18 August 2010)

The newest Michael Mann film to date so it should be good right? Well no.
The good points first.
There is a level of quality to a Michael Mann film, a look, that lets you know you are watching a Michael Mann film. This is present in Public Enemies.
A story created around two central male figures and their place in their world is also inevitably here.
But this is also where Public Enemies shows its failings.
We have the characters place in the world but it isn't a world we care about. Their goals don't draw you in and in the case of the character of Dillinger his goal isn't clear. He cares for a woman but you're left wondering why? as we are given such a brief introduction to her. This is not to say the actors, with the exception of Bale, are not in acceptable form just that they aren't given enough to work with and consequently you don't really care.
Bale is perhaps giving his worst performance to date, fewer roles might see us getting a higher standard from Bale but this has to be his worst, with an accent that almost draws a giggle and a performance that isn't believable.
Superficially Public Enemies looks and sounds good. Everything is in place for a good film and yet it doesn't work. Sometimes a film no matter what the ingredients is just kind of boring. At times I wasn't sure who had died but the worst crime in the film is that I just didn't care.