Lacks Character development

Rating: 5/10 (3 July 2009)

Public enemies had a lot of potential. It did a great job at setting the scene for the time period and the acting was very good as well. However, the plot was repetitive and did not do a good job at developing the character's or the motivation behind the characters.
John Dillinger had a lot of good qualities. He was loyal to his friends and loved ones. He wasn't a thief against people. He was against kidnapping or harming the common man. His issue was with the system that put him in jail for 5 years for a $30 theft.
His romantic connection was a bit forced and seemed underdeveloped to warrant the level of dedication and love that he and Billie had for one another.
In addition, the internal turmoil that Melvin Purvis felt for the seemingly unnecessary murders that occurred during his pursuit of John Dillinger bothered him. People were getting tortured, beaten, and murdered for the sake of justice. The people seeking justice became just as bad as the criminals. His struggle with this could have been further developed.
I really wanted more character development. It was just one chase scene, escape scene, or gun fight after another. It got to be redundant and those that I saw the movie with seemed bored.
I'm surprised this movie is so highly rated.