Watch It Only For Johnny Depp

Rating: Null/10 (15 October 2013)

A missed opportunity of sorts, Public Enemies begins strongly but it slows down in the middle and then is never able to catch up or reignite the level of interest that was present earlier in the movie. Made at the time when Johnny Depp was still one of Hollywood's finest & most bankable stars, it's a well-conceived project that was poorly executed in the end.
Set during the Great Depression, the story of Public Enemies chronicles the last years of notorious bank robber John Dillinger & his associates, who flourished during a booming crime wave in 1930s Chicago. The plot covers their numerous heists while also focusing on Dillinger's own personal life as they are being pursued by an agent of FBI, which was still in its early years.
Co-written & directed by Michael Mann (best known for Heat), Public Enemies recreates the early 1930 era in fine detail and employs the right props & setting to add more authenticity to its overall surroundings. The film opens on an impressive note but the process of juggling different subplots needed a bit more refinement in the script to provide a more compact structure to the narrative.
Technical aspects are always on the plus side in a Michael Mann film and Public Enemies isn't any different. There is an incredible amount of detail in every image, which look very crisp by the way, but the pacing issues really hurt it down the line, and improper editing, which allows few moments to run longer than necessary, doesn't help either. The background score works fine but it sure isn't memorable.
Coming to the acting department, Public Enemies features a marvellous ensemble in Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup, Stephen Lang & others, with Depp stealing the show. Outshining everyone with his compelling input & charismatic screen presence, Depp decimates all as John Dillinger and is nicely supported by Cotillard, Crudup & Lang while Bale contributes with a surprisingly wooden performance.
On an overall scale, Public Enemies has flashes of brilliance but they are few & far in between. Its 140 minutes runtime feels longer than it should, and it falls pretty short of expectations when it's all over. Capturing its era in a detailed fashion, helmed by an esteemed auteur, and blessed with a stellar cast, it really is a shame because Public Enemies had the ingredients to finish as one of the better crime dramas but instead, it ends up being a forgettable example of its genre. Watch it only for Johnny Depp's outstanding showcase.