Incomprehensible and nearly unwatchable

Rating: 1/10 (25 June 2009)

I like Michael Mann's work -- the man is a true talent...which makes it all the more incomprehensible that he could create such a baffling piece of cinema. I saw the film at a preview in NYC a couple of nights ago and my brain still hurts trying to catalog all the places this film went so very wrong.
Ultimately, the film's problems emanate from the script which does little to illuminate the characters in any visceral way, save for a sliver of Dillinger. We, the audience, really don't know who anyone is or why we should care...until very late in the game but by then we are simply praying, fervently, for it to be over. I'm not saying we need to like Mr. Depp's character in any way; we simply long to understand him, or just enjoy his foibles. As laid out by Mr. Mann we never do, a maddening experience.
And why in sweet heaven's name is it called "Public Enemies"? We never, ever, focus on the the plural in that title; the other "enemies" are barely seen or known. If the film needed to be cut, virtually eliminating the other "enemies," then change the title to Public Enemy No 1. The title they went with has nothing to do with this movie.
Then there's the look of the film, muddy and indistinct. How is it possible to take a woman as lovely as Marion Cotillard and make her look anything less than beguiling? Mr. Mann's choice of lighting and camera lens gives the film an unnecessarily shadowy and grimy look -- and that keeps us at arm's length from the characters in a very frustrating way.
And why was the sound so muddled, rendering many lines difficult to hear? I don't think it was the theater we were in, an excellent UWS venue.
The story of Dillinger presents a wonderful chance to show the fascinating, historically accurate tension between the characters of Dillinger, J Edgar Hoover, Purvis against the backdrop of an American public who were "fans" of the outlaws. These perfectly juxtaposing circumstances are never exploited for us to enjoy.
Normally I'd RACE to see a film with Depp, Bale, Crudup, Cotillard -- I love them all. In this case, I raced FROM the theater...murmuring "why why why."