Forgettable, with a surprisingly weak performance by Depp

Rating: 5/10 (28 December 2010)

Watchable but unmemorable, the biggest problem with the movie is, surprisingly, the reason I watched it to begin with: Johnny Depp. While one gleans from the script that Dillinger was smart, charming, brutal and equipped with a strong sense of showmanship, Depp underplays the role, resulting in a Dillinger who is reasonably intelligent with a little flare. For someone who has portrayed so many quirky characters, it's surprising to see Depp so determined to make a famous gangster into someone who could as easily be a stockbroker. Dillinger turns out to be the least interesting thing in the movie.
More interesting is Christian Bale's intense performance as Purvis and the portrayal of the FBI changing the way criminals are pursued. In fact, had this movie focused on the search for Dillinger and the FBI's search for publicity and made the mobster himself a minor figure this would have made for a much more interesting movie.