Nothing much

Rating: 3/10 (23 January 2010)

In the last few minutes there are a few minor things not in the other better and much shorter Dillinger films made. Minor meaning for instance that the famous woman in red was wearing a different color. Does that make it worth the 2 hours you have to spend to get to that moment? No. These tiny new things don't affect the basic story that's been done better almost every single time it's been done before in various formats.
Attempts to make Dillinger into some kind of true love story aren't convincing and slow the story down.
Though many names are dropped of other gangster pals in the film none are explained in a way that will make any sense to someone who isn't a big Gangster buff already. The whole thing feels like a cliffnotes version of a story that then you take the test and find out all the questions on the test aren't in your cliffnotes that you wasted time reading.
There are many but not no exciting shoot outs in this film and in between not much that tells you anything deeper about Purvis or Dillinger other than the failed attempt to make Dillinger out as a one woman man--which by the end it's clear he isn't.
Recreations of some of the scenes at the real locations again may be fun for the buff, but recreation is a good word it all feels passionless and dry. The shooting on HD and the style of the audio even seems dank thin and slip shod. Perhaps an attempt to have some documentary energy to the film. It has none, the HD is murky frequently you can't see into the actors eyes and most of the night and action footage looks like home movie material. Very little music and then rather ponderous music where you don't need it. Director of photography has worked with Mann before but seems to have no sense of how to make HD look good. If you ever wonder what THE GODFATHER would look like shot on HD here it is and it's a contrasty unforgiving look with some green tones and total blackness and blown out video look coming and going. HD, this time, is not up the the job for this high contrasty look.
Depp doesn't make much of an impression, Bale comes off better but he's not even in the film for the long mounts of time that are spent on the non love story aspects. It sort of seems that Purvis story would have been more interesting, or at least more of him to balance out the story.
Not as ugly look visually that Miami Vice had in director Mann's hands but this is a way long shallow slog and frankly pretty dull movie. Really poorly editing and oddly shot; it's a mix of hand held and locked down shots that don't justify either use or cut together well.
Warren Oates starring version remains the best by far.