The John Dillinger Story

Rating: 8/10 (13 August 2017)

The American Depression-era gangsters seemed larger than life, often had colourful names and through their exploits, became a huge source of fascination for both the press and the population at large. Inevitably, the movie industry was quick to cater for the public's appetite for films about these characters and over the decades since the 1930s, the appeal of such movies has remained remarkably strong.
Michael Mann's "Public Enemies" distinguishes itself from most of the gangster movies of the past by putting the emphasis firmly on realism and authenticity rather than thrills and excitement and the result is a crime drama that's presented in a more serious, detached and unglamorous style than most moviegoers might expect. Its main focus is on the period during 1933-34 in which the notorious bank robber, John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) was being pursued by an extremely determined FBI Agent called Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) and the differences between the charismatic criminal and the grim lawman could hardly have been more pronounced.
After having been released on parole from an Indiana prison, Dillinger promptly leads his gang in a daring prison escape before embarking on a series of profitable bank heists. One night, at a Chicago nightclub, he's instantly attracted to a hat-check girl called Billie Frenchette (Marion Cotillard) and despite a tentative start to their relationship during which she's unsure what to make of him, Billie gradually warms to Dillinger's very direct style of courtship.
J Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup), the young director of the organisation which would soon become the FBI, makes Dillinger the country's first "Public Enemy No 1" and assigns Agent Melvin Purvis to the task of bringing the gangster's crime spree to a rapid end. Having recently gunned down Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum), Purvis is put in charge of the Bureau's Chicago office where he sets about his mission with some enthusiasm. He's a firm believer in the use of the newer, more scientific methods of crime fighting (e.g. phone tapping etc.) and uses these in his pursuit of Dillinger. He soon discovers however, that these measures alone won't be sufficient to enable him to catch his prey and so has to arrange for some more experienced Arizona lawmen to be brought in to augment his team.
Despite this, Dillinger continues to cleverly outwit his pursuers until, through the use of some pretty unsavoury methods, Purvis is eventually able to achieve his goal.
"Public Enemies" has an almost documentary style with frequent use being made of the real locations where the events actually took place and the Depression era being recreated in a way that's both beautiful and convincing. The action is presented in a very well thought out order that contributes greatly to the smooth and logical progress of the story and it's also particularly successful in showing how the manhunt for Dillinger became so important to the development of the FBI as a national entity.
Johnny Depp does a marvellous job of portraying Dillinger's unusual combination of charm, ruthlessness and confidence in a very well balanced performance that captures the very essence of what made Dillinger such a popular figure with the public of his day. Christian Bale shows the cold tenacity that made Purvis so strongly focused and Marion Cotillard is extraordinarily good as the beautiful woman who was made to suffer greatly for falling in love with Dillinger.