Formulaic, Hollywood gangster movie

Rating: 5/10 (29 February 2012)

When I think about the gangster flicks during the height of the film noir movement, I remember how even the most insignificant gang member was given some form of development that makes them stick out. Sure, in lesser films these little instances of development were usually bogged down with clichés such as "the violent one", "the nice one", "the guy who likes guns", and so on, but it worked, it helped me care about people I would find repulsive in real life. "Public Enemies" doesn't attempt that at all. I found myself becoming confused as to who was who in the film among the various criminals. Dillinger's gang seemed like a mish mash of random bodies to be shot (even his close "friend" Red) and the other gangsters seemed like equally blank stand ins who exist solely to die in ways that beg us to care.
What's even more unforgivable is how unfocused the story of Dillinger himself feels as the movie progresses. The film seems to jump from event to event with no logic or reason. Maybe his development is happening between the scenes? By the climax of the film when he's reduced to a desperate man I started thinking about how powerful such circumstances would have been had we been watching a movie that actually knew where it was going and had a point. This is the movie's biggest downfall and one that ultimately killed it for me. Mann is presenting us Dillinger as is, with no explanation or reason, just slapping him up on the screen as if we are watching a documentary. Maybe some will be pleased with this choice, but for me, it makes for a poor movie and an ever poorer drama. If I don't care for a character, a movie fails, and if a character isn't being developed properly along with a story, I simply cannot care.
Unfortunately, the camera work did little to improve the clarity of the film. Mann chose to shoot pretty much every scene hand-held, which began to make me feel sick about ten minutes in. This choice throws any chance for beautiful shots and montages right out the window, leaving room for an ugly and unpleasant experience that is all too familiar with a style that should have died out years ago. Hand-held is fine for certain scenes, but it is not something that lends itself well to an entire film. Combined with the who is who nature of the characters, the films cinematography made it almost impossible for me to decipher what the hell was going on.
Which is a pity, as there are some damn fine performances in the film. Depp was unsurprisingly good, if quite reserved as Dillinger, and Bale pulled off a admirable job as his nemesis. The best of the lot was easily Cotillard as Billie, a performance that actually made the film seem better than it actually was (such an achievement is usually Depp's doing). She was beautiful and believable, her characterization almost made me care about the relationship between her character and Dillingeralmost.