Extraordinary entertainment, but don't expect historical accuracy.

Rating: 8/10 (20 July 2009)

If there's one thing I'm sick of, it's unwarranted hatred of the US. and it's art. But for once, I have to agree with the country's detractors overseas; for there is one accusation they often level at American cinema that is entirely true; and that is the American media's torrid, passionate, on & off love affair with Crime and the People who Commit It.
It's true. We turn our criminals into celebrities, and our lawmen likewise. The film I am now reviewing 'Public Enemies' is just one in a long line of films focusing on the lives of criminals, and I suspect, is going to be one of the most hotly debated in years to come.
A common accusation that is made against this film is that it glorifies crime; but surprisingly, that is only half-true. Yes, it is clear that the criminals are the 'heroes' of the story, and that our sympathies should lie with them. This is apparent in the very first scene; when the camera zeros in on prison inmates marching solemnly like men in a concentration camp, with very gestapo like guards standing around menacingly. It could easily be a scene from a Holocaust flick. The subsequent escape is certainly made out to be thrilling, heroic and to look ingenious in it's execution.
Yet, the film doesn't make the actual ROBBERIES of protagonist John Dillinger(Johnny Depp) out to be heroic, they are not stylized, and a scene where Dillinger threatens a clerk with ending up either a 'Live coward or a Dead hero' if he does not withdraw the money from a vault could just as easily be taken from a film where Dillinger was portrayed as the villain. So, to put it mildly, the film may glamorize criminals, but it does not do the same for their crimes. And thankfully, it doesn't make the police hunting Dillinger any more sympathetic. That approach is a sign that the film has one thing, guts: Criminals or Law Enforcers; the film emphasizes that both 'jobs' are a brutal and bloody business, this comes out best in a comparison between the ruthless George 'Baby Face' Nelson, and a brutal officer who beats Dillinger's woman.
As a film itself, the film makes up for it's historical inaccuracy(which still is enough to make me detract 2 stars since this is based off of real occurrences where real people died)by being easily the most entertaining film in years. Now I may have seen the film with only two men in the audience(One of them an apparent Bum who also shows up in my 'Delgo' review), but we all thoroughly, visibly enjoyed it. The film doesn't rely on any crap like sepia tones to make the film look 'old', and most of the performances are great. It goes without saying that Depp gives the best performance in the film, but I'd also like to point out that it's easily his best performance in years. Dillinger has to be the most likable criminal in a film I've seen since the days of Cagney.
The most controversial performance, however, is from Christian Bale as Melvin Purviss. For as much flack as Bale takes; he gives what could be the most meticulously crafted performance of his career when Purviss could have been a pale imitation of Bruce Wayne. He genuinely is so convincing that I did not see Bale in the role at all; I saw Purviss. His performance is the embodiment of brilliant understatement. He successfully imitates every aspect of Purviss from existing footage so well that Purviss's FAMILY has even praised him for the role(Which should be the final word on the performance, period.). His imitation of Purviss's faltering, stilted accent may not seem as entertaining as Depp's velvet voice, but it is a PERFORMANCE, no question. And the limited screen time he and Depp have together, is nothing short of electric. I mentioned how everyone in the theater made their enjoyment clear, but everyone was in dead silence during the brief confrontation. Such a pity they did not have more screen time. Those small scenes have me convinced that Depp is the only choice for playing the Joker in a future Batman film. The ability for a scene to have such power with such little dialog just demands it. And as with all great performances of lawmen who are the antagonists in a film with criminal heroes(Tommy Lee Jones in 'the Fugitive', Patrick Allen in 'Captain Clegg'), one would not mind seeing him as the protagonist in his own film.
All of the other actors range from good to decent, and are all convincing, and even if much of the dialog delivery is bad, it's delivered with force, which shows that at least everyone involved TRIED, and that's more than I can say for a lot of films these days.
So disregard the historical inaccuracy, bad reviews, and go and enjoy a highly entertaining, if flawed film. It's certainly the best crime epic in recent years.~