Offers Nothing New

Rating: 5/10 (3 July 2009)

Movies about cops and robbers are as old as movies themselves. We've seen hundreds of versions of bank robberies and yet somehow we're still drawn to the very nature of breaking the law. So in that sense, Public Enemies offers nothing new. It is as formulaic as movies get in this world of crime. Formulaic is not always bad – but movies require something new as well to keep me entertained.
Set in 1933 during the Depression, John Dillinger is Public Enemy #1 and we see him on many accounts robbing banks, escaping the seemingly useless lawmen, and murdering people who get in his way. Johnny Depp plays Dillinger the same way he plays Jack Sparrow (and many others) only without the make-up: he is an upbeat and likable bad guy. And in this one he somehow manages to be chewing gum throughout it all. He squares off against a countless number of ugly cops in suits, led by none other than Christian Bale. Bale doesn't add anything to the film. It is truly unfortunate that Mr. Bale hasn't really done much good lately; he seems to be dead weight in all of his recent films (Terminator Salvation comes to mind). In fact the last movie where I thought Bale was good was Rescue Dawn (2007). Billy Cudrup has a small role as J. Edgar Hoover, the head of this war on crime, but he doesn't do anything either, besides give us a good accent. And Marion Cotilliard, who recently won the Best Actress Oscar, has a very important role as Dillinger's girl. While she is good in scenes without Depp, she doesn't hold her own when she's with him. Giovanni Ribisi, David Wenham, Jason Clarke, and Stephen Graham (as Baby Face Nelson) round out this bloated cast. In terms of acting, this film isn't going to get any Oscar nominations.
Director Michael Mann is a master of crime movies. His movie Collateral is one of my all time favorites. Since Collateral, Mann has used Digital Video –the same thing I use, and not Film, to shoot all his movies, creating a look as if it is a movie made by a very good amateur. This was great in Collateral, adding some realism to the LA modern-day film, but does it work in a 1933 Crime movie? I think it's fine, but it doesn't add anything to it. And once more we see another director using the "Paul Greengrass Effect" – shooting the action sequences so close up and with hand-held cameras that we sometimes don't get what is going on. While I respect Mann for bringing something new to this period piece, I don't think it is justified, and I don't find it impressive.
There are two scenes that I really enjoyed – I loved the scene where Dillinger walks into the police department, and I loved the last scene of the film. Other than that, a large amount of the movie was predictable, too long, and most of all generic. The screenplay itself feels like it is stealing parts from other great ones – on a couple occasions I heard movie lines that were straight out of Bonnie and Clyde, which this film seems to rip off of in plot as well. Here's a movie with a dream cast and director, and yet still we get a mediocre picture. Public Enemies will not be remembered as one of the great heist films, and in fact, I don't think Public Enemies will really be remembered for anything at all. My Rating: 5/10