At times, intense and raw

Rating: 7/10 (18 October 2009)

John Dillinger is released from prison and orchestrates an escape for his fellow inmates. Together they descend on banks, robbing their way to the top and taking full advantage of the law...But times are changing and a government agency (which in time will become the FBI), is hot on their tail.
This is based on a real person, but I know 'Hollywood' likes to distort the truth to fit the 'story'.
Michael Mann has succeeded in the past with 'Heat', 'Collateral' (Which I consider as the greatest movie ever made) and 'Miami Vice', which are just as gritty as this...But I felt here he missed the mark as he concentrated on the 'love' aspect...
Johnny Depp provided a satisfactory performance as John Dillinger and Christian Bale gave, what I felt a cold, unmoving portrayal of a agent who vows to find a criminal...The supporting were equally good, giving the main two leads the support needed.
I loved the shoot-outs which were at times raw and intense, nothing but the sound of gun-fire, especially in the woods. And the devious escape plans and excellent timing.
The soundtrack added a bit of glamour to this at times 'dull' story...Giving it a lift, especially during the robberies...But the one thing I felt Mann could have done was focus on Dillingers early life...How he ended up inside...and how he learnt to pull off the robberies. The end is a little sad, but that's what happened to the real Dillinger and no matter how much we want him to live...He was a bank robber and unfortunately that's the end result; a great scene...