Drab, dreary, dismal but a cure for insomnia.

Rating: 6/10 (1 July 2009)

I will concede that Michael Mann is a topnotch director, but his latest endeavor simply doesn't cut it.
Public Enemies comes across as a low budget bust. Considering the funding, top notch leads and well known supporting cast I expected much more.
The biggest problem is the sound quality and many times lack of it. During dialog scenes, it sounds like the filming is taking place in a soundproof booth, much like a soap opera without any background noise at all. During shootouts the machine guns sound like cap pistols, which really detracts from the realism. The action is so poorly choreographed that sometimes it's hard to follow the sequence of events.
Obviously Mann was trying for an intense drama and not an shoot 'em up. However for all the weapons to emit exactly the same sound makes one wonder where the sound effects techs got their training.
While watching, I fondly recalled John Milius' "Dillinger", with it's superb action scenes, realistic gun battles and first rate effects in spite of it's low budget. With Milius at least a BAR sounded like a BAR and not a cap gun.
Character development was bizarre to say the least. The FBI was portrayed as nonthinking brutes while the gangsters were all the philosophical type??? Way too much time was devoted to Dillinger waxing nostalgic about his childhood. If you want an action packed, guns blazing shoot 'em up which is even more historically accurate, rent "Dillinger".