Good film. Another success for Mann; Depp is an amazing actor

Rating: 8/10 (11 July 2009)

Just saw this today; as I was pretty eager to see it. Michael Mann directing, and Johnny Depp, one of the great actors of today, in the leading role. The length didn't bother me, as I was engrossed in the film throughout. The acting all around I thought was very good, and there isn't enough I could say about Michael Mann's direction. Ever since Heat and The Insider, I've become a big fan of his; and he doesn't disappoint here. The HD shots are pretty amazing, and he wows us again with his mastery of shootout scenes.
Johnny Depp..boy has he grown on me the last few years. What a great talent he is; I can say with great confidence that he is one of the finest actors of our time. When I saw how much of a fan I was of his performance in the first Pirates of the Caribbean, (and that's saying a helluva lot), that made me realize just how talented he is; and boy does he give a great performance here. I couldn't see anyone else play this role with the same subtlety, confidence and sheer excellence as Depp. After seeing the poster for this film; with his sly grin holding the Tommy Gun, I just knew I was gonna be in for a treat seeing him in action, and he definitely didn't disappoint. He was just perfect in the role. Christian Bale was very good as well; more voice manipulation from him. He was very convincing and a good balance for Depp. Another great talent. The leading lady was very good as well; she has a innocent sexiness about her, and it worked very well. The film took a little while to really get going, but once it did, it was relentless. Another point on the shootout scenes; there's something about the way Mann does them that's just incredible. The lack of music, and the sheer deadliness of the sounds of the weapons make it seem so real.Mann executed them perfectly yet again.
The few reviews I read for Public Enemies before watching it for myself complained that they (the critics) didn't learn who John Dillinger really was. Well, I can live with that. This wasn't exactly painted as a biopic like, for example, Ali or Ray. Seeing Michael Mann's name attached to this made it obvious to me that it was gonna be a crime saga picture, a la Heat & Collateral. The sugar on top was that its the story of John Dillinger's last days as the infamous hardened criminal. For what the film WAS, I can appreciate it and enjoyed it. Its a snapshot in time of a person's life. Simple. It seems like the critics wanted more preaching, or to do deep into Dillinger's psyche and motives. My question is: because you DIDN'T get that makes Public Enemies a bad film? I totally disagree. Michael Mann is one of the best directors out there today, and has achieved success yet again with his latest offering. The fact that he didn't delve more into Dillinger's life, what made him who he was and what made him tick has not (and should not) have any negative impact on the work of art that he's given us. And that's exactly what it is.a work of art.