Depp's shootout

Rating: Null/10 (11 December 2009)

Johnny Depp is very capable in the role of John Dillinger. He's a great actor, but besides Depp and a fine supporting role by Bale, there's not all that much which is great about the acting in this movie. The movie feels very conventional to me. It's good but it's never special. This is not to say the movie doesn't have good point. The set pieces are all very top notch as well. This is a very good movie to look at, everything looks authentic 1930s.
But there have been movies like this before, movies about convicts on the loose with lots of firepower and a hatred of the police, Bonnie & Clyde is one excellent movie about this topic. It's similarly based on a true story although there is a lot of artistic license being used.
I never felt that kind of excitement in Public Enemies. There's lots of shooting but that seems to have taken the precedent over any character development.
I would have liked to get to know Christian Bale's character more as well as some of the other officers in the then newly created FBI trying to catch Dillinger. Dillinger's comrades also seem to get a once over.
Depp is good as always and it's nice to see him in a different kind of role for him (something outside of a Tim Burton film) but the story felt like it could have been a lot better. We've all seen shootouts captured on screen before but this movie should have been more about the characters than their actions.