PUBLIC ENEMIES - "Locked & loaded but misses the target"

Rating: 6/10 (14 March 2010)

If you loved the preview for Public Enemies, then you won't be disappointed, as it fundamentally a two and a half hour preview.
The movie is essentially a brief biopic of John Dillinger, famous outlaw of the depression era, and the cop who pursued him, Melvin Purvis. This is the information you go into the theatre with and that's about all you leave with. The movie stumbles from scene to scene, with no coherent connection between events and characters, I was constantly left wondering who people were and why something had just happened.
Despite the above criticism, Public Enemies is not a bad movie/preview and it ticks all the boxes needed to make a great movie/preview ; A-List actors – CHECK, Big Budget – CHECK, Accomplished Director – CHECK, Famous Historical Figure – CHECK, Love Story – CHECK, Big Action Scenes – CHECK, Batman & Willy Wonka II – CHECK. The list goes on and it is an entertaining, if unsatisfying viewing experience.
So why wasn't this movie awesome, well if you know nothing about any of the characters it is unlikely you will care what happens to them. Amidst all the jail breaks, bank robberies, and strangely edited love scenes it seems as though there is no time for character development, a few quips from Depp and screams from Bale is about all you get to flesh out the characters. Was the audience supposed to automatically relate to the characters based on the actors resume? I would liken Dillinger to a combination of Don Juan & Donnie Brasco, where Purvis was basically a deep southern version of Batman minus cape & Batmobile. I'd love to mention other characters but they were to unmemorable, pretty boy something?
On the Fruit-Meter, Public Enemies get the "WATERMELON" - Big, Bold, and Flashy, goes down smooth, but once you've finished eating you realise there wasn't much substance to it.
MART-FLIX PUN-FUN - Tommy-guns and big action can't "bale" out movie which suffers from lack of "deppth"...terrible