another film cursed by the dreaded wobbly camera

Rating: 2/10 (2 July 2009)

What is Michael Mann's obsession with digital camera's in all there grainy glory? For me all it does is take me out of the film and remind me I'm in a dark room with a hundred strangers. It makes the film look amateurish and slapped together at a moment's notice. This has an effect on the sound depending on where the camera is some guns sounds like they'll blow a tree in half while others sound like firecrackers. The acting varies widely and while depp is fine as Dillinger the character's a bit one dimensional. The same could be said of bale character but for once he doesn't feel the need to growl his way through a film. The most interesting characters are the side ones J E Hoover, Depp's girlfriend and the Texas lawmen but none really get fleshed out there are area's there of great potential particularly for the Texas lawmen who get brought in half way through the film as the saviours of the investigation but no reason is given as to why there suited for the job, i've just got to take it on faith. As mentioned before though the biggest problem for me is the wobbly camera, so many film these days think that it's OK in action scenes to have things moving about so fast that you can't see what's going on, make the audience dizzy and they'll believe they've just seen an awesome action scene but the with no frame of reference to where the players are it's just a swirling mess. it's the same problem which effects the bourne films, greatest action scenes ever i hear you cry! oh behave I retort you wanna watch a great film about gangsters with action go watch heat and remember what Mann use to be like. in fact compare the shoot out scene in heat to the shoot out in the cabin from this film, there's no comparison. Michael Mann use to be a great director but he seems to have lot form completely. I thought Miami vice was terrible but it had a great trailer and likewise upon leaving the cinema last night Public Enemies had the same effect on me.