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Johnny Depp rides into action as John Dillinger in Michael Mann's underwhelming Public Enemies |
Director: Michael Mann
Cast: Johnny Depp (John Dillinger), Christian Bale (FBI
Special Agent Melvin Purvis), Marion Cotillard (Billie Frechette), Billy Crudup
(J Edgar Hoover), Stephen Dorff (Homar van Meter), Stephen Lang (Agent Charles
Winstead), Stephen Graham (Baby Face Nelson), Jason Clarke (Red Hamilton),
David Wenham (Harry Pierpont), Spencer Garrett (Tommy Carroll), Christian
Stolte (Charles Makley), Giovanni Ribisi (Alvin Karpis), Bill Camp (Frank
Nitti), Branka Katic (Anna Sage)
Michael Mann has an affinity for crime films. With Heat as one of his calling cards, Public Enemies is his attempt to do the
same in the classic prohibition and bank robbery era of the 1920s. The guys
going head-to-head this time? John
Dillinger (Johnny Depp), coolest robber there is, an icon of the criminal
classes, and Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) rigid and committed FBI agent. Public Enemies however fails to match Heat, falling part way between history
lesson and action thriller. Covering the last few years of Dillinger’s life,
and the rise of the FBI, it’s a cold, strangely uninvolving film mixed with a
few stand out action scenes where tommy guns go blazing.
One of the first things it impossible to miss about the film
is Mann’s decision to shoot the film using HD video cameras. The advantages of
this is it gives much of the film an immediacy and modern look that throws the
viewer into the middle of the action and makes this at times look and feel like
a piece of news reel footage rather than a period piece. The camera choice allows
Mann to put the camera right into the action, capturing every detail at a fast
pace. The film has the look at times of a genuine documentary, and removing the
richness of film also gives it the air of being caught on a phone, like some of
this was some sort of found footage. Or rather, a phone that has been handled
by a gifted cinematographer for perfect framing.
The downside of the choice of HD camera is that it makes the
film at times look rather like a behind-the-scenes DVD documentary, with its
untextured shadows and lack of lighting. Frankly at points it makes the film
look bizarrely a little bit dull in places, or unusually unprofessional.
Personally, I feel the benefits it gives in immediacy are cancelled out by
this. But that’s just me.
Away from Mann’s shooting style – and his usual high octane
skill of cutting and assembling action scenes – the film showpieces a strange
lack of insight into its characters or any real developments of their
hinterland. This is particularly so in the case of Purvis who never comes to
life either in the film’s staging of him, or in Bale’s firm jawed, muted
performance. When the final film caption throws up news of his later
resignation and years later possible suicide it doesn’t make you question
things you have seen in the film or feel like a logical progression: it just
doesn’t tally up at all.
The film does get some material out of how both sides play
the media game. Purvis is a reluctant but fairly skilled player. His boss J
Edgar Hoover (rather well played by Billy Crudup in one of the films best
performances) is obsessed with spinning the nascent FBI to the media – half his
scenes are bookended by press conferences – and his primary motivation is to
exhibit himself to the media as the only logical choice for leading the FBI and
the essentialness that it gains the powers it needs. Similarly, Dillinger and
his fellow criminals delight in their media profile and do their damnedest to
build up images of themselves as Robin Hoods (without the giving to the poor of
course).
This is captured in Johnny Depp’s charismatic performance as
Dillinger, a brooding, intense figure who would like to see himself as a sort
of poet of the underworld. Dillinger talks about the banks money being their
only interest and is frequently charming with an edge with regular people. He
prefers bloodless robberies as they are cleaner and demonstrates a genuine
sense of romantic openness with his girlfriend Billie. However, he is no angel.
While he does not use violence as a first resort, he has no hesitation about
using it as a second and will happily put bystanders at risk and rough up bank
staff to get what he wants. He talks of escaping, but it’s clear that the game
is an addiction for him and the danger is enjoyable – he takes an illicit
thrill at one point of sitting in a cinema while his mugshot appears on the
screen, wondering if anyone will dare spot him.
Depp’s performance is the finest thing in the film, a subtle
and intelligent tightrope walk that teases depths that are perhaps not there,
and suggests sympathies and agendas he perhaps does not have. While the
character remains unknowable, you sense a great complexity and conflict there
somewhere. He’s helped by being given a great actress like Marion Cottilard to
play off, who makes Billie much more than just a gangster’s moll.
There is potential in the film, but it never really comes to
life. For all the exciting shoot outs and drama, none of its characters are
engaging or really interesting. The rest of the supporting cast feel like
pieces to be moved around the board – many disappear with no real trace – and
their fates pre-ordained by the demands of the plot. It makes for a rather flat
experience, full of style, but never making you invest in it.
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