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Created Jul 07, 2009 09:25AM PST • Edited May 27, 2010 10:08PM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Really Great 4.5

   Bale vs Depp! This had all of the potential to be one of the top crime dramas of the past few decades but unfortunately took the backseat due to too much modern filmmaking techniques.

   Public Enemies starts off in 1933 as we see John H. Dillinger busting some of his running buddies out of the slammer. The action was fantastic, the gun fights were intense, but I found myself lost after the action stopped. Who the hell were all of these people? Hardly any names were spoken and most of them disappeared soon after. It wasn’t just this scene in the beginning either….it was throughout the entire movie. Many characters, interesting or boring (which there were hardly any), went unannounced yet took up 20-30 minutes of screen time. I want names! I’d like to at least know who I’m watching. Aside from this problem and a few factual errors, I choose Public Enemies to be my favorite of the summer of 2009….for now.

   Being able to see Johnny Depp and Christian Bale go head to head was pretty exhilrating for me. The first scene in which the two meet when Dillinger is in jail is one of the highlights of the film IMO. Once I saw Bale walk into the room I said to myself “Oh shit, here we go”. Even though Depp lead the conversation, almost entirely, Bale’s smug look really helped tell his side of the interaction. He didn’t need to say anything because his man was put away….for the time being. While Depp “outgunned” Bale as far as acting in the movie, Bale was still enjoyable to watch. Only problem I really had with Bale was his voice…..again.

4. Acting

   Great 4.0

   It was great to not see Christian Bale howling and growling as seen prior in the Dark Knight and Terminator Salvation, but his “Southern accent” was a little too forced according to my ears. His lines were delivered nicely in usual Bale fashion, but the accent really hurt his performance. It was like Keanu Reeves and Wynona Ryder’s accents in Bram Stoker’s Dracula….it really hurts the film in the long run.

   John Dillinger, the man, was one of the most suave gentleman ever….but he was also a bloodthirsty criminal. He robbed banks and killed policemen yet was seen as a hero through the public’s eyes. Johnny Depp hit it PERFECTLY! In all of his roles I’ve seen him in thus far, Dillinger is one of my favorites. It was nice to finally see him without pirate duds, a purple coat with a creepy complexion, or a wicked fro and straight edge razors. He was cool, like Marlon Brando (in his hey days) cool. Public Enemies wasn’t the perfect crime drama, but Depp’s Dillinger should be a role recognized and idolized for years to come. Depp didn’t make the character, John Dillinger, his own….Dillinger made Depp his own. Even though he shot cops, associated with scantilly clad ladies, and robbed banks, you couldn’t help but find yourself rooting for him for at least a little bit.

   The rest of the cast all put in average to great performances. Most notably, Stephen Graham’s “Baby Face Nelson” was one of my favorite performances. He had the loose cannon attitude and that unpredictable personality that made the real Baby Face a public enemy. Graham, who some of you may know from his performance along Jason Statham in 2001’s Snatch, didn’t have much screen time in this but he certainly made his presence known and you knew who he was supposed to be right away.

5. Male Stars Great 4.0

6. Female Stars Great 4.0

7. Female Costars Great 4.0

8. Male Costars Great 4.0

10. Film

    Great 4.0

    Everything about this film was fantastic. The 1930s were displayed appropriately but was seen through a more present day eye. The dialogue was good and seemed true to the times as were the weapons, cars, and other obvious items. However, the way the film was acutally shot didn’t give it the feel it needed. While the biggest problem I had with Public Enemies was the lack of announced characters, the overall look of the movie is my other qualm. It seemed too “today”. The cinematography seemed to rather tell us this action packed film instead of the events of a real life man. The close and twitchy camera shots (which seems to be the new fad) really fouled up a lot of scenes. Especially the car chase at the Little Bohemian. Once the gangsters exited their car and are gunned down, I swore Dillinger was in that crowd because there was a guy wearing the exact same outfit and looked like he had the same wound on his arm. Turns out it was someone else, but we never even know WHO! If the director would have done more establishing than action, I think it would’ve taken Public Enemies to the next level. Instead of being up on the same pedastool as The Godfather or Goodfellas, Public Enemies will have to reside next films such as Bugsy and The Untouchables. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though.

11. Direction Great 4.0

12. Play Great 4.0

13. Music Great 4.0

14. Visuals Great 4.0
15. Content

16. Edge

    Risqué 2.4

    The gun fights are some of the best I’ve seen in a very long time. It was great to see cops and robbers shooting it out without people jumping over buildings, doing somersaults and making bullets “curve”. The gunshot wounds all looked very good and pretty realistic, especially in the end. While the blood could have poured much more, the movie decided to keep the attention on the fast-paced action. There is one sex scene and it is relatively harmless, even to a child’s eyes.

17. Sex Titillating 1.6

18. Violence Brutal 3.0

19. Rudeness Salty 2.5

21. Reality

    Natural 1.0

    While the facutal errors are plentiful in Public Enemies, the movie still captures the essence of what and who John Dillinger was. When you see any of these “biography” type films based on real people and real events, there’s always going to be changes and tweaks to the people involved and the events that took place. Overall, the movie touched base with the majority of the facts and only altered the others in order to bring forth a movie that wasn’t 6 hours long. In conclusion, Johnny Depp and Michael Mann did a terrific job bringing John H. Dillinger back to film since 1995’s Dillinger and Capone, and if you want a great film to check out, go watch Public Enemies.

22. Circumstantial Natural 1.0

23. Biological Natural 1.0

24. Physical Natural 1.0