This is the perfect (most recent) example of a film not reaching its full potential. This film had everything going for it: a great lead actor, a great director, and terrific action scenes. So why did I come out of this film feeling satisfied yet disappointed? The problem with this film is that I (I’ll admit it) assumed that Johnny Depp would give an Oscar-caliber performance. But what was happened was that I came out of “Public Enemies”, and I said something that I never thought I would say after watching this movie.
“I liked Christian Bale’s performance a whole lot more than Johnny Depp’s.”
It’s painful to say, but it’s the truth.
“Public Enemies” begins with John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) and another gang member busting the other members of their gang from a prison in Indiana. Meanwhile somewhere else, Agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) manages to hunt down and kill Pretty Boy Floyd, a notorious bank robber and killer. With that act, Purvis is promoted by J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) to lead a special team of agents that is tasked with hunting down John Dillinger and other public enemies.
Now for those who know me, I praise Johnny Depp. I think he is one of the most gifted actors to ever reach the big screen, and I believe he can do anything and not screw it up. He’s played a pirate, a singing serial killer, a chocolate wizard, and now he plays John Dillinger. I can’t put my finger on it but there was something about Depp’s performance that I did not like for the first half of the film. I thought he was very bland, and just wasn’t that much fun to watch for an hour or so. There is a certain unique thing that Johnny Depp brings to all of his roles, but he just didn’t bring it for this film. But I will say that by the second act, his performance turned from boring to great. I really, really liked this guy during the second half of the film and I found him to be a very charming character. Plus, he has great chemistry with Marion Cotillard, who gives an absolutely astounding performance as Dillinger’s sweet but naïve girlfriend.
Then there’s Christian Bale, who I found to be spell-binding the whole duration of the film, something Johnny Depp failed to do. There are many people that I know that consider Christian Bale to be very overrated and say he brings no emotion to the film. Here, he plays the role of that lone lawman with quiet, yet fierce intensity. Every second of the film, Christian Bale looks like he could completely breakdown and turn into that whiny cop, but he keeps his cool the entire movie and it’s fascinating to watch him. He saved me from being completely bored during the first half of the film. Some might think I might be going too far by saying this, but I believe Christian Bale should get a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination come February.
Michael Mann KNOWS how to direct action, and he does it better than ever in this film. From the bloody gunshot wounds to the ear-piercing sound of firing tommy guns, Mann creates some truly incredible action scenes that are some of the best I have seen all year. He also is a master at creating realistic violence. When someone gets shot, the bloody chunks fly out and blood oozes onto the floor (well, now you know why it’s rated R).
I also want to give special attention to Billy Crudup’s performance as J. Edgar Hoover, which is a fine performance. He’s on the screen for a very short time, but he is very convincing and a thrill to watch.
Public Enemies has some very realistic and bloody violence. When characters are shot, blood spurts out and, sometimes, covers part of the screen.
Overall, “Public Enemies” fails to reach its status as a legendary crime film. It’s a good movie, but I wished it had been better. I might see it one more time, but then I will never see it again. B
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