Acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann directs Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Oscar winner Marion Cotillard in the story of Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger: the charismatic bank robber who was relentlessly pursued by renowned FBI agent Melvin Purvis in a legendary game of cat-and-mouse.
Play.com ReviewCollateral helmer Michael Mann has consistently blurred the line between commercial and arthouse cinema with films such as
The Insider. In tackling Bryan Burrough's non-fiction book,
Public Enemies: The True Story of America's Greatest Crime Wave, he has created one of the most challenging and engrossing big budget movies of 2009. A film which sits very comfortably in Mann's oeuvre,
Public Enemies revisits several of his cinematic preoccupations, none more so than his obsession with the fine grey line between crime fighter and criminal.
John Dillinger's story is a fascinating one, ingrained in the history of Depression-era America and the technological revolution that changed lives overnight. The famous gangster has also been depicted in a number of other movies such as Max Nosseck's
Dillinger (1945) and John Milius' 1973 version starring Warren Oates. However, Mann's take is an all-together more ambitious attempt to depict the legend, eschewing myth building in favour of realism and meticulous detail. Filmed by
LA Confidential cinematographer and frequent collaborator Dante Spinotti in high-definition digital, the movie captures everything in crystal-clear clarity. This technical bravado is rooted in both the past and the present and makes for a particularly unique viewing experience.
If the film rejects glamorisation, it can't help but fall for the charms of John Depp (
Sweeney Todd) as Dillinger. Depp plays Dillinger as a man driven by money and celebrity, constantly on the edge of good and evil. Meanwhile, Christian Bale (
Terminator Salvation) tackles FBI machine Melvin Purvis with steely determination, a man born into wealth but consumed by his obsession to hunt down his prey, mirroring Bale's infamous dedication to his craft. The setup is reminiscent of Mann's
Heat, but it's the introduction of Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard (
La Vie En Rose) as Billie Frechett that opens up the picture. As much a love story as it is a gangster pic, you'll be hard pressed to take your eyes of the smouldering scenes between Cotillard and Johnny as the doomed lovers. Other notable performances come courtesy of Channing Tatum (
Fighting), Giovanni Ribisi (
Avatar) and
Manhunter's Stephen Lang.
Weaving storylines, cityscapes and brutal violence,
Public Enemies batters the conventional biopic into the ground and finishes it off with a few rounds from a tommy gun. An alternative to the summer blockbusters, this is a brilliantly constructed, superbly acted thriller with feeling, not short of the inspired action set pieces Mann is renowned for. Bearing up to multiple viewings, we'd strongly recommend that you check out this superior piece of filmmaking and pay your respects to one of the only auteurs working in the American movie industry.