It
is the story of the last few months in the life of notorious bank
robber and US public enemy number one John Dillinger (Johnny Depp), and
last time anyone checked they weren't big on video cameras back in
1933.
Once you get past the jarring nature of
traditional gangster hijinks (complete with men in fedoras firing tommy
guns from the running boards of speeding sedans) shot in hi-def video,
there is a whole lot to enjoy in Mann's latest crime epic.
Basically
it is yet another one of Mann's character studies where a hard-boiled
crime professional faces off against his law-enforcement doppelganger
(Christian Bale).
Though here the balance is slanted heavily towards the criminal side of life...
There
are some loose attempts to give Dillinger's final days some deeper
meaning here, mostly in the form of a passable love story grafted onto
his life and a subplot about how the rise of the professional mafia
turned flamboyant crims like Dillinger into a liability for everyone.
But lets face it - you are here for Depp (who is great) and the shoot outs (which are also great).
Public Enemies isn't
Michael Mann's best work: the character side of things feels a little
lightweight as we never really get under the skin of anyone involved,
and despite the two hour plus running time (which flies by) the whole
thing feels oddly superficial.
Then again, so did the
gangster films of the 1930s and this - while clearly an update in
technical terms, and a firmly modern film in many ways - is also very
much in that "run and gun" tradition.
Heat still remains Michael Mann's masterpiece, but a B+ from him is still A+ viewing. DVD Special Features
There are a few options here, with Public Enemies
available on single disc, 2 Disc Special Edition or Blu-ray. The
special features on offer vary pretty greatly, with selections as far
and wide as deleted scenes, audio commentary; featuresttes "Dillinger
vs Purvis / Depp vs Bale : Public Collaboration", "The Last of the
Legendary Outlaws", "Public Locations", "Overwhelming Firepower" and
"Fast Cars".
Conclusion:
Movie 70% Extras: 70%
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