Gangster films always showcase cocky goons who think that they are indestructible. Lo and behold, they find themselves against the wall. The key is how the film chronicles the downfall. ‘Public Enemies’ does not rise to the levels of ‘The Godfather’ trilogy or even ‘The Untouchables’ in its attempt to show the rise and fall of John Dillinger, one of
The plot revolves Dillinger as he makes a name for himself as a robber with a heart. He is ruthless with the cops and the bank managers but courteous with women and the average customer. He does not run out on his friends and believes that he is untouchable. He finds himself a girl whom he stays committed to. He is aided by a Federal law setup, where a criminal can commit a crime in one state and move across to another state and not be prosecuted.
A struggling FBI under the leadership of future President J Edgar Hoover appoints agent Melvin Purvis to hunt Dillinger down and makes him the head of the
Director Michael Mann uses several clichés to portray his characters and the film has nothing novel to offer. Barring a couple, most of the sequences are what you would come to expect from a typical cops chasing robbers film. Neither the screenplay nor the dialogue aid the characters in creating powerful and memorable moments.
Johnny Depp as Dillinger tries to be the arrogant bank robber but his performance does not live up to the expectations one would have of him. If he had been given more scope to showcase the dimensions of his character, he would have fared better. Marion Cotillard as his companion Billie Frechette shows some spunk in portraying a strong discerning woman who finds herself weakened by the love of Dillinger despite knowing that it is doomed. Christian Bale is wooden as Purvis. It does seem that he carries the same approach minus the shades to all his roles, be it Batman, Terminator’s John Connor or Purvis. A stronger actor could have been cast.
Gangster films usually focus on the downfall of the protagonist like in ‘The Godfather’ or ‘Scarface’ or on the anatomy of a chase like in ‘The Untouchables’. ‘Public Enemies’ tries to do both and ends up delivering less than what it could have if it had focused on one dimension. It is worth a watch if you are a Johnny Depp fan, but ends up as a confused film.