Everyone is afraid of criminals. Yet there are few things as exciting as being in or near the thick of some serious criminal misdoings. That's why audiences love crime flicks. The escape to a world of no laws where anything goes. It's a fantasy that gets the heart racing and blood pumping.
Public Enemies is the semi-fictional tale of the crime wave during the Depression that saw John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, and Pretty Boy Floyd rise to criminal prominence. This also signaled the beginning of the FBI who were tasked with stopping them. Michael Mann is at his best. Think Heat meets the Untouchables. Yea, boom goes the dynamite. The gunfights are loud and tense. Which is a staple for all crime flicks. Mann is on his game, creating aesthetically pleasing shots from scene to scene. He uses close-ups as if they're going out of style but leaves tons of open space conveying oodles of tension by letting the viewer see not only the face but the environment around them. The music was dead on as well. Johnny Depp shines as John Dillinger, a man of charisma and criminal brilliance. Depp plays Dillinger to be an uber-confident but flawed man. While he tricks the feds and seemingly dances under their noses, he lives every moment by the seat of his pants. Dillinger irresponsibly looks no further than he must which makes him appear accepting that his fate is to die young. Depp will say a line with a deadly serious look on his face then momentarily break a witty smile only to let it fade his face as Dillinger returns to the reality that he's not destined to experience joy for long. Excellent. As well Marion Cotillard is excellent as Dillinger's star crossed love.
This is an excellent crime story. It's a longer flick but moves fast. It grips from the opening to the end. If only all films were like this, the world would be a better place.
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