Public Enemies

Public Enemies: Review

I would first like to point out that if you havn't seen the movie, you are fine with reading my review. I won't ever spoil the plot in any of my reviews, but if of course, you want to watch the movie without being influenced by outside thought, stop reading.

I came into this movie with very very high expectations. Not only does it have Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, who are my two favorite actors, it also stars Marion Cotillard from La Vie en Rose, which she won an academy award for. As a 1930s bank robber movie, and put into the hands of Depp, it had huge promise to be spectacular. Unfortunately, I don't think I can call it that, as much as I want to.

Let's talk about the good things first. Johnny Depp is flawless in his portrayal of John Dillinger, a perfect mix of charm and villainy, and an all-around badass that you just have to love. Christian Bale, and unfortunately he appeared too few times on the screen in my opinion, was a cool, calculating, FBI agent bent on getting the job done. Marion Cotillard also didn't disappoint in her role as John Dillinger's girlfriend. Their relationship was very believable for a "love at first sight" beginning and probably made every girl in the audience wish she was dating Johnny Depp. The music, accents, costumes, entertainment, robberies, etc all had a great 1930s feel to them. I enjoyed watching Depp do all sorts of illegal activities and worm his way out of every situation with wit, charisma, and roguish good looks.

Now for the bad stuff. This movie could have benefited from being at least half an hour shorter. While Public Enemies was about one of the most famous bank robbers who ever lived, it was sometimes slow-paced and dare I say it, boring. Which is saying something considering Depp and Bale were onscreen. The impact John Dillinger had was minimized and while the movie hinted at the public's general appreciation of him, more could have been done to stress the economic hardships people were experiencing and the mistrust of the government, which would have added greatly to Dillinger's legacy. The accents were a bit thick at times and sometimes not understandable, so I think I missed a few important things that were said casually, but should have been emphasized.

All in all, I think I had higher expectations for the movie than Public Enemies delivered. A good movie, not a great movie.

What I learned from Public Enemies: Do not let people with trenchcoats into banks. They are almost certainly bank robbers.

Final Grade: B