Public Enemies
November 13th, 2009
In the shadow of the Great Depression, criminal minds are thriving — notorious men like John Dillinger (Johnny Depp), “Baby Face” Nelson (Stephen Graham) and “Pretty Boy” Floyd (Channing Tatum) — and it’s up to J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) and the FBI to bring them down. Michael Mann directs this gritty crime drama based on the book by Bryan Burrough. Christian Bale, Giovanni Ribisi and Leelee Sobieski co-star.
This is an action thriller about the later life of legendary Depression-era outlaw, handsome and charismatic John Dillinger (Johnny Depp), number one on J. Edgar Hoover’s most wanted list at that time. He was a folk hero to many people and with his girlfriend, Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard) became endeared to the American public who had no sympathy for the banks he was robbing. You see, the populace blamed the banks for having plunged the country into the deep Depression. Dillinger’s nemesis was Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale), a lawman hand-picked by Hoover to arrest and/or kill Dillinger to elevate his (Hoover’s) own professional ambitions from simply the head of a Bureau of Investigation to the head of a “Federal” Bureau of Investigation, today’s FBI. This movie scores high with me because of Depp, Cotillard and Bale. They each delivered splendid performances and I found myself cheering for the bad guy, who killed and terrorized, but seemed caring and sensitive. Also making this special for me was the Chicago setting. I watched “The Sixth Sense” at the theater where Dillinger was killed, and stood in the same spot where he lay mortally wounded on July 22, 1934. The appearance of that street has not changed much over 75 years. This is a lengthy, factual and emotionally charged shoot ‘em up with occasional dialogue that is a bit hard to understand. But if you love the costumes, cars and sights of the mid-1930′s, and enjoy a good action period piece, I would highly recommend this sure-to-be 2009′s summer blockbuster for Michael Mann and company.
Rent this movie in Spain from FilmAmora.com
Categories: Suspense
