Public Enemies

These days it’s hard to have faith in our financial institutions. Between Ponzi schemes, reckless lending, and credit default swaps there is little reason lately to keep your savings out of your mattress. But as little trust as we have now in these systems, its nothing compared to what everyone felt during the great depression. It was so much so that bank robbers actually became heroes, enacting justice against the bankers who had carelessly caused the country to fall into economic ruin. One of the people who took it upon himself to get his while sticking it to the banks was the legendary John Dillinger. If someone told me that there was a movie out about an economic crisis, the use of torture in interrogations, media influence on public perception, and wiretapping then I would assume it was about contemporary America, but I’d be dead wrong because that’s exactly what the new Michael Mann film “Public Enemies” is.

“Public Enemies” is a fascinating dramatization of the true story of gangster John Dillinger played by Johnny Depp. After a slew of bank robberies he becomes public enemy number one. A young incarnation of the federal bureau of investigations puts Melvin Purvis, played by Christian Bale, in charge of the manhunt. Dillinger is a master of getaways and hiding in plain sight and is able to evade capture for quite some time despite Purvis’ best effort. This is not the best film that Michael Mann has ever made, but his films are good enough that what ends up being mediocre for him is still pretty amazing. This is by no means a fast paced action thriller, but rather a pensive and meticulous look at a man and the world and times in which he lived. The gritty realism that he brings to even a period piece is astounding, and while slowly paced the film is full of shoot outs and prison breaks. Mann’s usual use of handheld cameras and digital video make this film feel all the more real, as if he took a handy-cam back in time to the gangland Chicago. Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, and Marion Cotillard as Dillinger’s love interest all give tremendous if understated performances. The film also places itself well in the contemporary atmosphere with scenes showing police brutality during interrogations, the frustrations of modern bureaucracy, the media portraying Dillinger as a hero for the masses, and others showing how the FBI uses the same tactics to influence public perception.

There is a lot to chew on in this film, but this is not the film the marketing makes it out to be. Don’t go into it expecting “Miami Vice” in the 1930s; it’s better than that. This is somewhere between “Collateral” and “The Insider” on the Michael Mann spectrum of filmmaking. This isn’t a film that’s pure entertainment, but as long as you can stay interested in a realistic depiction of this era of crime in American history then you will get something out of it. At the very least you will come away with a better understanding of what it meant to be a gangster and at most you will see an honest effort by a great filmmaker.